You may have seen various types of oatmeal on store shelves and wondered what the difference is between, say, rolled oats, steel cut, and instant. Are they pretty much the same, or is one type of oatmeal better for you than another? What are the pros and cons of each in terms of nutritional value, convenience, and more?
In essence, all oats start out as whole seeds from the Avena sativa plant, a grain crop grown in cool, temperate regions like northwestern Europe, Canada, and the North American Midwest. After they’re harvested, these seeds go through processing changes that make them into unique types of oats.
“The inedible husk is removed, or hulled, resulting in oat groats,” says Danielle VenHuizen, RDN, the owner of Food Sense Nutrition, a nutrition counseling practice in Burien, Washington. “From there, oats can be processed into the different forms we know and love on the grocery store shelves.”
Here’s a look at how five variations differ.
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