(HealthNewsDigest.com) - Winter and oatmeal go hand in hand. Oat-based foods like oatmeal have been studied for their effect on cholesterol on people with normal blood cholesterol as well as those with elevated levels. When eaten regularly, oatmeal does helps to lower total cholesterol levels as well as LDL cholesterol ( which is considered to be the more damaging type), while HDL cholesterol (the heart-healthy form) remains largely unchanged.

Better Oats (www.betteroats.com) owned by MOM Brands (www.MOMbrands.com) came on the market in 2010 with a product line of 23 flavors of instant oatmeal, a food category that has been dominated by Quaker for years. Each flavor of Better Oats instant oatmeal comes packaged with 5-single serve pouches. A clever and useful packaging twist allows the product pouch to be used as a measuring cup to make the oatmeal. This is a distinct advantage for an on-the-go breakfast in the office microwave or for kids preparing their own breakfast. The oatmeal can be made either in the microwave or on the stovetop. Package instructions suggest that the oatmeal be prepared with either water or milk. If you use fat free milk, the product is richer and offers 300 additional milligrams of calcium, one-third of the daily adult recommendation. The Better Oats brand continues to grow by introducing new flavors. I recently tried 4 of them.

Organic Raw Pure & Simple is a multigrain hot cereal with flax that comes in 4 flavors. Rolled oats are the first ingredients paired with quinoa, barley, rye and wheat. I tasted 2 flavors.

• Pomegranate has a mild, sweet flavor and lovely smell of pomegranates. One pouch, prepared with water, has 160 calories, 2.5 grams of fat (no trans fat or cholesterol), 6 grams of protein, 31 grams of carb (9 of which are sugar and 3 grams fiber) and 220 milligrams of sodium and 150 milligrams potassium.
• Chai Spice has mild chai flavor not typical of oatmeal but quite pleasant and subtle. One pouch, prepared with water, has 160 calories, 2.5 grams of fat (no trans fat or cholesterol), 4 grams of protein, 30 grams of carb (8 of which are sugar and 3 grams fiber) and 220 milligrams of sodium and 130 milligrams potassium.

Oat Revolution Thick & Hearty is more typical of old fashioned oatmeal with added flax. It comes in 4 different flavors. I tried Very Berry. It had a pleasant berry taste, was not overly sweet, and true to the name the prepared oatmeal was very thick and hearty. I preferred the consistency of this flavor the best. One pouch, prepared with water, has 130 calories, 2 grams of fat (no trans fat or cholesterol), 4 grams of protein, 25 grams of carb (9 of which are sugar and 3 grams fiber) and 180 milligrams of sodium and 120 milligrams potassium.

MMM...Muffins is also old fashioned-type oatmeal with flax. It comes in 2 flavors. I tried Blueberry. It was the sweetest of the flavors I sampled but did not have much more sugar than the other varieties. One pouch, prepared with water, has 160 calories, 2.5 grams of fat (no trans fat or cholesterol), 4 grams of protein, 32 grams of carb (12 of which are sugar and 3 grams fiber) and 120 milligrams of sodium and 130 milligrams potassium.

All flavors are kosher certified (OU). Better Oats is a brand definitely worth a try.

© NRH Nutrition Consultants, Inc.
Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and the author of the nutrition counter series for Pocket Books with sales of more than 8.5 million books.

Look for:

The Most Complete Food Counter, 3^rd ed., 2013

The Calorie Counter, 6^th Ed., 2013

The Complete Food Counter, 4^th ed., 2012

The Diabetes Counter, 4^th Ed., 2011

The Protein Counter, 3^rd Ed., 2011

The Ultimate Carbohydrate Counter, 3^rd Ed., 2010

The Fat Counter, 7^th ed., 2009

The Healthy Wholefoods Counter, 2008

The Cholesterol Counter, 7^th Ed., 2008

Your Complete Food Counter App: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/your-complete-food-counter/id444558777?mt=8

For more information on Jo-Ann and her books, go to: www.TheNutritionExperts.com.

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