Oats vs Fiber One bars

[LAGear]

I eat steel cut oats most mornings with my protein shake. But I hate making the oats and cleaning up after. It's not a huge PITA but I'm lazy.

So I'm comparing oats to Fiber One bars and it looks like the bars might be better.

One serving of oats has 150 calories, 26 grams of carbs and 4 grams of fiber.

The Fiber One bar has 140 calories, 29 grams of carbs and a whopping 9 grams of fiber.

If we're after the fiber don't the Fiber One bars win out?

I notice the first listed ingredient in the bars is chicory root extract. What the heck is that?

[fitnessbyalex]

I eat steel cut oats most mornings with my protein shake. But I hate making the oats and cleaning up after. It's not a huge PITA but I'm lazy.

So I'm comparing oats to Fiber One bars and it looks like the bars might be better.

One serving of oats has 150 calories, 26 grams of carbs and 4 grams of fiber.

The Fiber One bar has 140 calories, 29 grams of carbs and a whopping 9 grams of fiber.

If we're after the fiber don't the Fiber One bars win out?

I notice the first listed ingredient in the bars is chicory root extract. What the heck is that?

I know that virtually the entire fitness community loves oats. I however do not prefer them for several reasons:

-Phytic acid content (hinders digestion and nutrient absorption)
-High omega-6 content (conducive to an inflammatory environment)

If you love oats, or if they work well for you, by all means keep eating them. For digestibility and nutrient profile purposes, I tend to prefer and recommend grits.

Fiber one bars are "OK." I think that for convenience sake they are acceptable, or for a snack. You would benefit more from eating oats, grits or something like cream of wheat/rice.

-Alex

[LAGear]

I know that virtually the entire fitness community loves oats. I however do not prefer them for several reasons:

-Phytic acid content (hinders digestion and nutrient absorption)
-High omega-6 content (conducive to an inflammatory environment)

If you love oats, or if they work well for you, by all means keep eating them. For digestibility and nutrient profile purposes, I tend to prefer and recommend grits.

Fiber one bars are "OK." I think that for convenience sake they are acceptable, or for a snack. You would benefit more from eating oats, grits or something like cream of wheat/rice.

-Alex

High omega 6 content? Oats have only 2 grams of fat per serving. Even if it was all omega 6 I wouldn't consider that "high."

On that note, I laugh at the EFA supplements that brag they have omega 3/6/9 fatty acids. Most people get too much omega 6 and they are bad for you. Some EFA supplements don't tell you how much omega 6 they have. If I had a choice I'd use the EFA supplement with the least omega 6 content.

[fitnessbyalex]

High omega 6 content? Oats have only 2 grams of fat per serving. Even if it was all omega 6 I wouldn't consider that "high."

On that note, I laugh at the EFA supplements that brag they have omega 3/6/9 fatty acids. Most people get too much omega 6 and they are bad for you. Some EFA supplements don't tell you how much omega 6 they have. If I had a choice I'd use the EFA supplement with the least omega 6 content.

Most protein sources are inflammatory (omega-6) meaning your already getting enough if not more omega-6 from your protein intake (for bodybuilders, protein intake/meat consumption is high). If your getting a lot of your carbs from oats the extra omega-6 adds up. I was simply making the point that qualitatively, I prefer less inflammatory sources of carbohydrates and my clients tend to look and feel better when they follow these guidelines. It is not something to worry too much about, just make sure you take enough omega-3 to maintain a healthy ratio.

-Alex