I'm just going to say that, barring specific health issues, sugar is not evil.

Too much of anything is not good, and concentrated sources make it easier to get "too much". Sugar is a concentrated carb. Added to an already high carb dish like oatmeal, it probably is too much for someone like me already fighting obesity.

Oatmeal is "high carb" in much the same way broccoli is "high carb." Neither one is protein, fat, or alcohol, so they are indeed carbohydrate. And yet you never hear broccoli called "high carb." because it -- like oatmeal -- is full of fiber.

Oatmeal is not a starchy carb like bread and the almighty white tater. There's a reason that doctors recommend it to heart patients and diabetic patients.

So yes, it is "high carb" by dint of being a food that grows in the earth. But the term "high carb" is what's slapped on starchy, sugary, zero-fiber carbs, and it's disingenous to lump oatmeal in with a Moon Pie.

I'm not telling anyone else what to do, though I wonder who exactly something that unbalanced is healthy for.

Oatmeal with dried fruit and maple syrup? Healthy for more people than not. I'd even say most people.

Mind you, every meal does not have to be pure health food. But when oatmeal with dried fruit and maple syrup is described as "healthy" I do wonder a bit.

I don't mean to be contentious, and I'm not on Quaker's payroll, but this is NOT UNHEALTHY. Sure, with a gallon of syrup, it would cause a sugar high heard round the world. But who does that? I doubt most people -- or McDonald's kitchens -- put more than a tablespoon or 2 of maple syrup on their oatmeal. A teaspoon (or even a tablespoon) of syrup? Not unhealthy.

Now, if you personally have that sensitive of an insulin window -- and many diabetics do -- then it's up to you and your doctor to decide if maple syrup, even in a small amount, is okay for you yourself to consume. But to wonder if it's healthy for anyone? That's off the mark.

My issue with oatmeal is that even though I feel full after eating it, I will be hungry in about an hour. I need more protein with my breakfast.

I don't have any problem with McDonald's having oatmeal, though I'm sure it's more expensive than what oatmeal at home costs. I also don't have a problem with Starbucks and Jamba Juice also price gouging their consumers. I'd not get oatmeal at a fastfood place because that's not the sort of thing I crave and oatmeal is so simple to make.

I need more protein with my breakfast.

Word.

Peanut butter for breakfast was a huge revelation for me.

I've been eating oatmeal for the past two weeks or so, each day for breakfast. Then I eat a big blob of cheddar cheese. I'm sure the cheese is cancelling out the health benefits of the oatmeal, but it is totally necessary for me.

We do steel cut, with a bit of local honey (allegedly fights allergies!) and frozen fruit, usually peaches but also berries and with chopped almonds. Everyone eats it, including Grace, but she gets hers via tube.

Then, when I'm still hungry I have cheese.

I eat a PB&J sandwich for breakfast every day, pretty much

shrift: [link] we usually get this one, though it would be cheaper to buy a 25 lb from Amazon.

Thanks, Kat! I was going to try Whole Foods, and maybe a different grocery store or two. I've had some really fantastic wheatberry salads and wanted to try making my own.

My issue with oatmeal is that even though I feel full after eating it, I will be hungry in about an hour. I need more protein with my breakfast.

I add protein powder to my oatmeal, because I need protein with breakfast, too.

I have a cycle of 20 different breakfasts that I work my way through because that is my particular brand of crazy. Oatmeal is the lead-off hitter.

I don't mean to be contentious, and I'm not on Quaker's payroll, but this is NOT UNHEALTHY

I don't want to be contentious either but:

1) Oatmeal and brocolli are very different carbs. Even though a whole grain, oatmeal is a more concentrated carb, and the fiber to carb ratio is much higher in broccoli. Not to say they are not both healthy in their own ways. But very different. On the plus side oatmeal has some protein.

2) Oatmeal itself is healthy. And a little maple syrup probably does no harm. And a little dried fruit does no harm. But when you put the three together you are starting to get pretty carbtastic. Especially since dried fruit takes something already sweet and concetrates it more. Dried fruit was sugar before we had sugar. I think maybe substituting fresh fruit for the dried (in the morning)and keep the maple syrup and you would be fine. (I'm assuming in all cases dairy or soy or almond or whatever milk to make a complete protein).

Whole wheat toast is pretty healthy (real whole wheat not mostly-white-flour whole wheat). But if I made a whole wheat sandwich with raisins and maple syrup, and drank a half glass of milk with it. don't think anyone would pretend it is especially balanced. Oatmeal is healthy and nutritious. But what you have with it determines whether the meal based on it is balanced and healthy or not.