The nutritional profile of oats does not vary with grain processing. Old-fashioned, quick-cooking and instant oats have the same values, as long as no food flavorings or sugars are added to them. Cooking, on the other hand, depletes oats of nutrients, evident when you compare the U.S. Department of Agriculture nutrition facts labels for 100 grams -- 3.5 ounces -- of instant dry oatmeal to the same product cooked with water.
Antioxidants
One hundred grams of raw oatmeal has 79 percent of the recommended daily intake -- RDI -- for vitamin A, 3 percent for vitamin E and 4 percent for the trace mineral selenium. These nutrients are antioxidants, substances that protect your cells from disease-causing molecules called free radicals. The same serving of cooked oats provides 19 percent of the RDI for vitamin A. The nutritional value for vitamin E and selenium is not listed on the USDA label.
B Vitamins
As a group, the B-complex vitamins are essential for your body to extract energy and nutrients from the foods you eat. A 3.5-ounce serving of cooked oats gives you 19 percent of the RDI for B-6, thiamine, riboflavin and niacin. It also has 2 percent for pantothenic acid and 31 percent for folate. These values are significantly less than what raw oatmeal provides: 78 percent of the RDI for B-6, thiamine and riboflavin; 79 percent for niacin; 7 percent for pantothenic acid; and 128 percent of the RDI for folate.
Quantity Minerals
Oats have all the quantity minerals vital to your health. Quantity minerals are those your body needs in large amounts. One hundred grams of the raw grain contains 39 percent of the RDI for calcium, 34 percent for magnesium, 45 percent for phosphorous, 8 percent for potassium and 12 percent for sodium. Each of these nutrients plays a different role in keeping you healthy. Magnesium, for instance, is necessary for your body to manufacture proteins and move the muscles. The mineral also distributes energy to your organs, cells and tissues. As occurs with other nutrients, mineral value decreases when you cook your oats. A prepared 3.5-ounce serving has 10 percent of the RDI for calcium, 9 percent for magnesium, 11 percent for phosphorous, 2 percent for potassium and 3 percent for sodium.
Trace Minerals
Besides selenium, 100 grams of raw oats have 163 percent of the RDI for iron, 20 percent for zinc, 15 percent for copper and 210 percent for manganese. The cooked serving provides 41 percent of the RDI for iron, 5 percent for zinc, 4 percent for copper and 53 percent for manganese. Like quantity minerals, trace minerals perform a variety of functions. Copper, for example, makes it possible for your body to use iron.
References
- Whole Food Facts; Evelyn Roehl
- SkipThePie.org: Nutritional Info of: Cereals, QUAKER, Instant Oatmeal, Low Sodium, Dry vs Cereals, QUAKER, Oatmeal, Instant, Low Sodium, Prepared with Water
- SkipThePie.org: SkipThePie.org Frequently Asked Questions
- MedlinePlus: Antioxidants
- American Cancer Society: Vitamin B Complex
- MedlinePlus: Magnesium in Diet
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Copper
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