Both creams of wheat and oatmeal are well-known options for breakfast. These items are usually enjoyed with milk, and one proper serving can fill you up quite easily.
Since they seem so similar, you must have wondered which one is better for your health, cream of wheat or oatmeal? If so, then today you’re in luck because we will be looking at an in-depth comparison of cream of wheat vs. oatmeal, including the differences between the nutritional values!
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A Little Bit about Cream of Wheat
Cream of Wheat is a brand name for a kind of porridge mix. This item is made from white wheat farina and semolina flour. If you didn’t know, farina is a kind of milled wheat. Cream of wheat has a gritty but relatively smooth texture compared to other cereals.
This breakfast option can quickly fill you up and contains many vital nutrients that make it a healthy choice. Since the cream of wheat doesn’t have a lot of flavors on its own, you may enjoy it in many ways.
However, it is usually served with hot milk. You can also add a variety of toppings such as fruits, nuts, chocolate chip, nut butter, etc. After the milk is added, it forms a thick and creamy consistency like porridge.
In terms of calories, cream of wheat is delicious because one cup, the regular serving size, contains only 126 calories. But it would help if you kept in mind that this will go higher, depending on what milk and toppings you add to it.
A Little Bit About Oatmeal
Most of you probably don’t need an introduction to oatmeal because of its popularity across the world. It is made from oat kernels that are dehusked, crushed, and flattened.
To make oatmeal, the first thing used is Oat groats, which are very nutritionally rich. In the ingredients list of this item, you will also find salt, sugar, and other flavorings depending on the brand of oatmeal you buy. Oatmeal has a nutty taste because the oats are heated and almost roasted.
Oatmeal is a versatile food and can be incorporated into many recipes of cuisines across the world. You can enjoy it like porridge by serving it with hot milk, and then you can add fresh fruits such as toppings and nuts and seeds for taste and texture.
Furthermore, it is also used in desserts such as pies, cookies, puddings, and even in savory dishes such as casseroles. You can get all the nutrients from oatmeal by blending it into your smoothie or adding it to your smoothie bowl.
One cup of oatmeal has only 166 calories, but this number can vary depending on the brand you’re buying from. This is still pretty less when compared to other breakfast items, but you have to add milk and other toppings to it, so it is edible. Hence, many calories will be added with those ingredients as well, which is fine.
Cream of Wheat Vs Oatmeal
Both creams of wheat and oatmeal are great nutritious breakfast options, but you need to know more about the nutritional values to choose which one to have.
Calories:
If you’re trying to lose weight, you’re probably keeping track of your calories to ensure that you’re in a deficit. You’ll be happy to hear that neither oatmeal nor cream of wheat is very high in calories.
The latter has slightly fewer calories, with 144 calories in 1 cup, and the former has 166 calories in 1 cup. However, this gap isn’t huge, so don’t stress the number of calories much.
Moreover, the number of calories will increase when you add more ingredients to both items. Overall number of calories will depend on what you add to them.
Fiber:
Fiber is an essential nutrient that keeps your gut healthy, and both oatmeal and cream of wheat do have it. However, oatmeal is much richer in fiber than cream of wheat. It has 4g of fiber per serving, while the cream of wheat only has 1.3 g per serving.
Consuming oatmeal can also help control your cholesterol levels because it has a type of fiber called beta-glucan. Studies have shown that having even 3g of this fiber every day can help in lowering your cholesterol.
Therefore, oatmeal is the better option if you want something that will help you digest food better and lower your cholesterol. Also, because of the high fiber content, oatmeal will keep you full for a longer time than cream of wheat.
Protein:
If you want your muscles to stay healthy and strong, you need to consume enough protein. Although both breakfast options have protein, oatmeal has a higher protein content. Oatmeal has 5.9g of protein per serving, whereas cream of wheat has 3.6g.
Since higher protein content means you’ll feel fuller, oatmeal is better for people who want to lose weight as it will keep you from getting hungry for a longer time. We recommend you add more protein-rich ingredients to your bowl of oatmeal or cream of wheat because neither of them has enough of it.
Vitamins:
You will be getting all the essential B vitamins from both of these cereals besides vitamin B-12. Vitamin B-12 isn’t found in any plant-based food. Vitamin A is also included in the list of nutrients of these kinds of cereal. You will get good amounts of folate and niacin from both types of cereal.
Still, the cream of wheat has triple the amount of these vitamins compared to oatmeal. While oatmeal has 0.5 mg of niacin and 14g of folate, cream of wheat has 1.3 mg of niacin and 45 mg of folate.
So, you will be meeting 9 to 12 percent of your recommended intake of niacin and folate by eating a serving cream of wheat. In contrast, you will only be consuming 3 to 4 percent of it by having a cup of oatmeal.
Minerals:
There are plenty of minerals in oatmeal and cream of wheat. Still, the amount of each mineral varies significantly between these two types of cereals. Cream of wheat has 9 milligrams of iron in 1 serving, surpassing the suggested daily intake for men and about 50 percent of the recommended daily intake for women.
On the other hand, oatmeal has only 2 milligrams of iron per serving, which is still not bad, but it’s nowhere close to the iron content in cream of wheat.
Cream of wheat also has a much higher calcium content than oatmeal, ten times exact. However, oatmeal has seven times the amount of zinc and five times the amount of magnesium that cream of wheat has in 1 cup.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can you have oatmeal at night?
Although oatmeal is generally considered to be a breakfast option, you can also have it at night. This is because oats consist of melatonin which helps in regulating your sleep cycle.
Is Cream of Wheat good for muscle building?
In general, cream of wheat is a great addition to a muscle-building diet as it consists of energy-rich complex carbohydrates. However, on its own, it’s not enough since it doesn’t contain enough protein.
Are Steel cut oats better for you?
Yes, they are better for you because they have β-glucan, which is a soluble and viscous fiber. This fiber improves the digestion of food and helps you feel even fuller than regular oats.
Final Words
Overall, both of these cereals are excellent healthy choices for breakfast, and both of them have several health benefits.
But if we had to give a verdict on which one is the winner in the cream of wheat vs. oatmeal battle, then we have to say that oatmeal is the better choice. Oatmeal has higher amounts of fiber, protein, magnesium, and zinc.
However, you may prefer cream of wheat because it has more iron, calcium, niacin, folate, and fewer calories than oatmeal. The decision is subjective to the taste of each of these cereals.
