Review: Weil by Nature’s Path Hot Oatmeal
When I was younger, my mother would occasionally make me oatmeal in the morning. She would cook up the oats and sprinkle them with a light dusting of sugar - and I do mean a light dusting. My younger self would often stand nearby hoping some fortuitous accident would lead to a whole heaping spoonful of sugar, a la Mary Poppins, making its way into the bowl. Alas, it was not to be. So I would sit at the breakfast table and carefully eat the sugar from the top, at which point I would be faced with what was, to my mind, an unappetizing bowl of blandness. When I was old enough to make my own, I acted out a little rebellion by stirring obscene amounts of sugar into the oats, and although I knew in my heart of hearts that taking it to such extremes meant that my breakfast just plain didn’t taste good, I did it anyway.
Oatmeal all but disappeared from my life once I hit the teenage years, and it was not until I came to the U.S. that I suddenly remembered the joys of oatmeal. Yet while I tried many of the Quaker instant varieties - so ubiquitous in American grocery stores - none of them quite satisfied me. Perhaps it was my cooking method, but they often ended up gluey in texture, and just too sweet for my tastes. The other week, however, I came across the oatmeal collaboration between Dr. Weil and Nature’s Path Organic, and happily picked up a box of each variety - Chocolada Almond and Veri-Berry.
Over the years, quite a few posts on this website have exalted oats for their ability to lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease and colon cancer, for containing all sorts of beneficial minerals and phytonutrients, and for being rich in fiber. Many delicious-sounding oatmeal recipes have also been put forth, and yet as a time-poor college student heading into Finals, oatmeal that I can make quickly with hot water or in the microwave is quite alluring. Each Weil by Nature’s Path Hot Oatmeal variety is vegan, organic, free of GMOs, and has between 26-27g whole grains as well as 4g of fiber per serving. More importantly, they taste good.
Veri-Berry contains dried cranberries, cherries, and raspberries, and is my preferred choice in the morning. Not too sweet, with a nice tang from the berries, a bowl sustains me quite nicely until lunch time in a way that no other instant oatmeals have yet managed to do. The Chocolada Almond does, in my opinion, have a slight edge, in large part because of the plentiful and delicious almonds that impart a nice crunch to the experience. If I had access to my lovely pantry (or someone else’s lovely pantry, for that matter), I’d love to add a pinch of cinnamon and chili, but the flavor is certainly enjoyable as is. This oatmeal has become one of my go-to snacks for afternoons of studying. It’s got chocolate, almonds, and is healthful - sounds like a pretty good deal to me.
Photo courtesy of www.naturespath.com
