Late-night snackers looking to avoid added sugar
You want to decide for yourself what goes into your oat snack. Plain oats or an unflavoured variety with ingredients you’ve checked give you the freedom to choose your own additions.
Who is this relevant to?
Late returners who want to keep preparation to a minimum
A measured portion of unflavoured oats can be handy if you get home late and want to make something quickly. Even with portion packs, check the ingredients and nutritional information for the exact variety.
People who need gluten-free oats
Regular oatmeal is not automatically suitable for people with coeliac disease. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, the official Crossed Grain symbol on the packaging is an important distinction; also check the current allergen information.
What should you look for when choosing?
Start with your main priority: the ingredients, the quantity of your whole snack, ease of preparation or gluten-free suitability. Then check the specific pack, as an unflavoured product and a flavoured variety may differ.
| What to consider | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Added sugar | Read the ingredients and compare ‘of which sugars’ per 100 g and per serving. Don’t interpret ‘no added sugars’ as ‘sugar-free’. | If I want to decide how sweet it is, I look for an oat base with no added sugar. For around 38% of consumers, checking the ingredients comes first. |
| Portion and additions | Decide how much dry oats to use, and include milk, yoghurt, fruit, nuts and sweeteners when considering the nutritional value of the whole snack. | A measured bowl helps me keep track of what I eat late in the evening; around 31% of consumers give the make-up of the whole portion top priority. |
| Ease of preparation | Compare preparation methods and the quantity in each pack; check the ingredients in quick-cook varieties too. | When I get home late, I want to keep preparation to a minimum without automatically choosing a flavoured variety. For around 23% of consumers, convenience comes first. |
| Gluten-free suitability | If you have coeliac disease, look for the official Crossed Grain symbol and read the allergen information on the current pack. | If I need gluten-free oats because of coeliac disease, I can’t rely on the ‘wholegrain’ label. For around 8% of consumers, suitability is the first thing they look for. |
Common mistakes
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Reading ‘sugar-free’ as ‘no added sugars’
Plain oatmeal can contain naturally occurring sugars. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre lists 0.3 g of sugars per 40 g for average oatmeal; this average figure does not tell you exactly what is in a specific brand or flavoured variety.
Read the wording on the pack carefully, and also check the ingredients list and nutritional information.
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Looking only at the dry oatmeal
The nutritional value of dry oats doesn’t describe the bowl you’ll actually eat. Milk, yoghurt, nuts, fruit, honey or syrup all change the total amount of sugars and energy.
Decide how much oats to use first, then consider the liquid and toppings you add as well.
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Choosing a portion pack without comparing it with other options
A pre-measured portion saves you weighing things out, but that convenience doesn’t tell you how much each portion contains or how its ingredients compare with loose oats.
Compare the quantity per portion, the ingredients and the preparation method before choosing between loose oats and portion packs.
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Assuming regular oats are gluten-free
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, oats can come into contact with cereals containing gluten. So, if you have coeliac disease, a regular pack of oatmeal isn’t enough to confirm that it’s suitable.
Check for the official Crossed Grain symbol and the current allergen information on the pack.
Brands to consider
Quaker
Quaker offers both loose oatmeal and unflavoured portion packs in its Oats Express range. The right option depends on how much you want to measure and prepare yourself.
- According to Quaker, Quaker Oatmeal is made from 100% wholegrain oats and contains no added sugars. Quaker Oats Express Unflavoured is also described as having no added sugars.
- Don’t assume flavoured and protein varieties have the same ingredients or allergens; check the specific pack.
Brinta
Brinta Oatmeal is an option if you want to use loose, extra-fine oat flakes.
- Albert Heijn lists 100% oat flakes as the ingredients in Brinta Oatmeal; according to Brinta’s product information, the flakes are extra fine.
- The product information warns that it may contain traces of wheat and rye. Don’t assume this product is suitable for people with coeliac disease.
Albert Heijn
Albert Heijn’s range includes several types of oatmeal, including an own-brand variety labelled gluten-free.
- A choice of pack sizes and varieties lets you choose between loose oats and products with different qualities.
- Albert Heijn notes that ingredients, nutritional values and allergen information may change. Check the current pack if a particular quality is important to you.
Jumbo
At Jumbo, you can compare own-brand oats with Quaker products if you’re weighing up loose oats against portion packs.
- The range includes both fine and coarse wholegrain oat flakes under its own brand.
- A range overview doesn’t tell you whether the ingredients and allergens are the same across different varieties; check each product individually.
Golden Bridge (ALDI)
Golden Bridge offers fine and coarse wholegrain oatmeal for anyone looking for loose oats as a base.
- ALDI describes both a fine and a coarse variety in a 500 g pack.
- Before choosing a variety for its sugar content or gluten-free suitability, check the ingredients, nutritional information and allergens on the pack.
Lidl
Lidl lists coarse oat flakes as an in-store product for anyone who prefers coarse to fine oats.
- The product information lists a 500 g pack.
- Before choosing this product to meet a specific sugar or gluten requirement, check the ingredients, nutritional information and allergens on the pack in store.
Oatmeal products on Joybuy
These products offer two ways to put together a late-night oat snack: a Quaker Express portion pack to save you measuring, or loose oatmeal from Quaker or Brinta so you can decide how much to use. For all three, read the nutritional information per 100 g and check the current pack if allergens or gluten-free suitability are important.
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Quaker Express Oatmeal 324 g
A portion pack for anyone who doesn’t want to measure out oats late in the evening. The product description lists 12 portions and a preparation time of 2 minutes; the nutritional information lists 1 g of sugars per 100 g. Check the pack to see how much each portion contains, and look for the Crossed Grain symbol if you have coeliac disease.
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Quaker Oatmeal 600 g
Loose oatmeal for anyone who wants to decide how much to use and what to add to a late-night snack. According to the product information, this variety is made from 100% wholegrain oats and contains no added sugars; the nutritional information lists 1.1 g of sugars per 100 g. The product description warns that it may contain traces of wheat and barley, so check the current pack if gluten-free suitability is essential.
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Brinta Oatmeal 450 g
Extra-fine, loose oat flakes for anyone who wants to measure out a portion and prepare an oat-based snack. The ingredients list states 100% oat flakes; the nutritional information lists 0.8 g of sugars per 100 g. According to the product information, this product may contain traces of wheat and rye. If you have coeliac disease, check the current pack and look for the Crossed Grain symbol.
Frequently asked questions
Is regular oatmeal automatically sugar-free?
No, oatmeal can contain naturally occurring sugars. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre lists an average of 0.3 g of sugars per 40 g of oatmeal. For a specific product, check the exact claim and the nutritional information on the pack.
Does ‘no added sugars’ tell me about the whole late-night snack?
No, that claim doesn’t describe the nutritional value of the bowl you end up eating. For 40 g of average dry oatmeal, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre lists 146 kcal and 23.7 g of carbohydrates; anything you add, such as milk, yoghurt, fruit, nuts or sweeteners, comes on top.
What should I choose if I don’t want to add sugar to my oatmeal?
Choose a base whose ingredients you can check, such as oat flakes with oats as the only ingredient, and decide for yourself what to add. Albert Heijn lists 100% oat flakes as the ingredients in Brinta Oatmeal; according to Quaker, Quaker Oatmeal and Quaker Oats Express Unflavoured contain no added sugars. This doesn’t automatically make these products sugar-free.
Can I eat regular oatmeal if I have coeliac disease?
Don’t assume regular oatmeal is suitable without checking. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, oat products can come into contact with cereals containing gluten, so look for the official Crossed Grain symbol and check the allergen information on the current pack.