The Scary Truth Behind Your To-Go Oatmeal

Oatmeal typically seems like the healthiest option at a fast-food restaurant, right? Not so fast.

Grabbing a to-go bowl of oatmeal at places like McDonald's or your local coffee shop might be sneaking hidden calories, sugar, and preservatives into your diet that you don't expect. Many of these convenient breakfast options are made with cream, stabilizers, and sweetened soy or nut milks, made worse with toppings like brown sugar, dried fruit, and roasted nuts. Suddenly your healthy bowl of oatmeal has more sugar than the dessert you enjoyed the night before.

Think about it: in a bowl of McDonald's oatmeal, you'll find nearly as many grams of sugar (32, specifically) as a can of Coca Cola. Keep in mind that the healthiest version of oatmeal is the kind you make at home, or one where you can control exactly what goes into it (think: only hot water to cook it, nuts, and fruit on the side). When grabbing oatmeal to go, it doesn't hurt to ask if you can read the ingredient list before making your purchase.