What is so great about oatmeal? What makes it so healthy? Currently im eating it as breakfast.... but is it good as a postworkout meal?

Better for preworkout... Postworkout you should be looking for a high glycemic index carb. High glycemic index means the body turns food into sugar very fast. This boost in your blood will help your muscles convert glucose into glycogen. Also, a bit of protein helps replenish glycogen even faster!

BTW - don't use simple sugars immediately after working out.

As far as what's so great about oatmeal... I dunno... I have read many places that it is excellent. But, I don't know why. Also, only eat the plain version not the ones stuffed with sugar.

HTH,
Rip

http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/...ry_of_oats.htm

@rip -> You kinda lost me with all the scientific names and stuff ... I have no idea what you are talking about... btw, I had heard that post workout, it is good to take foods filled with protein, specially if it has whey, so it gets to your muscles fast... What was this about sugar and glycomen or w.e?

@evo -> great link... directly answered my question

For post-workout, you want a 2:1 ratio of carbs to protein. Carbs should hit around 50-70 grams. Your carbs should come from dextrose and maltodextrin if possible because of the fast acting nature of them.

Dextrose, maltodextrin=simple sugar=fast acting=most beneficial.
Same with protein, whey hydrosylate is the better way to go because it's the fastest acting of them.

actually oats are a decent pwo source. most of the info concerning pwo nutrition comes from supplement companies and ppl who write for them. john berardi is one of these ppl.

a far better outline comes from alan aragon mainly because he is not linked with a supplement company and recommends food over supplements

---- 60-120g of high-GI carbs (0.5g/lb target BW), or a combination of types that ultimately averages to a high-GI rating (70 or above). dextrose & maltodextrin have traditionally been emphasized as ideal for postworkout because of their high-GI. however, i have issues with going pure dex for postworkout for a couple of reasons - and they have nothing to do with the threat of insulin resistance, because that whole scenario applies to a completely different population. first off, you can get some default dex within fruit or milk. secondly, pure dex has no micronutrient density, and i've said it before, antioxidant micronutrition is grossly under-emphasized whenever postworkout nutrition is discussed. dex is a fine addition to your postworkout carb arsenal, but to go pure dex for the largest carb hit of your day doesn't make sense from a micronutrient density standpoint - especially when dex is contained in other foods that are more nutrient dense and are still either high-GI or highly insulinemic.

thinly rolled non-prepacketed oats (which many don't realize have a GI of appx 65-75 as opposed to the low-GI the steel-cut or old-fashioned type) plus dex is achieving the best of both worlds, but that's theoretical ground. NOTE: old fashioned/slow-cooked oats + dex in a 1:1 still yields a GI that crosses the threshold of high. adding fruit to your postworkout mix of carbs can potentially benefit folks who train with a high volume & do a lot of cardio (ie, precontest). the protection of liver glycogen status under such conditions can maintain the centrally neurologic signaling of the "fed state" and hence prevent lean tissue catabolism -- especially during hypocaloric balance.

okay, so to be practical, simple examples are: 1/2-1 cup dry oats + 30-50g dex (OR) 1/2 cup dry oats + 40g dex + 1 banana. these are just 2 examples out of many possibilities. i see nothing wrong with using high-moderate to high-GI carbs other than dex/malto, as long as the average GI of the combo is near or greater than 70. nitpicky theoretics aside, anything 65 or above on the GI scale (like the thinly rolled plain oats which people mistakenly think is in the low GI category) will likely have very similar real-world effectiveness as higher-GI choices. but remember, this is a discussion of optima, thus, we are scrutinizing the minutia and elucidating what might provide the edge.
---- as little fat as possible is best postworkout, because you don't want to blunt insulin output at this point.
---- milk considerations: whether or not you add milk to your postworkout shake depends upon personal preference and tolerance. the cons of milk are that many folks have some degree of lactose intolerance or milk allergy, and therefore are excluded from the possibility. the pros of milk postworkout are that it's highly insulinogenic, contains 6g dex per cup, and is a potent anabolic/anticatabolic substance that has outperformed whey in human research thus far.

What is PWO?

post workout

I dont really have time to do the real oatmeal... So im using quick oats... I also have cream of wheat... any opinions on that?

So long as you're not using the instant oatmeal (the kind that comes pre-packaged in single servings), then that is just fine.
Cream of Wheat is a fine choice for pwo, but not for breakfast or any other meal.

Oh ok... Thanks dude... yesterday I took it as dinner ... Oh well... too l8 now :P

NOT dude...

lol @ spock. but, cream of wheat is bearble by itself, but what can i throw in it to make it taste better, fruit? is honey good? suggestions? i can eat it plain if it is not a good idea to add sweetners. pears would be even better to sweeten them, seeing that pears have the almost the sweetest natural sweetener in them. said that right?

Splenda is always an option, as are fruit. I usually use frozen blueberries, or 3-4 chopped dried apricot halves, or a few teaspoons of Trader Joe's Pumpkin Butter.

Why dont u like it when i call u "dude" dude?