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Cereal vs. Oatmeal — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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Differences between Cereal and Oatmeal

  • Oatmeal contains less Vitamin B1, Vitamin B6, Iron, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin A, Zinc, Vitamin C, and Manganese than Cereal.
  • Cereal's daily need coverage for Vitamin B1 is 502% higher.
  • The amount of Sodium in Oatmeal is lower.

The food types used in this comparison are Cereals ready-to-eat, USDA Commodity Corn and Rice (includes all commodity brands) and Cereals, oats, instant, fortified, plain, prepared with water (boiling water added or microwaved).

Infographic

Cereal vs Oatmeal infographic
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Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
Cereal
6
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 14% 3% 9.3% 1277% 46% 207% 33% 104% 103% 34%
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 19% 24% 5.4% 224% 22% 17% 33% 6.4% 73% 27%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +72.1%
Contains more IronIron +471.5%
Contains more CopperCopper +107.6%
Contains more ZincZinc +1125.8%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +41.6%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +26%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +36.8%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +700%
Contains less SodiumSodium -93.8%
~equal in Phosphorus ~77mg

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
Cereal
7
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate Choline Choline 128% 168% 1.6% 0% 1572% 893% 555% 14% 1381% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate Choline Choline 0% 26% 1.4% 0% 65% 50% 57% 19% 67% 0% 1% 33% 2.6%
Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +∞%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +544.8%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +14.3%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +2318.5%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +1700%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +879.2%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +1964.1%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +40.3%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +∞%
~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Cereal
3
6% 87% 4% 2%
Protein: 6.06 g
Fats: 1.08 g
Carbs: 86.85 g
Water: 3.78 g
Other: 2.23 g
2% 12% 84%
Protein: 2.37 g
Fats: 1.36 g
Carbs: 11.67 g
Water: 84.03 g
Other: 0.57 g
Contains more ProteinProtein +155.7%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +644.2%
Contains more OtherOther +291.2%
Contains more FatsFats +25.9%
Contains more WaterWater +2123%

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Cereal
0
32% 25% 43%
Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 0.26 g
Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 0.204 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.354 g
22% 37% 41%
Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 0.226 g
Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 0.391 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.426 g
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated Fat -13.1%
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated Fat +91.7%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +20.3%

Carbohydrate type comparison

Carbohydrate type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Cereal
4
94% 3% 3%
Starch: 0 g
Sucrose: 9.74 g
Glucose: 0.27 g
Fructose: 0.26 g
Lactose: 0 g
Maltose: 0.09 g
Galactose: 0 g
96% 3%
Starch: 10.37 g
Sucrose: 0.29 g
Glucose: 0 g
Fructose: 0 g
Lactose: 0 g
Maltose: 0 g
Galactose: 0.16 g
Contains more SucroseSucrose +3258.6%
Contains more GlucoseGlucose +∞%
Contains more FructoseFructose +∞%
Contains more MaltoseMaltose +∞%
Contains more StarchStarch +∞%
Contains more GalactoseGalactose +∞%
~equal in Lactose ~0g

Comparison summary table

Pay attention to the rightmost column. It displays the amounts side by side, giving a clearer understanding of the difference.
Cereal Oatmeal
Lower in Sugar ok
Lower in Sodium ok
Lower in Saturated Fat ok
Lower in Cholesterol ok
Lower in Glycemic Index ok
Rich in minerals ok
Lower in price Equal
Rich in vitamins Equal

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Cereal Oatmeal Opinion
Calories 378kcal 68kcal Cereal
Protein 6.06g 2.37g Cereal
Fats 1.08g 1.36g Oatmeal
Vitamin C 38.5mg 0mg Cereal
Net carbs 85.45g 9.97g Cereal
Carbs 86.85g 11.67g Cereal
Magnesium 19mg 26mg Oatmeal
Calcium 10mg 80mg Oatmeal
Potassium 105mg 61mg Cereal
Iron 34.06mg 5.96mg Cereal
Sugar 10.35g 0.46g Oatmeal
Fiber 1.4g 1.7g Oatmeal
Copper 0.137mg 0.066mg Cereal
Zinc 7.6mg 0.62mg Cereal
Starch 10.37g Oatmeal
Phosphorus 77mg 77mg
Sodium 795mg 49mg Oatmeal
Vitamin A 2792IU 433IU Cereal
Vitamin A 814µg 130µg Cereal
Vitamin E 0.08mg 0.07mg Cereal
Manganese 0.79mg 0.558mg Cereal
Selenium 6.3µg 5µg Cereal
Vitamin B1 6.288mg 0.26mg Cereal
Vitamin B2 3.87mg 0.215mg Cereal
Vitamin B3 29.62mg 3.025mg Cereal
Vitamin B5 0.226mg 0.317mg Oatmeal
Vitamin B6 5.986mg 0.29mg Cereal
Vitamin K 0µg 0.4µg Oatmeal
Folate 44µg Oatmeal
Trans Fat 0.003g Cereal
Choline 4.7mg Oatmeal
Saturated Fat 0.26g 0.226g Oatmeal
Monounsaturated Fat 0.204g 0.391g Oatmeal
Polyunsaturated fat 0.354g 0.426g Oatmeal
Tryptophan 0.066mg 0.04mg Cereal
Threonine 0.241mg 0.083mg Cereal
Isoleucine 0.26mg 0.105mg Cereal
Leucine 0.767mg 0.2mg Cereal
Lysine 0.113mg 0.135mg Oatmeal
Methionine 0.13mg 0.04mg Cereal
Phenylalanine 0.365mg 0.13mg Cereal
Valine 0.344mg 0.151mg Cereal
Histidine 0.162mg 0.057mg Cereal
Fructose 0.26g 0g Cereal

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Cereal Oatmeal
Low Calories diet ok
Low Fats diet ok
Low Carbs diet ok
Low Glycemic Index diet ok

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Vitamins & Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score

The summary scores indicate the extent to which this food can fulfill your daily vitamin and mineral requirements if you consume 3 servings, consisting of 100 grams of each (an approximation of 3 serving sizes).
Vitamins Daily Need Coverage Score
363%
Cereal
25%
Oatmeal
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
183%
Cereal
45%
Oatmeal

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Sugar?
Oatmeal
Oatmeal is lower in Sugar (difference - 9.89g)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Oatmeal
Oatmeal contains less Sodium (difference - 746mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated Fat?
Oatmeal
Oatmeal is lower in Saturated Fat (difference - 0.034g)
Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
Cereal
Cereal is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 0mg)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Cereal
Cereal is lower in glycemic index (difference - 10)
Which food is richer in minerals?
Cereal
Cereal is relatively richer in minerals
Which food is cheaper?
?
The foods are relatively equal in price ($)
Which food is richer in vitamins?
?
It cannot be stated which food is richer in vitamins. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information.

References

All the values for which the sources are not specified explicitly are taken from FDA’s Food Central. The exact link to the food presented on this page can be found below.

  1. Oatmeal - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171662/nutrients

All the Daily Values are presented for males aged 31-50, for 2000-calorie diets.

Data provided by FoodStruct.com should be considered and used as information only. Please consult your physician before beginning any diet.