Calling all prospective grad students ­— meet the next best thing to eat while on a budget in grad school: oatmeal. The price range of a canister of plain oats makes it a worthy opponent to the crunchy peanut butter sitting in your cupboard, while its nutritional value exceeds that of almost anything else on the McDonald’s dollar menu.

As a matter of fact, the hot cereal makes such an easy meal for breakfast that it might just be fair game for lunch, supper and even that midnight snack you crave when pulling an all-nighter.

But let’s not fool ourselves. Just because oatmeal appears to be healthy does not mean that it will always be ­— not after all of the processing in the pre-flavored packets, and especially not after realizing you used nearly a cup of sugar to sweeten your plain oats.

So how do you know when good, hearty oatmeal just crossed over to the bad side? Local dietitians and health experts address the question as they expose myths about oatmeal along the way.

*You can eat as much as you want: Sometimes*

When foods are labeled as healthy, consumers may overeat, trusting that the food will continue to be healthy even when they double, triple or quadruple the serving size. According to Leia Weston, an extension educator for nutrition and wellness, health conscious meals like warm oatmeal get the “health halo.”

“People will say that oatmeal is healthy so they can eat as much as they want of it,” Weston said. “Even oatmeal, a very healthy food, can be overdone.”

In terms of USDA servings, one ounce of grain is equivalent to half a cup of oatmeal. Therefore, a standard serving is about half a cup.

Some health experts argue that although there is a standard portion considered healthy to eat, the amount of oatmeal a person should eat truly depends on the individual’s lifestyle.

“Portions and portion sizes are totally individual,” said Rebecca Roach, teaching associate for food science and human nutrition. “They have to do with whether you’re very active or sedentary, whether you’re a man or woman, and your age.”

*All oatmeal is equally healthy: False*

As it turns out, Quaker Oats pre-flavored packages will not offer as much nutritional value as old-fashioned oats straight from the canister. According to Jeanette Andrade, a dietitian at McKinley, plain oatmeal has natural carbohydrates and sugars in it. Little sodium is added for preservation purposes, but nothing substantial.

Meanwhile, microwaveable and pre-flavored oats contain more processed ingredients which drive the sugar content through the roof and the fiber content down in order to add more of the ingredients. Yes, oatmeal may be healthy, but the more processed it is, the more unhealthy it becomes.

In terms of plain oatmeal, Roach still recommends consumers watch the caloric intake of ingredients they add to their meal.

“What is important is to not over-sweeten the oatmeal,” Roach said. “There is also really no reason to add butter to oatmeal, except most of us have gotten used to having butter in our oatmeal.”

*Oatmeal burns fat: False*

“Overall, there are no foods that burn fat,” Weston said.

However, certain foods like celery and apples are considered to have negative calories. According to Weston, the reasoning behind negative calories is that a consumer is able to chew off more calories than the food contains. Yet, Weston believes negative calories are also a myth.

“The amount of calories that you are going to burn off by chewing is really negligible,” Weston said. “Maybe there will be a little bit of a deficit, but it will not be a big difference in your diet.”

*Oatmeal is healthier than eggs for breakfast: Sometimes*

“Eggs and oatmeal are two separate things,” Andrade said. “One is a protein and one is a carbohydrate.”

No one option is better than the other. Deciding whether oatmeal or eggs are healthier depends on what the consumer is looking for in a breakfast. Weston recommends incorporating both a hard-boiled egg and oatmeal in addition to a piece of fruit into breakfast in order to have a well-balanced morning meal.

“You can have some whole grain from the oatmeal and then have a hard-boiled egg for protein and fat,” Weston said.

According to Weston, research shows that having a higher protein breakfast may help an individual eat less throughout the day and manage weight. While oatmeal is mainly composed of carbohydrates, which a consumer will burn through fairly quickly, eggs mainly consist of protein, which will keep an individual satisfied and full.

*Oatmeal is only for the health-conscious individual: False*

Oats are far more versatile than they appear. In addition to the health conscious, bakers find oatmeal a useful ingredient to add to their recipes. Andrade encourages consumers to use oatmeal in a variety of treats such as oatmeal bread, cookies or muffins.

In terms of eating the hot cereal out of a bowl, the dietitian suggests we add tasty ingredients that add flavor to the meal.

Roach advises using honey or syrup to sweeten it and adding spices like cinnamon or nutmeg to switch up the taste.

“Certainly you can add more natural fruits,” Andrade said. “You can also add a substitute like Splenda to sweeten it a little.”

_Lyanne is a freshman in media._