Dear Maria
I agree that there are so many different types of oat products on the market these days that it is difficult to make a selection. Basically the instant oat products may have added vitamins and minerals (check on the label), but there can also be a difference in regard to the glycaemic index (GI). According to the latest SA GI & Load Guide, Oats-so-Easy, natural flavour and Oat bran raw by Jungle are low-GI; both raw and cooked oats by Bokomo, Pick 'n Pay, Spar, and Woolworths are medium GI foods; Oat bran cooked, produced by Jungle and cooked Tiger oats, raw Tiger oats, and Jungle Oats-so-easy are all high-GI foods. These differences in the GI are probably caused by the manufacturing process - an oat product that is finely milled will have a higher GI than one that is coarser, because the finely milled product is more easily digested and absorbed, thus causing a greater increase in blood sugar values than the product that is less finely milled.
Hope this helps
DietDoc