A Swede, lost in the oat aisle

Hi! My name is Lykke Abdon. I’m from Sweden but am spending the summer in the U.S. doing an internship with Country Choice Organic. Yeah!

I’m a huge fan of oats and other grains for breakfast and snacks, love their convenience and versatility. But in Sweden, I’ve always eaten them uncooked. Just plain with milk or yogurt. It wasn’t until my first day with Country Choice that I had oatmeal. And I was hooked!! This product is so great! It’s tasty, filling and convenient – much more than eating it raw since you don’t need to have fresh milk or yogurt at home.

The reason why I haven’t had oatmeal before is that it’s just that it’s not a common product in Sweden. In the food stores there you can only find two varieties of oats: regular old-fashion and whole grain old-fashion. And they’re not in the cereal aisle either but in the baking aisle!

So, off I went to the supermarket to buy me some oats to have at home. After finding the right aisle, the next cultural difference emerged: you all have so many options to choose from! At first I was amazed, but then I started to feel a bit lost. I had no idea of where to start – should I get instant or regular, unflavored or flavored, multigrain or only oats? What brand and size?

Well, since I wanted organic I effectively narrowed down my choices. I also wanted something that was certified organic, to get an honest product, which reduced my options further.

I ended up buying Country Choice regular old-fashioned oats, which I eat for breakfast (simply add hot water and let it sit for 10 minutes – love the texture it gives!) with blueberries and coconut flakes; and Country Choice maple raisin spice instant multigrain, which is perfect for an afternoon snack!

Yummy!

I wonder how many pouches of instant oatmeal I can squeeze into my bag when I leave…