The Top Instant Oatmeal Brand?

As a kid, like most, I hated eating oatmeal for breakfast. You would always hear how good it is for you but how good it tastes was a different story. Now that I'm older and a little more health conscious (at least I try to be), eating oatmeal isn't so bad. So if it's good for me to eat a bowl of oatmeal in the morning, I figured I might as well eat the top oatmeal in the market. To find which is oatmeal is the best in the market, I didn't have to go far, many online sources have done the research: Men's Health seems to be partial to Quaker Instant Oatmeal both the original kind and the Cinammon Swirl High Fiber kind as noted by Men's Health segment of Eat This, Not That. A taste test conducted by Chow surprisingly has Safeway Regular Flavor at the top of their list, along with other brands such as Mr. McDougall's Organic, Quaker Original, and Nature's Path. If the popular apple cinnamon flavor is what you prefer, Huffington Post's article ranks Whole Food's 365 Organic as the best instant oatmeal. Kashi Heart to Heart also makes this list as well as the usual Quaker and Nature's Path brands.

So at this point it's becoming obvious that Quaker and Nature's Path are at the top of the class in taste and health. Every Day with Rachael Ray sides with Nature's Path in this battle between the two, while Good House Keeping ranks Quaker Original at first place, with Nature's Path at third. Which brings us to the Top Instant Oatmeal's:

1. Quaker
2. Nature's Path 
3. Kashi Heart to Heart
4. Whole Food's 365 Organic

My Personal Top Instant Oatmeal Brand? Quaker
I've tried all these oatmeals as either in their cinnamon flavors, or blueberry flavors but not their original plain flavors. Quaker takes my vote as the top oatmeal mainly because of it's texture. Especially when mixed with milk, Quaker oatmeals seem to be thick (but not too thick like Kashi) and has a good flavor. I preferably enjoy Quaker's Cinnamon Swirl High Fiber in the morning heated with milk but I'm sure Quaker's other flavors are just as good.

What's Your Top Instant Oatmeal Brand?

The Top Ketchup?

Nothing better than adding ketchup to a tasty juicy hot dog or dipping your crispy greasy fries in a pool of thick rich ketchup. Ketchup, a must have condiment in every American home, and an add-on to every traditional American food you can eat (THE BURGER). The Huffington Post reported America's Choice Top Ketchup is the #1 ketchup in their top five list, with Heinz ketchup taking over the next four in the spot. The #5 spot was taken by Green Way organic ketchup. The site Epicurious, a site dedicated to recipes and cooking, had a group of judges taste different kinds of ketchup and ranked Hunt's Tomato Ketchup as the #1 overall best ketchup. then came America's Choice Tomato Ketchup and Heinz Tomato Ketchup. People have an acquired taste for ketchup, so when people are looking for ketchup in the store, they might go for the low-sugar ketchup, or an organic ketchup if they don't want the high-fructose corn syrup in their diet.

The Top Ketchup

1. America's Choice Ketchup
2. Heinz Tomato Ketchup
3. Hunt's Tomato Ketchup

My Personal Top Ketchup: Hunt's Tomato Ketchup

Ketchup to me, all tastes the same, but some have different textures than the other. Some are watery, some are thick, and some are creamier. I've never tried America's Choice Ketchup but seems to be mentioned highly for it. Heinz Ketchup has high fructose corn syrup which I'm not a fan of but it's also not a big deal if you don't eat a lot food with ketchup. Hunt's doesn't have HFCS and I find it less sweeter and sugary than Heinz. I didn't want to include organic ketchup because I felt that they are in a different class than the ones listed above. There are so many different kinds of ketchup that I focused on the general kind that are sold in stores.

What's Your Top Ketchup?

The Top Toothpaste?

Next time you're at your local drugstore looking for a quality toothpaste that will keep your mouth clean, protected, and keep your breath smelling fresh throughout the day, don't be overwhelmed by all the brand choices out there. GaltTech, an Internet buyers guide, has done the research and found that Colgate Total is regarded as the best toothpaste in the market based on the ADA's approval of the toothpaste as a quality product and consumer research which shoes Colgate as highly approved by consumers. They also mention that Sensodyne is the preferred toothpaste for sensitive teeth and Rembrandt for getting your teeth white. These three brands also happen to be Amazon's three most popular toothpastes. ConsumerSearch has also ranked Colgate Total as the best toothpaste. If you are looking for a more innovative toothpaste, PR Newswire awarded Aquafresh Iso-Active the 2011 Product of the Year for toothpastes based on its innovative canister allowing simultaneous paste and gel to be dispensed along with the isopentane ingredient which responds to help your mouth clean with increases in temperature.

The Top Toothpastes:

1. Colgate Total
2. Sensodyne
3. Aquafresh Iso-Active
4. Rembrandt

My Personal Top Toothpaste: Colgate Total
Can't go wrong with Colgate Total. The reviews speak for themselves, Colgate Total seems to get top reviews across the board.

What's Your Top Toothpaste?

The Top Disinfectant Cleaner

Door knobs, toilets seats, the bedroom light switch, and everything in your house including the kitchen sink are probably filled with germs. Bacterias and viruses are all crawling around you and you don't even know it. Fortunately for you there are a few commercial disinfectants that can help you fight off disease and sleep at night knowing you're not about to be attacked by a cold virus or interrupted during your sleep by a stomach flu.
Not many sites out there provide a product listing of top disinfectant cleaners but WebMD has provided an article summarizing studies analyzing which disinfectant is more effective on various bacterias such as Salmonella, E.Coli, and the polio-virus. Lysol and Clorox disinfectants proved to be more effective than other brands such as Mr. Clean based on their effect on 99.9% of the bacteria and viruses that were tested. On the other hand, a study conducted by Mercer University students tested several disinfectants on colonies of bacteria and proved that Ajax was the most effective, Lysol coming in a close second.

Although both results differed, one brand of disinfectant seems to be pretty effective. So the Top Disinfectants are:

1. Lysol
2. Ajax
3. Clorox  

My Personal Top Disinfectant Cleaner: Lysol
I've been using Lysol for years in protecting my house from any bacteria and viruses that could be lingering around. Prior to reading up on which disinfectant is the top disinfectant, I used Lysol because the brand name has become synonymous with disinfection for years. Especially with their claim that it kills 99.9% of bacteria and viruses, I can't go with any other disinfectant. 

What's Your Top Disinfectant

The Top Peanut Butter?

Not suprisingly most people love peanut butter and for many, they eat peanut butter on a regular basis. Either as part of a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich or as complimentary dip to your celery sticks, people love peanut butter. So who makes the best peanut butter? Intrestingly enough there are alot of people out there to have attempted to also answer this question. KitchenDaily has conducted a panel study of 32 different peanut butters, ranking Skippy Super Chunky and Whole Foods 365 as the highest rated peanut butters. Skippy brand (either chunky or creamy) has usually come up in most reviews as the best tasting peanut butter such as in ConsumerSearch and ranked second by USAToday readers (Jif coming in at first). As for the more health conscious, Men's Health lists Peanut Butter & Co. as their best peanut butter, which is also ranked as second best peanut butter by Serious Eats (Skippy Creamy coming in at first).

Now that you know you're not the only one wondering who makes the Top Peanut Butter, consider these top choices:

1. Skippy Creamy
2. Skippy Crunchy
3. Peanut Butter & Co.
4. Jif
5. Whole Foods 365

My Personal Top Peanut Butter: Whole Foods 365 Creamy
I haven't had the chance to try Peanut Butter & Co. yet but I can say I have tried A LOT of peanut butter brands and types. I've always been partial to creamy peanut butter instead of chunky so with that being said, I know i've already alienated at least half of you readers with my personal choice. Whole Food's 365 Creamy peanut butter is my personal choice because of its light thickness. It's not heavy or thick like other creamy peanut butters and has a very rich peanut butter taste.

Have another peanut butter in mind? Comment below.

What's Your Top Peanut Butter?

The Top Facial Cleanser?

Getting that fresh clean feeling for your face can be misleading depending on the type of skin you have and what products your using. The wrong facial cleanser can actually do more harm than good, causing acne break outs, skin irritations, or even worsen your dry or oily skin. TotalBeaty.com readers rated what they believe to be the best facial cleansers, listing 18 products as the best for your face. Among the list, Philosophy Purity Made Simple One-Step facial cleanser, Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser, with Boscia Cleansing Cream topping the their list. With the exception of Boscia Cleansing Cream, these facial cleansers have also been approved as "Worlds Best Beauty Products" by Elle. A good source on all information regarding facial cleansers, RN Guide to Skin Care, has personally chose Philosophy Purity as the recommended facial cleanser.

With this being said, next time your in the market for a quality facial cleanser, check these out first:

1. Philosophy Purity Made Simple 
2. Boscia Cleansing Cream
3. Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser

My Personal Top Facial Cleanser: Philosophy Purity Made Simple
In doing this research, it seems that Philosophy has made the best product when it comes to a clean and moisturized face. I have never actually tried Philosophy Purity Made Simple but based on my research, this would be my top choice. I have actually tried Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser and it felt like a mild wash that doesn't really leave my face clean but the good thing about it was that it also didn't leave it dry.

What's Your Top Facial Cleanser?

The Top Breath Mint?

You see a fine-lookin' female (or male for the female readers) waiting to be talked to. Clothes looks clean, hair looks styled, but your breath is treacherous. What can cure this horrendous smell? You reach in your pocket in hope to cure the plague that escapes your mouth but which breath mint will save you? Altoids (Liquorice flavor) is ranked #1 in Amazon's Top Rated in Breath Mints based off the most positive reviews. Altoids shows up in four more spots in Amazon's top 10 list with different flavors. Another breath mint, Mint Asure, was ranked #2 on Amazon's list. According to a new blog dedicated in reviewing breath mints, it ranks Mint Asure as the most effective and long lasting mint compared to others such as Ice Breakers, Tic Tac, and Altoids. With today's breath mints, it's not about how effective some are but also the taste it provides. Some may browse from a medical/dental perspective by neutralizing the root of the smell (Mint Asure, Xlear Spry) and others want the flavor and emit a particular smell (Altoids, Tic Tac, Ice Breakers).

The Top Breath Mints

1. Ice Breakers
2. Altoids
3. Tic Tac
4. Mint Asure
5. Eclipse

My Personal Top Breath Mint: Altoids

The only mint I haven't tried is Mint Asure (I'm actually going to buy this mint after I post this.), but the one I found most powerful in a short amount of time is Altoids (Peppermint). The smell was definitely noticeable to people when I'd place them into my mouth but some didn't really appreciate the stinging taste of it when I offered one to them. I'm more concerned about my breath on the approach (first impressions count!), not only with strangers but with friends, family, or co-workers. I also care about the package of the mints which is why I usually buy the Altoids Smalls. Any flavored breath mint that give off any fruity flavor smell is more of a candy than a mint to me. Medical experts even suggest to stay away from any of the sugary mints because bacteria FEEDS off of sugar and keeps the bacteria in your mouth along with the bad smell.

What's Your Top Breath Mint?