Is Life Cereal Healthy? Nutritional Label, Facts

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Many enjoy Quaker Life cereal, which is available in fun and tasty flavors such as chocolate, cinnamon, and vanilla. It is touted on the Quaker website as heart-healthy and an excellent source of B vitamins and calcium. But is it really that good for your health? 

Let’s dive into more information about these nutritional claims, the potential health benefits and drawbacks of consuming Quaker Oats company Life cereal, and more! 

Life Cereal Ingredient List

Let’s discuss some of the main ingredients used to make Life cereal. 

Mainly, Life cereal contains a flour blend including whole-grain oat flour, corn flour, and whole-wheat flour. Therefore, it contains wheat and gluten. 

It also has added grams of sugar. However, this is not high fructose corn syrup. 

In terms of vitamins and minerals, Life cereal also contains calcium, iron, niacin (vitamin B3), thiamine (vitamin B1), pyridoxine (vitamin B6), riboflavin (vitamin B2), and folic acid (vitamin B9). 

For processing and preservation, Life cereal also contains salt, baking soda, tocopherols (to preserve freshness), and annatto for color.

Vanilla Life cereal lists that it is made with “Natural and Artificial Flavors,” while the chocolate variety claims “With Other Natural Flavors.”

How Is Life Cereal Made? 

Similar to other healthy cereals, Quaker Life cereal is typically made by processing whole-grain Quaker oats and other grains used into flours, combining them with flavoring and grams of sugar, then shaping and drying the cereal.

Life cereal is in the classic waffled Chex shape that is crunchy and crispy before adding milk. 

Life Cereal Nutrition Facts

From carbohydrates and protein to calories and fats, let’s dive into more specifics about the nutritional information of Life cereal. 

Nutrition table and label (per 100g)

Source: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/1458847/nutrients

High in carbohydrates 

A one-cup serving of original Life cereal (which is approximately 42 grams) contains 33g of carbohydrates. This value includes 3g of dietary fiber and 8g of sugar.

While this is approximately two carbohydrate servings in one cup of cereal, the dietary fiber will help slow down the digestion and absorption of the carbohydrates to prevent significant spikes in blood sugars. Additionally, carbohydrates are a great energy source to power you throughout your morning. 

Also, dietary fiber can help with the feeling of fullness and satisfaction with the meal. This is especially true when the cereal is paired with a healthy fat source, such as a side of nuts or seeds. 

However, the Quaker Oats company Life cereal’s fiber content is a bit lower than other popular breakfast cereals. For example, Kellogg’s raisin bran contains 7g of protein per one-cup serving.

Low in protein

Unfortunately, Life cereal is relatively low in protein, with only about 4g per serving of one cup of the original flavor.

Protein is important to help build and maintain muscle and facilitate every chemical reaction in the body – and so much more! Pairing your bowl of cereal with milk or a non-dairy milk alternative, such as almond milk or oat milk, can help add a great source of protein to your meal.

Check out this resource article here to read about the best milk for weight loss and how to choose the healthiest milk. 

If you prefer to consume your cereal dry, you can pair it with a glass of milk on the side or add a side of lean meat, such as turkey bacon, a handful of nuts or seeds, or a serving of eggs.

Low in calories and fats

Finally, there are only 160 calories and a mere 2g of fat in a one-cup serving of original Life cereal with its simple and sweet flavor. 

Additionally, it is important to note that breakfast cereal does not contain any saturated fat. 

Let’s compare this to other breakfast cereals. For example, Kellogg’s raisin bran has 190 calories per cup serving. 

To keep the calories and fats of your breakfast meal low, consider skipping the 2% milk or whole milk and opting for a lower fat choice. Perhaps try adding low-fat dairy milk, such as 1% or skim milk instead. 

Additionally, you can use a non-dairy milk alternative, such as soy milk or almond milk, to pair with the cereal. 

Just ensure that the non-dairy milk is fortified with calcium and vitamin D to get the most nutrition in your meal. 

FAQs

Conclusion                                                                

Overall, Quaker Life cereal is one of the healthy cereals to choose for breakfast. It is a great choice because it is rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. In addition, this healthy cereal is low in calories and fat, which makes it an excellent option for weight management as well. 

It is rich in B vitamins, such as pyridoxine or vitamin B6, as well as iron, calcium, and whole grains. However, it is low in protein. 

Enjoying Quaker Oats Life cereal with low-fat milk or non-dairy milk alternatives can boost the protein nutrition for a more balanced breakfast. 

Overall, consume this delicious and healthy cereal to start your day off right.