Nutritional Content of Quaker Maple & Brown Sugar Individual Packets

Quaker maple and brown sugar cereal is a quick, warm, sweet, whole grain meal. While this cereal provides you with many nutritionally-sound benefits coming from whole grains, vitamins and minerals; the "bad" sugar is disguised with maple and brown sugars that add no other benefit to your body. It is, however, low in saturated fat, has no cholesterol, high in iron, very high in manganese and enriched with several other vitamins.

Whole Grain Cereal

• Whole grains are a great source of nutrition.

  The most nutritious cereals are made from whole grains. Oats are the highest in protein of all commonly-consumed grains. Quaker maple and brown sugar oatmeal is made from oats, however, the process that makes the cereal cook instantly compromises the protein somewhat from traditional, slower cooking oatmeal. Nevertheless, maple and brown sugar oatmeal provides you with 4 g of protein per packet. This is 9 percent of the total 160 calories per serving.

Fats

• Fat are made up of three types of fatty acids: saturated, monosaturated and polyunsaturated.

  From a nutritional standpoint, most of the fat we consume is superfluous, saturated fat. We need only 1 tbsp. of a polyunsaturated oil daily to meet basic nutritional needs. This supplies the essential fatty acid, linoleic acid, and helps absorb soluble vitamins. Quaker maple and brown sugar cereal does a good job supplying healthy fats, only 2.5 g of fat per packet: 1 g each of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, and .5 g of saturated fat. The fat content is 14 percent of the total 160-calorie packet.

Vitamins and Minerals

• Vitamins are essential in tiny amounts.

  Quaker maple and brown sugar cereal supplies 20 percent each of vitamin A and iron and 10 percent of calcium, based on a 2,000-calorie diet. The cereal is also high in manganese, riboflavin, thiamine and B6. Vitamin A assists in the formation of healthy hair, skin and mucous membranes. It is needed for proper bone growth, teeth development and reproduction. Iron is essential in all cells, but is especially important to the cells of the blood and muscles, which uses two-thirds of the iron requirement. Manganese and calcium both support the growth and continued strength of bones. Calcium is good for teeth, maintains membranes, is essential to proper blood clotting, aids muscles and several important enzymes. Manganese is needed for the central nervous system.

Carbohydrates

• Choose nutritionally beneficial complex carbohydrates.

  Carbohydrates include dietary fiber and sugar. Quaker maple and brown sugar cereal has 3 g of dietary fiber and 13 g of sugar per packet. Fiber is beneficial to your body. Sugar, including maple and brown sugars, can decay your teeth and is stored as fat in your body. The sugar content in this cereal is high. To eat sugar is to eat empty calories, having no nutritional benefit. A total 27 percent of carbohydrates are in a Quaker maple and brown sugar packet.