Is Life Cereal Healthy? Dietitian Review

Life cereal is marketed as a heart-healthy choice, but is it really healthy? This Life cereal dietitian review will help you decide if Life cereal is a healthy addition to your grocery cart. Read on for our dietitian review of taste, nutritional properties, ingredients, use, and cost before you buy.

About Life Cereal

Life is a dry breakfast cereal made from oats, corn, wheat, and rice flour. Quaker promotes Life cereal as a heart-healthy choice due to the “heart-healthy whole grains” in the ingredient list. They also claim that it is a nutritious, delicious choice for everyone. It is available across the United States and Canada, though the formulation is slightly different between the two countries. 

Taste & Texture

Life cereal has a crunchy texture and slightly sweet flavour.

Life Cereal Ingredients

	Ingredients (USA)
Life Cereal Original	Whole grain oat flour, corn flour, sugar, whole wheat flour, calcium carbonate, salt, baking soda, tocopherols, iron, niacinamide, annatto, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine, hydrochloride, riboflavin, folic acid
Life Cereal Cinnamon	Whole grain oat flour, sugar, corn flour, whole wheat flour, calcium carbonate, salt, baking soda, caramel color, tocopherols, iron, niacinamide, natural flavor, thiamine mononitrate, annatto, pyridoxine, hydrochloride, riboflavin, folic acid
Life Cereal Chocolate (U.S. only)	Whole grain oat flour, sugar, corn flour, whole wheat flour, calcium carbonate, salt, baking soda, tocopherols, natural flavor, iron, niacinamide, thiamine mononitrate, annatto, pyridoxine, hydrochloride, riboflavin, folic acid
Life Cereal Vanilla (U.S. only)	Whole grain oat flour, corn flour, sugar, whole wheat flour, calcium carbonate, salt, natural and artificial flavor, baking soda, tocopherols, iron, niacinamide, annatto, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine, hydrochloride, riboflavin, folic acid
Life Cereal Multigrain (CAN only)	Oat bran, sugar, Whole grain oats, whole grain wheat flour, corn flour, wheat bran, oat hull fibre, sodium bicarbonate, calcium carbonate, salt, wheat starch, bht, iron, thiamine mononitrate, niacinamide, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid

Whole grain oat flour: flour made by grinding oats, a whole grain source of fiber.

Sugar: table sugar used to sweeten the cereal.

Corn flour: flour made from ground corn. It is a source of carbohydrates that will help bind ingredients or add bulk to a food product.

Whole grain wheat flour: flour made from whole grains. It is a source of carbohydrates that will help bind ingredients or add bulk to a food product.

Calcium Carbonate: used as an emulsifier and stabilizing agent.

Salt: a source of sodium used for flavour and as a preservative.

Baking soda: buffering agent that adjusts the pH of foods.

Tocopherols: preservative.

Iron: added to increase the iron content of the cereal.

Niacinamide: form of vitamin B3.

Annatto: an extract of the annatto seed (Bixa orellana L.) used as a source of natural color in packaged foods.

Thiamine monohydrate: a form of the vitamin B1.

Pyridoxine: a form of the vitamin B6.

Hydrochloride: pH adjuster.

Riboflavin: a form of the vitamin B2

Folic Acid: form of vitamin B9

Life Cereal Nutrition Facts

	Life Cereal Original (US)	Life Cereal Original (CAN)	Life Cereal Chocolate (US)	Life Cereal Cinnamon (US)	Life Cereal Cinnamon (CAN)	Life Cereal Vanilla (US)	Life Multigrain (CAN)
Calories	160	180	160	160	160	160	145
Fat (g)	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Saturated fat (g)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.5
Cholesterol (mg)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sodium (mg)	170	230	170	170	227	170	140
Carbohydrate (g)	33	38	33	33	33	33	30
Fiber (g)	3	3	3	3	3	8	5
Sugar (g)	8	10	9	10	11	8	7
Added sugar (g)	8	N/A	9	10	N/A	8	N/A
Protein (g)	4	5	4	4	4	4	4
Potassium (mg)	120	125	140	110	N/A	120	N/A
Calcium (mg)	150	200	160	160	173	150	104
Iron (mg)	13.2	6.5	11.6	11.2	7	13.1	7
Phosphorus (mg)	130	N/A	130	100	N/A	130	N/A

Note: the nutrition content below is per 1 cup serving of Original Life (U.S.). The nutrition facts in the comparable Canadian version varies slightly, as noted below.

Calories: 160

Fat: 2g, coming from trace amounts found in flour.

Saturated fat: 0g

Sodium: 170mg, coming from added salt. Note: the CDN version is slightly higher in sodium, with 230mg per serving. This is considered a moderate amount of sodium. If you’re looking for low-sodium cereal options, check out our roundup of 15 Low Sodium Bread Brands at the Grocery Store.

Carbohydrate: 33g, coming from oat, corn, wheat, rice flour,s and sugar. The CDN version is higher in carbohydrate, with 38g per serving coming from the same ingredients listed previously.

Fiber: 3g, coming from oat and whole wheat flour. This is a moderate amount of fiber. We suggest choosing a cereal with at least 4g of fiber per 1-cup serving. Check out our roundup of 17 Best High Fibre Low Sugar Cereals for alternate options.

Sugar: 8g (CDN version has 10g), coming from table sugar. All 8g of added sugar in Life cereal is considered added sugar. This is a moderate amount of sugar.

Protein: 4g (5g in CDN version), coming from oat and whole wheat flour. This is a moderate amount of protein for a cereal compared to others on the market, which can range from 0-16g per 1-cup serving. Check out our high-protein cereal roundup 22 High Protein Cereal Options to Fuel Your Morning for higher protein options.

Potassium: 120mg (CDN version has 125mg), coming from oat and whole wheat flour.

Calcium: 150mg (CDN version has 200mg), coming from calcium carbonate. The CDN version also contains calcium pantothenate (see ingredient information above for descriptions of these terms).

Iron: 13.2mg (CDN version has 6.5mg), coming from oats, whole wheat flour, and added iron.

See how Life Cereal compares to other cereals on the market in our Cereal Nutrition Comparison Chart.

Cost

Life cereal is available for $4.78 USD for a family-sized box and $4.97 CAD for a 450g box.

Is Life Cereal Healthy?

Life cereal is promoted as heart healthy due to it’s use of whole grain oat flour. Oats contain soluble fiber which has cholesterol lowering effects. While Life cereal does contain soluble fiber from oat flour, it’s difficult to assess how much of it’s fiber content comes from oats as there are multiple flour sources in Life cereal. 

We gave Life cereal original flavour a score of 50 out of 100. It scored lower on our scale as it is not high in fiber and is moderately high in sugar and sodium. It may be a suitable option for those who otherwise have a high fiber diet and low added sugar intake. However, if cereal is part of your daily routine, we suggest choosing a cereal higher in fiber (at least 4g per serving) and lower in sugar (less than 7g per serving). Check out our roundup of the 17 Best High Fibre Low Sugar Cereal for more nutritious alternatives. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Life cereal gluten-free?

No, Life cereal contains wheat and is not considered gluten-free.

Is Life cereal vegan?

Life cereal does not contain animal products and is considered vegan.

Carbs in Life cereal?

Per 1 cup of cereal, Life cereal Original contains 33g of carbohydrate (U.S.), or 38g of carbohydrate (CDN).

Is Life cereal high in fiber?

Life cereal contains 3g of fiber per 1-cup serving, which. is considered a moderate amount.

Does Life cereal have a lot of sugar?

Per 1-cup serving, Life cereal has 8g of sugar (U.S.) or 10g of sugar (CDN). This is moderately high compared to other cereals on the market.

Calories in Life cereal?

Per 1-cup serving, Life cereal has 160 calories (U.S.) or 180 calories (CDN).

Sources:

List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing or Thickening Agents (Lists of Permitted Food Additives), Health Canada, 2023.

Corn Flour, Health Canada, 2023.

Sodium Bicarbonate, Health Canada, 2023.

U.S. Food & Drug Administration, Tocopherols, 2023.

U.S. Food & Drug Administration, Annatto, 2023.

Paudel D, Dhungana B, Caffe M, Krishnan P. A Review of Health-Beneficial Properties of Oats. Foods. 2021; 10(11):2591. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10112591