Oatmeal is a healthy whole-grain food item full of nutrients containing all the B vitamins as well as vitamin E, calcium, magnesium and zinc. The addition of peaches to oatmeal adds vitamins C and A. Instant packaged oatmeal, however, includes added sugar and salt, detracting a bit from the nutritional qualities of regular slow-cooked oatmeal.
Nutrition Information
Quaker Peaches & Cream Instant Oatmeal contains 130 calories and 0.5 g of saturated fat per each one-packet serving. One packet contains 35 g of oatmeal, with 180 mg of sodium, 27 g of carbohydrate, 12 g of sugar, and 20 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A, vitamin B complex and iron.
Fiber
There is 2 g per serving of fiber in Quaker Peaches & Cream Instant Oatmeal, with 1 g of soluble fiber. Oatmeal is considered a whole, unrefined grain and helps meet the 32 g of daily fiber recommended by the National Fiber Council. In addition to soluble fiber, oatmeal contains beta-glucan, a type of fiber credited with the potential to lower cholesterol. The small quantity of peaches in the instant oatmeal adds little to the fiber content.
Sugar and Sodium
Thirty-five grams of regular slow-cooked oatmeal – the same serving size as a package of instant oatmeal with peaches – contains 25 calories, 4 g of carbohydrate, less than 1 g of sugar and 1 mg of sodium. Eating slow-cooked oatmeal, rather than packaged instant, is the healthier way to supply your diet the nutritional advantages oatmeal can provide.
Considerations
Packaged instant oatmeal with peaches may be found by some to be more palatable than regular oatmeal, given its additional salt and sugar. However, a healthier alternative to oatmeal in packaged form could be regular ½ cup regular oatmeal, with the addition of ¼ cup milk and ¼ cup sliced, fresh peaches. This meal tallies 139 calories, 128 mg of sodium, 10 g of sugar and 24 g of carbohydrate. For roughly the same amount of calories and sodium but fewer sugars than instant oatmeal with peaches, you can have a larger portion that includes the vitamins and fiber found in fresh fruit, as well as the nutrients found in skim milk.
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