Carnation Instant Breakfast Nutrition Facts
Breakfast: The Most Important Meal of the Day
Experts call breakfast the most important meal of the day, but it’s probably also the most difficult meal of the day. No one wants to wake up even earlier than we already do to prepare a healthy, nutritionally balanced meal. Skipping breakfast, though, can lead to a tough morning. Without eating something, we’re often irritable, groggy, and ravenous by lunchtime. Eating something first thing in the morning also kick-start our metabolism and decrease the likelihood that we’ll overeat later in the day.
A few years ago, Carnation Instant Breakfast stepped in to fill the breakfast void. They offer powdered mixes that need to be mixed with milk in several flavors, including chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, chocolate malt, and dark chocolate. They also produce bottled drinks that are ready-to-drink in chocolate and vanilla. No sugar added varieties are also available in chocolate and vanilla (for powdered mixes) and chocolate (for bottled drinks).
Carnation Instant Breakfast Nutrition Facts
For one envelope of chocolate instant breakfast powder, there are 130 calories and 0.5 grams of fat. Adding it to 8 ounces of skim milk will increase the total calories to 220 and increase the protein to 25% of your daily recommended intake. The milk will also increase other vitamins and minerals, like potassium, Vitamin A, and calcium. The percentages listed below indicate the percentage of the recommended daily allowance (RDA).
Total Fat 0.5g 1%
Cholesterol <5mg 1%
Sodium 90mg 4%
Potassium 320mg 9%
Total Carbohydrate 27g 9%
Dietary Fiber <1g 4%
Sugars 19g
Protein 5g 10%
Vitamin A - 15% Vitamin C - 140% Calcium - 25% Iron - 25% Vitamin D - 25% Vitamin E - 25% Vitamin K - 25% Thiamin - 20% Riboflavin - 8% Niacin - 25% Vitamin B6 - 20% Folic Acid - 20% Vitamin B12 - 10% Biotin - 25% Pantothenic Acid - 20% Phosphorus - 25% Iodine - 15% Magnesium - 20% Zinc - 20% Copper - 25%
The Rich Milk Chocolate Carnation Instant Breakfast comes in a 325 mL bottle. This serving has 260 calories, 5 grams of fat, 10 mg of cholesterol, 41 g of carbohydrates (of which 39 g are sugars and 1 g is dietary fiber), and 14 grams of protein. The amounts of vitamins and minerals are similar to the percentage of the RDA found in the powdered mix with skim milk (all RDA values between 25% and 50%).
The no sugar added Rich Milk Chocolate powdered mix has 60 calories, 1 gram of fat, 12 grams of carbohydrates, <1 gram dietary fiber, 7 grams sugar, and 5 grams of protein. The amount of vitamins and minerals are similar to the regular chocolate powder mix. The bottled Rich Milk Chocolate, no sugar added Carnation Instant Breakfast has 150 calories, 5 grams of fat, 16 grams of carbohydrates (12 grams of sugar, 2 grams of dietary fiber), and 13 grams of protein. The vitamin and mineral content is comparable to that of the regular bottled chocolate drink.
People who skip breakfast are 450% more likely to be obese, so having a healthy and fast option for breakfast is important. Looking at the Carnation Instant Breakfast nutrition facts shows that both the powdered mix with skim milk or the bottled drinks are a good option when you’re in a hurry. There are a reasonable number of calories, they are low in fat, and each serving has about twice as much protein as an egg. Consider mixing up or picking up a bottle of Carnation Instant Breakfast next time you think you don’t have time for breakfast.
References:
Carnation Breakfast Essentials. https://carnationbreakfastessentials.com/Products/Default.aspx
Zinczenko, David and Matt Goulding. Eat This, Not That. Rodale, 2009.
