The Skinny on Breakfast Cereals

by Megan

I may have mentioned the importance of breakfast a few times in this blog. But this is for good reason! Breakfast gives you energy for your day, can help in controlling your weight and it may prevent you from overeating during the day.

When I’m in a hurry in the morning, cereal is a great option.  It’s quick, easy and fairly fuss-free. Picking out a cereal, however, may not be quite as easy. With the dozens of different choices in the cereal isle, how do you know which one is best to start your day with?

QualityHealth.com recently created a list with the best and worse cereals and I wanted to share them with you.
 
Worst Breakfast Cereals:

High in sugar. Frosted Flakes, Honey Smacks, and Golden Crisps all have some of the highest amount of sugar and the least amount of fiber.

Not so healthy fruit. Fruit Loops’ “fruity” flavor contains 12 grams of sugar in a single serving. A good rule of thumb is to avoid cereals in which the “fruit” turns the milk bright red or pink.

Surprising sodium. Sugar and neon colors are not the only offenders in the world of children’s cereals, high sodium levels have been cropping up as well. Raisin Bran has 300 milligrams of salt per serving. That’s 15% of your daily intake!

Best Breakfast Cereals

Full of fiber. Starting your day with a bowl of cereal high in fiber is helpful in keeping your weight down and filling you up. Fiber is also shown to lower cholesterol so grab a cereal high in fiber, such as Wheaties and you’ll have consumed 4 grams in each serving. (20-30 grams a day is the recommendation)

Get enriched. Your body needs many minerals to perform at its best and zinc, calcium, and iron are at the top of the list. General Mills’ Total fulfills 100% of your recommended daily allowance of these as well as 100% of the daily vitamins A,C,E, B6, and folic acid.

So during your next grocery trip, if you find yourself a little lost while searching for a cereal, pay attention to nutrition labels. Look for less than 5 grams of sugar and at least 4 grams of fiber in each serving. Here’s another tip: measure your cereal at breakfast time. It is very easy to eat multiple servings at one sitting without even knowing it.

Refuse to part with your sugary cereal? Replace half of your sugary favorite with a high fiber cereal to satisfy your craving as well as your body.

Do you have a question about the nutrition in your favorite cereal?  Leave me a comment and I’ll let you know how it ranks!


 


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