The Breakfast of Champions?
Anyone who knows me well can attest to how much I love breakfast cereal. I eat a bowl of cereal practically every morning. When the results of a new study by Yale University surfaced about cereal, it definitely caught my attention. It confirmed what many of you probably already know… the least nutritious, high-sugar cereals are the ones mostly marketed to children. Cereal companies spend more than $156 million on advertising to children each year. The cereals most frequently advertised on TV to kids include Cinnamon Toast Crunch (33% sugar, 3% fiber), Lucky Charms (41% sugar, 4% fiber), and Cocoa Puffs (44% sugar, 4% fiber). The majority of US children see about 50 TV ads each month for cereal with the poorest quality nutrition… just another contribution to the childhood obesity epidemic.
What are some of the healthier breakfast cereals? Kashi Puffs- 7 Whole Grains (0% sugar, 5% fiber), Post Shredded Wheat (2% sugar, 14% fiber), and Fiber One (0% sugar, 47% fiber) are among the lowest in sugar and good sources of fiber.
After reading the research, I decided to assess my cereal cabinet…
- Kashi Honey Puffs- 7 Whole Grains (16% sugar, 9% fiber)
- Annie’s Honey Bunnies (22% sugar, 6% fiber)
- 365 Organic Fruit and Nut Granola (17% sugar, 5% fiber)
- Kashi Heart to Heart (15% sugar, 15% fiber)
- Cascadian Farm Organic Multi Grain Squares (13% sugar, 7% fiber)
I try to choose cereals that are lower in sugar and higher in fiber. How about you… What is your favorite breakfast cereal?
3 comments 
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October 29th, 2009 at 6:21 am
I’m actually not a big cereal eater and usually don’t have any in the house. I think the sugar in the cereal marketed towards kids is awful. I think I’ll pick up some Kashi Puffs though. I really like that it doesn’t have any sugar.
November 2nd, 2009 at 8:22 pm
I am a cereal lover too, but what about shreded wheat?
November 2nd, 2009 at 9:25 pm
The plain shredded wheat is 0% sugar & 13% fiber . The frosted shredded wheat is 23% sugar & 10% fiber.