How to Choose a Healthy Breakfast Cereal
Read the ingredients list and nutrition facts carefully., Limit sugar content per serving., Recognize sugar in its many forms., Watch out for hidden sources of sugar and calories., Select a breakfast cereal with no added preservatives, colors, or...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Read the ingredients list and nutrition facts carefully.
Choosing healthy breakfast cereal comes down to choosing healthy ingredients, so get into the habit of reading the labels on products.
Check the nutrition facts to compare sugar, salt, fiber, and fat content between products.
Read the ingredients list on every product you are considering buying, even if the label says “all-natural” or “healthy.” Don’t rely on marketing ploys — learn to recognize which ingredients to choose and which to avoid.
Determine what counts as a serving size for that product, because nutrition facts are listed by serving size.
It matters whether the serving size of cereal that contains "10 grams of sugar" is the whole box, or 30 grams (in which case the cereal would be 1/3 sugar!) -
Step 2: Limit sugar content per serving.
One of the most common unhealthy ingredients in cereal is sugar.
Always check the nutrition facts on your cereal, and limit sugar to 4 – 5 grams per serving, whenever possible.Getting up to 8 grams of sugar per serving is okay if the cereal contains real fruit or lots of fiber.In general, cereals targeted toward children will have added sugars to make them more appealing.
Avoid breakfast cereals with “frosted,” “sweetened,” “sugary,” or “fruity” in the name.
Remember that adult cereals very commonly contain sugar as well.
If an unsweetened cereal tastes too bland, try adding fresh fruit or even a half-teaspoon of sugar or honey at home instead of buying a sweetened breakfast cereal.
This way, you can better manage the added sugar and slowly wean yourself off of it at your own pace. , Sugar can show up in obvious or much more subtle ways; check the ingredients list for sugars, but also know that some sugar-based ingredients may not be very recognizable.
High fructose corn syrup, fructose, dextrose, glucose, corn syrup, cane sugar, raw sugar, monosaccharide, molasses, and “other sweeteners” indicate sugar content.Some lesser known sugar additives are barley malt, cane sugar, concentrated juice (apple, pear, grape), honey, invert sugar, levulose, malt syrup, rice syrup, sorghum, and turbinado sugar.Sugar content also includes sugar from fruit, like raisins in raisin bran.
Natural fruit sugars are much less unhealthy than refined sugars, as long as it comes from real fruit., It can take a keen eye to avoid sugary or calorie-heavy ingredients in cereal, because many products may seem healthier than they are.
Hidden sources of additives can include fruits, nuts, and other flavor additions, because there’s often more to them than simply fruit or nuts.
Dried fruits in cereal like strawberries or raspberries often contain lots of salt or artificial color and flavor; make sure there is real fruit in the ingredients list if the packaging boasts fruit.“Clusters” of oats, bran flakes, or nuts are frequently coated with sugar, as well. “Yogurt” clusters are mostly just fattening oils with no health benefit.
Flavored oatmeal or creamed cereals may have fruit, spice, or nut flavors that are made up of sugar and artificial flavors., Artificial ingredients typically contain no health benefits, and some research indicates that excessive amounts of certain preservatives and additives may be associated with health problems.
Yet many products contain artificial flavors and colors to make them look or taste more appealing, or keep them fresh on the shelves longer.
Avoid artificial sweetener like aspartame, sucralose, and saccharin.Stay away from ingredients with colors or numbers in the name, like “yellow no.
5.” These artificial colors might also be listed as “E” then a number, like “E102.”Artificial flavors might be in the ingredients at “FD&C,” or simply as “artificial flavors.”These flavor additives have no health benefits. , You might not think it, but breakfast cereals may also contain sodium from added salt.
For those with high blood pressure or other sodium-related conditions, and even for healthy individuals, breakfast cereals with high sodium levels should be avoided.
Try to get a cereal with under 180 milligrams of salt (or sodium) per serving., Cereal tends to contain more calories than you may expect, especially since a serving size is usually much smaller than what you might eat for breakfast.
Check the serving size and aim for a cereal that contains fewer than 250 calories per cup of cereal.Per serving, aim for fewer than 120 calories., If you have a gluten sensitivity or have celiac disease, you will want to look for healthy cereals that contain no gluten.
While this once might have been a very difficult task, many manufacturers are now offering cereals that are gluten-free or made with non-traditional ingredients.
Try Special K gluten-free cereal, which has 5g fiber and 3 g protein per serving or Chex gluten-free cereal line, which includes rice, corn, chocolate, and cinnamon flavors. -
Step 3: Recognize sugar in its many forms.
-
Step 4: Watch out for hidden sources of sugar and calories.
-
Step 5: Select a breakfast cereal with no added preservatives
-
Step 6: colors
-
Step 7: or unnatural flavors.
-
Step 8: Stay away from cereal with a high salt content.
-
Step 9: Stay under 250 calories per cup.
-
Step 10: Look for healthy gluten-free options.
Detailed Guide
Choosing healthy breakfast cereal comes down to choosing healthy ingredients, so get into the habit of reading the labels on products.
Check the nutrition facts to compare sugar, salt, fiber, and fat content between products.
Read the ingredients list on every product you are considering buying, even if the label says “all-natural” or “healthy.” Don’t rely on marketing ploys — learn to recognize which ingredients to choose and which to avoid.
Determine what counts as a serving size for that product, because nutrition facts are listed by serving size.
It matters whether the serving size of cereal that contains "10 grams of sugar" is the whole box, or 30 grams (in which case the cereal would be 1/3 sugar!)
One of the most common unhealthy ingredients in cereal is sugar.
Always check the nutrition facts on your cereal, and limit sugar to 4 – 5 grams per serving, whenever possible.Getting up to 8 grams of sugar per serving is okay if the cereal contains real fruit or lots of fiber.In general, cereals targeted toward children will have added sugars to make them more appealing.
Avoid breakfast cereals with “frosted,” “sweetened,” “sugary,” or “fruity” in the name.
Remember that adult cereals very commonly contain sugar as well.
If an unsweetened cereal tastes too bland, try adding fresh fruit or even a half-teaspoon of sugar or honey at home instead of buying a sweetened breakfast cereal.
This way, you can better manage the added sugar and slowly wean yourself off of it at your own pace. , Sugar can show up in obvious or much more subtle ways; check the ingredients list for sugars, but also know that some sugar-based ingredients may not be very recognizable.
High fructose corn syrup, fructose, dextrose, glucose, corn syrup, cane sugar, raw sugar, monosaccharide, molasses, and “other sweeteners” indicate sugar content.Some lesser known sugar additives are barley malt, cane sugar, concentrated juice (apple, pear, grape), honey, invert sugar, levulose, malt syrup, rice syrup, sorghum, and turbinado sugar.Sugar content also includes sugar from fruit, like raisins in raisin bran.
Natural fruit sugars are much less unhealthy than refined sugars, as long as it comes from real fruit., It can take a keen eye to avoid sugary or calorie-heavy ingredients in cereal, because many products may seem healthier than they are.
Hidden sources of additives can include fruits, nuts, and other flavor additions, because there’s often more to them than simply fruit or nuts.
Dried fruits in cereal like strawberries or raspberries often contain lots of salt or artificial color and flavor; make sure there is real fruit in the ingredients list if the packaging boasts fruit.“Clusters” of oats, bran flakes, or nuts are frequently coated with sugar, as well. “Yogurt” clusters are mostly just fattening oils with no health benefit.
Flavored oatmeal or creamed cereals may have fruit, spice, or nut flavors that are made up of sugar and artificial flavors., Artificial ingredients typically contain no health benefits, and some research indicates that excessive amounts of certain preservatives and additives may be associated with health problems.
Yet many products contain artificial flavors and colors to make them look or taste more appealing, or keep them fresh on the shelves longer.
Avoid artificial sweetener like aspartame, sucralose, and saccharin.Stay away from ingredients with colors or numbers in the name, like “yellow no.
5.” These artificial colors might also be listed as “E” then a number, like “E102.”Artificial flavors might be in the ingredients at “FD&C,” or simply as “artificial flavors.”These flavor additives have no health benefits. , You might not think it, but breakfast cereals may also contain sodium from added salt.
For those with high blood pressure or other sodium-related conditions, and even for healthy individuals, breakfast cereals with high sodium levels should be avoided.
Try to get a cereal with under 180 milligrams of salt (or sodium) per serving., Cereal tends to contain more calories than you may expect, especially since a serving size is usually much smaller than what you might eat for breakfast.
Check the serving size and aim for a cereal that contains fewer than 250 calories per cup of cereal.Per serving, aim for fewer than 120 calories., If you have a gluten sensitivity or have celiac disease, you will want to look for healthy cereals that contain no gluten.
While this once might have been a very difficult task, many manufacturers are now offering cereals that are gluten-free or made with non-traditional ingredients.
Try Special K gluten-free cereal, which has 5g fiber and 3 g protein per serving or Chex gluten-free cereal line, which includes rice, corn, chocolate, and cinnamon flavors.
About the Author
Kathleen Griffin
Specializes in breaking down complex lifestyle topics into simple steps.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: