How to Compare Breakfast Cereals

While eating breakfast is important, selecting the right cereal is imperative.

Companies that manufacture cereal are tasked with trying to satisfy people of all ages and dietary preferences. As a result, two types of cereal made by the same company will differ wildly in terms of sugar, sodium, and fiber. This makes the consumers' job very difficult because they cannot associate any one brand with healthy food. Instead, each and every nutrition label must be carefully evaluated.

Sugar Content

Many people find it difficult to visualize what a gram of sugar looks like when reviewing the nutrition panel on a box of cereal. To help put this into perspective, nutritionist Joy Bauer asserts that four grams of sugar is equal to one teaspoon of sugar. Therefore, if you eat a serving of either Kellogg's Apple Jacks or General Mills Honey Nut Clusters, you are ingesting four full teaspoons of sugar since each has a whopping 16 grams per serving. To avoid a major spike in blood sugar first thing in the morning, stick with General Mills Cheerios, Kellogg's Corn Flakes, or Post Original Shredded Wheat as all of these cereals have less than 4 grams of sugar per serving.

Though the general rule is that the lower the sugar content, the healthier the cereal, there is an important exception. According to an article written by nutrition expert Elaine Magee, the inclusion of dried fruit will cause a substantial increase in the sugar content. In the case of cereals with dried fruit, check the ingredient list rather than looking at the grams of sugar. The ingredient list will tell you whether sugar or high fructose corn syrup has been added in addition to the dried fruit. The dried fruit alone should make the cereal sufficiently sweet.

Sodium Content

Once you have verified that the amount of sugar is acceptable, you must determine if the salt content is also within a reasonable range. The American Heart Association is very explicit in their recommendation for daily sodium intake. Eating less than 1500 milligrams of sodium will help your vital organs stay in top shape. However, this guideline will be tough to follow if you start your day with a salty serving of General Mills Wheat Chex or Golden Grahams, both of which have at least 270 milligrams of sodium per serving. However, choose a serving of Post Shredded Wheat or Quaker Puffed Wheat and you will not have to diligently watch your sodium intake for the remainder of the day. Both of these two cereals are sodium-free.

Fiber Content

Avoiding cereals with lots of sugar is not the only way to keep your blood sugar levels from spiking. According to MayoClinic.com, eating plenty of fiber can also help maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Furthermore, fiber can be a great weight loss tool because it keeps you full and helps to reduce cravings for unhealthy mid-morning snacks. The Home and Garden Information Center at Clemson University suggests finding a cereal that contains at least 5 grams of fiber per serving. Look for cereals that contain bran, flax seeds, and dried fruit, which are all good sources of fiber.

References

• TODAY Health: Ah, Sugar, Sugar! Quit Your Sweetness Addiction
• WebMD: Choosing a Healthy Breakfast Cereal
• American Heart Association: Shaking the Salt Habit
• MayoClinic.com: Dietary Fiber - Essential for a Healthy Diet
• Clemson University: Home and Garden Information Center - Choosing Breakfast Cereals

Resources

• North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services: Sugar In Cereal
• General Mills: Wheat Chex Nutrition Facts
• General Mills: Big G Cereals - Golden Grahams
• Post Shredded Wheat: Nutritional Information
• Quaker Puffed Wheat Cereal: Nutritional Information