How to Choose an Organic Breakfast Cereal

With ingredients like seven different kind of whole grains and exotic ingredients like hemp seeds and ginger, organics cereals are geared toward the socially-conscious consumer who cares about the environment, fair trade and healthy living. But are all organic cereals equal? Here's what to look (and look out) for.

Things You'll Need

• Cereal of your choice
• Milk or yogurt
• Fruit such as peaches, bananas, or berries

Instructions

1. Watch out for sugar content. While organic cereals are usually free of chemical additives, some are loaded with sugar. For example "organic evaporated cane juice" might sound better, but it's still absorbed in your body as sugar. Ditto for names like molasses, barley malt, cane-juice crystals, carob syrup, fruit juice, honey and sorghum syrup. So how much is too much? First of all, 4 grams of sugar is equivalent to 1 tsp. For every 400 calories you consume, you should have no more than 6 grams. So if you consume 1600 calories a day, keep your sugar intake 24 grams; if it's 2400, that would be 48. If you want to make your cereal sweeter, try adding fruit like bananas or berries, which contain fiber to help slow down the absorption of sugar.

2. Understand that organic doesn't always mean healthy. Foods like chocolate can be organic, and if you overindulge in that, you're loading up your body with saturated fat, which can seriously damage your heart. Just like the sugar content. Watch out for the fat and sodium content in organic cereals. Some organic granolas, for example, can have very high fat contents, so make sure you read the labels carefully, and chose one that fits your own nutritional needs.

3. Beware of healthy claims. Ingredients that contain antioxidants, like green tea, have been added to many organic cereals for its "suggested" cancer-fighting powers. But it hasn't been proven. If your cereal is offering you "mental clarity" or "improved brain functioning," chances are there will be an asterisk that reveals the Food and Drug Administration has not supported this claim. It's one thing if you like the taste of the cereal, but you don't need to pay extra for empty promises. Also keep in mind that many organic cereals are not as heavily fortified with vitamins (or perhaps not at all) as regular cereals. While it is best to get your vitamins and minerals from natural sources like fruits and vegetables, if you're used to getting them from your breakfast cereal, make sure you check the label.

4. Natural does not mean organic. Remember that only food that explicitly labeled as "organic." The ingredients of cereals might not all be organic-- if it is not completely organic, it will state this on the label such as "70% organic." If your cereal claims to be "natural," this is essentially meaningless (and most likely a marketing ploy) as the product is not held to the USDA organic standards.

Tips & Warnings

• Use organic milk to avoid the hormones and antibiotics.

• If you're not used to a lot of fiber in one sitting, add it slowly to your diet.

• Check the labels for allergens such as wheat and soy if you are sensitive to them.