Sugar Bombs

“Most parents would never serve dessert for breakfast, but many children’s cereals have just as much sugar or more”.
Jane Houlihan, Senior Vice President,Environmental Working Group

Cereal is often considered a quick, easy and inexpensive breakfast for kids and adults. But a new study from the good folks at the Environmental Working Group, a U.S. based non-profit research and public health advocacy group, reveals that there is enough sugar in the popular brands of breakfast cereal to fuel more than a morning’s worth of tantrums and meltdowns.

The study reviewed 84 popular cereal brands, measuring sugar content. Leading the list of high-sugar offenders is Kellogg’s Honey Smacks, weighing in at nearly 56 per cent sugar. One cup of Honey Smacks contains 20 grams of sugar compared to a Twinkie snack cake which contains 18 grams per serving. In almost three-dozen brands popular cereals, sugar was found making up in excess of one-third of the weight of the cereals.

Worst Offenders
Based on per cent sugar by weight, the 10 worst offenders:
• Kellogg’s Honey Smacks (55.6%)
• Post Golden Crisp (51.9%)
• Kellogg’s Froot Loops Marshmallow (48.3%)
• Quaker Oats Cap’n Crunch’s OOPS! All Berries (46.9%)
• Quaker Oats Cap’n Crunch Original (44.4%)
• Quaker Oats Oh!s (44.4%)
• Kellogg’s Smorz (43.3%)
• Kellogg’s Apple Jacks (42.9%)
• Ouaker Oats Cap’n Crunch’s Crunch Berries (42.3%)
• Kellogg’s Froot Loops Original (41.4%)

Best Cereals
Best choices for cereal, based on lower sugar, sodium, fat and whole grain content. These cereals are free of artificial colours, flavours and artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose. The top choices are also free of pesticides and genetically modified ingredients.

  • Ambrosial Granola: Athenian Harvest Muesli
  • Go Raw: Live Granola, Live Chocolate Granola, and Simple Granola
  • Grandy Oats: Mainely Maple Granola, Cashew Raisin Granola, and Swiss Style Muesli
  • Kaia Foods: Buckwheat Granola Dates & Spices and Buckwheat Granola Raisin Cinnamon
  • Laughing Giraffe: Cranberry Orange Granola
  • Lydia’s Organics: Apricot Sun, Berry Good, Grainless Apple, Sprouted Cinnamon, and Vanilla Crunch
  • Nature’s Path Organic: Optimum Banana Almond, Optimum Cranberry Ginger, Corn Puffs, Kamut Puffs, Millet Puffs, and Rice Puffs

Big Brand Cereal Choices
If you’re sceptical of the success you’ll have getting your kids to skip the Fruit Loops, the EWG study also lists the top big brand cereals, which meet nutrition guidelines but may contain genetically modified ingredients and/or pesticides.

  • Kellogg’s Mini-Wheats: Unfrosted Bite-Size, Frosted Big Bite, Frosted Bite-Size, Frosted Little Bite
  • General Mills Cheerios Original
  • General Mills Kix Original
  • Post Shredded Wheat (all varieties)
  • Post Grape-Nuts Flakes
  • Quaker Oats Oatmeal Squares Cinnamon
  • Post Bran Flakes
  • Post Honey Bunches of Oats with Vanilla Bunches

For the full report, tips for selecting healthier cereals and some great breakfast recipes, go to Environmental Working Group study online.

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