Healthy Cereals Are Out There If You Read The Label – Dave’s Diary

We’re heading into Valentine’s Weekend which will be marked by my daughter Kate’s consumption of way more chocolate than any kid should ever need.  It is a sugarfest for sure but it’s a once a year thing if you don’t count Easter and Halloween and Christmas and….  On the other hand, breakfast cereal is once or twice each day which raise questions about cereal bowl filled with calories, sugar and sodium?

Cereal is in the pantries of more than 90 percent of U.S. households and more than 2 billion boxes of cereals are sold annually. 93 percent of us consume ready-to-eat cereal.

The experts say like with foods, when choosing a breakfast cereal, read the labels. Look for a cereal that is low in calories with low or no sodium and try to avoid cereals with added sugar.  Even if you think you're choosing wisely--such as Cheerios or Honey Bunches of Oats -- you may be surprised.

While these two cereals are among the most popular brands with the biggest sales, they are not among the healthiest choices. DietDetective.com ranked 301 different cereal brands based on 19 criteria, including calorie count, fiber content, added sugar, sodium, protein, ingredient placement of whole grains, vitamins, presence of food additives and artificial coloring.

The top 10 healthiest cereals:

1. Nature's Path Organic Millet Puffs
2. Barbara's Shredded Wheat
3. Kashi Whole Wheat Biscuits Autumn Wheat
4. Quaker Oats Old-Fashioned
5. Nature's Path Oatmeal Gluten Free Selections Home-style
6. Kashi 7 Whole Grain Cereals Puffs
7. Post Shredded Wheat Original Spoon Size
8. Nature's Path Qi'a Superfood Chia, Buckwheat & Hemp Original Flavor
9. Post Shredded Wheat Spoon Size Wheat'n Bran
10. Nature's Path Original Hot Oatmeal

The top 10 least healthy cereals:

1. General Mills Monsters Boo Berry
2. Kellogg's Rice Krispies Treats
3. Post Fruity Pebbles
4. Post Summer Berry Pebbles
5. General Mills Chocolate Lucky Charms
6. Kellogg's Rice Krispies Cocoa Krispies
7. General Mills Cinnamon Toast Crunch Frosted Toast Crunch
8. Kellogg's Frosted Flakes
9. Quaker Honey Graham Oh's
10. Kellogg's Granola Low-fat Granola Multigrain with Raisins