Everyone knows that breakfast is the most
important meal of the day. A new study shows that cereals might not be the best
choice for your child’s breakfast.
To be more precise, a serving of 11 popular
cereals, including Kellogg’s Honey Smacks, carries as much sugar as a glazed
doughnut, a new investigation from Consumer Reports said. A serving of Honey
Smacks has 15 grams of sugar, 3 more grams that was found in a Dunkin’ Donuts
glazed doughnut, and just one gram of fiber per serving. Post Golden Crisp made
by Kraft Foods Inc and Kellogg's Honey Smacks are more than 50 percent sugar by
weight, the group said. Cheerios and Kix had only 3 grams of fiber per serving,
and Life and Honey Nut Cheerios were found to have 2 grams of fiber per
serving, the report found.
Cereals sitting on the other side of the
morning table were Raisin Bran, with 5 grams of fiber per serving, Grape-Nuts,
with 7 grams, or Kashi Go Lean Crunch, with 9 grams. They were judged as good breakfast
choices because they were relatively low in sugar and sodium, but were good
sources of calcium and iron, and had some fiber. A 5-year-old should eat at
least 10 grams of fiber a day.
The list of cereals rated as “Very Good” breakfast
choices included Cheerios (General Mills) with just 1 gram of sugar, 3 grams of
fiber, and 190 milliograms of sodium, Kix (General Mills), with 3 grams of
sugar, 3 grams of fiber, and 210 milligrams of sodium, Life (Quarter Oats),
which has 6 grams of sugar, 2 grams of fiber, and 160 milligrams of sodium, and
Honey Nut Cheerios (General Mills) with 9 grams of sugar, 2 grams of fiber, and
190 milligrams of sodium.
“If you’re shopping for a kids’ cereal, try
one of the Very Good cereals in our ratings,” said Gayle Williams, deputy
editor of Consumer Reports Health. “Be sure to read the product labels, and
choose cereals that are high in fiber and low in sugar and sodium. Served with
milk and fruit, these cereals can be part of a well-balanced, nutritious
breakfast.”
Froot Loops, Corn Pops, Rice Krispies,
Cocoa Krispies, and Apple Jacks were among lowest-rated cereals, with 12 grams
of sugar, one gram of fiber and 135-200 milligrams of sodium in a 3/4 coup of
serving.
The report also found that an estimated 58
percent of kid’s cereals are eaten by adults. Consumer Reports studied how 91
children aged 6 to 16 ate their cereal and found they served themselves about
50 to 65 percent more on average than the suggested serving size for three of
the four tested cereals.
The report found that some brands contain
even more sugar and sodium when made for consumers in the U.S. than for
consumers in other countries.
Consumer International said it would ask
the World Health Organization to revise its international guidelines
restricting advertising and marketing of foods high in sugar, fat or sodium to
children.
