“Sugary” Cereals aren’t Necessarily so Sugary Anymore

We haven’t been big cereal eaters in my house the past year or so.  I grew tired of the “healthy” cereals and avoid bringing foods containing  High Fructose Corn Syrup into my home (although some do sneak through).  My 2 1/2 year old daughter was more interested in other foods, so her cereal intake had fallen off, as well.

I was recently offered the opportunity to try out some of the new formulations of General Mills cereals, through a  MyBlogSpark  promotion.  The offer came with an announcement that General Mills had not just committed to reducing the sugar in their cereals, but that they had also boosted the amount of several key nutrients, that kids tend to under consume, especially calcium and vitamin D.   I decided to give them a try and was sent some free cereal coupons, to test out the goods.

When I hit the cereal aisle with my daughter, I checked out the usual simple cereals that are generally deemed healthy, but nothing was calling me.  We started looking at the sweetened cereals.  In a moment of indulgence, the Reese’s cereal caught my eye.   I checked out the ingredient label and much to my surprise, no hfcs (high fructose corn syrup).  The cereal was sweetened with sugar and regular old fashioned corn syrup.  My daughter rarely gets sweets.  I decided this would make for an excellent substitute for the animal crackers, in the shopping basket.  The cereal had a good amount of iron, and other nutrients, and I’ll admit it, mommy wanted some too.  The switch was made.

Verdict:  We tried the cereal the next day.  My daughter loved it, and so did I.  I’ll be buying it again.

Here are a few statistics from the information I received, that might interest you:

• Ready-to-eat cereals, including presweetened cereals, account for only 5% of sugar in children´s diets.
• Ready-to-eat cereal is the No. 1 source of whole grains in a child´s diet today.
• More frequent cereal eaters tend to have healthier body weights and lower Body Mass Index measures.

It has been known for quite some time that eating breakfast, improves the performance of children at school, and cereal is not only  a quick and easy breakfast, but is lower in fat than most other options.  There is much more information concerning the health benefits of cereal  here.

To promote the healthy changes to their product line General Mills is now offering a $1 off coupon good on any  box of General Mills cereal.

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