Question: Can you recommend some healthy cold cereals? I’m not sure if I should be looking for low sugar content, high fiber or a combo. Thanks!!
Answer: With so many cereals on the market, this aisle of the grocery store can be confusing. But it’s worth researching, because the type of cereal you pick can determine whether you’re eating a healthy breakfast or a bowl of junk food. A few tips for selecting a good cereal:
- Read the Nutrition Facts Label. Don’t rely on health claims (like “Contains 10 grams of whole grains!”) on the cereal box, because they can be misleading.
- Look for at least 3 grams of fiber per 100 calories (so a cereal with 200 calories should have at least 6 grams fiber).
- Look for less than 6 grams of sugar per serving (cereals with raisins will have more, which is OK).
- Unless you’re accustomed to eating tons of fiber everyday, avoid cereals with huge amounts of fiber (like Fiber One, which has 13 grams of fiber in only 60 calories). These ultra-fibrous buds have added extra fiber, and might upset your stomach (gas, bloating, cramping, etc).
- Go for the alternative brand cereals found at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and in the ‘natural’ section of regular supermarkets. These tend to be higher in fiber, lower in sugar, and made with organic or non-genetically modified ingredients, which are healthier.
Healthy + Tasty Cold Cereals
- Barbara’s Original Puffins, Barbara’s Cinnamon Puffins (100 calories, 5g fiber, 5g sugar)
- Barbara’s Shredded Spoonfuls (120 calories, 4g fiber, 5g sugar)
- Kashi Heart to Heart (110 calories, 5g fiber, 5g sugar)
- Quaker Crunchy Corn Bran (90 calories, 5g fiber, 6g sugar)
- Nature’ Path Heritage Flakes or Flax Plus Flakes (110 calories, 5g fiber, 4g sugar)
- Kellogg’s Mini-Wheats (200 calories, 6g fiber, 1 g sugar) – drizzle with a little honey or brown sugar
- Cheerios (100 calories, 3g fiber, 1g sugar)
- Kashi Autumn Wheat (180 calories, 6g fiber, 7g sugar)
- Nature’s Path Crunchy Vanilla Sunrise (110 calories, 3g fiber, 7g sugar)
- Nature’s Path Flax Plus Pumpkin Raisin Crunch (210 calories, 7g fiber, 13g sugar, some from raisins)
Best “Treat” Cereals
These are not the MOST wholesome breakfasts, but they’re much healthier than traditional sugar cereals, so when you need your kid-cereal fix, go for one of these:
- Barbara’s Peanut Butter Puffins (110 calories, 2g fiber, 6g sugar)
- Nature’s Path Gorilla Munch (120 calories, 2g fiber, 8g sugar)
- Post Honey Nut Shredded Wheat (190 calories, 5g fiber, 12g sugar)
- Honey Nut Cheerios (110 calories, 2g fiber, 9g sugar)
- Kix (110 calories, 3g fiber, 3g sugar)
- Barbara’s Organic Wild Cocoa Puffs (110 calories, 1g fiber, 9g sugar)
- Life, Original or Cinnamon (120 calories, 2g fiber, 6g sugar)
** Photo taken from Barbara’s Bakery Website
9 Comments
Deana
August 10, 2010 at 10:49 pmVery informative, thank you!
Richard
November 11, 2011 at 2:10 pmVery helpful. Thanks for the good advice.
Amelia
November 11, 2011 at 4:15 pmYou’re welcome 🙂
Ahlam
December 18, 2012 at 7:28 am@Mrs. Bee: It was kind of a funny social epexriment to watch other peoples reaction, they obviously heard it but would try not to react. It was pretty embarrassing but I think it was just as embarrassing for everyone around me too. Fiberone only lasted a week in our house.
rjscooter
January 11, 2014 at 10:15 amI have been eating Bran Buds (14 grams fiber) to regulate my bowels. It works fabulously! BUT, I am trying to avoid gluten, and GMO products. So, I have been comparing fiber counts in the unprocessed, whole grain, gluten-free, non-gmo section of my health food store and I can find none with that high of a fiber count. I am at a loss as to what to do to keep my bowels intact. Without the high amount of fiber, they are consistently loose.
Can you suggest anything to help me?
Thank you very much.
Amelia Winslow
January 12, 2014 at 11:45 amTrader Joe’s has a high fiber cereal that is completely GMO-free (like everything in their store). It’s called High Fiber Cereal. As for gluten-free, I’d suggest steel cut oats or oat bran.
Sallyann
September 27, 2017 at 5:23 amWhat about Post Grape Nuts cereal…the original one, not the flakes….I’m surprised it wasn’t on your list. Why?
Amelia Winslow
September 27, 2017 at 3:18 pmHi Sallyann,
This is not a comprehensive list – and there are certainly other healthy cereals that fit my criteria. Grape nuts are OK, though they are made with wheat flour and sugar, so more processed than some of the others listed – and they have a smaller serving size. However, they’re better than many alternatives.