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2003/12/15, 11:39 AM
Thursday, December 11, 2003 Posted: 10:59 EDT
What’s on your breakfast placemat?
If it’s a bowl of cold cereal with milk, you’re like a lot of Americans. And why not? Cereals can be a convenient, tasty, morning energizer, especially if you’re trying to lose weight. Many
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offer lots of tummy satisfying fiber, vitamins and minerals, folic acid (for preventing heart disease), and varieties to suit practically any taste for less fat and calories than other popular breakfast options.
But, who hasn’t stared helplessly at that wall of brightly colored boxes, paralyzed by indecision, wondering which cereal to choose?
Let’s face it, the cereal aisle can be one of the most difficult to navigate, considering its nearly infinite choices. And the truth is it’s easy to make some not-so-wise selections, if you’re not checking those Nutrition Facts labels carefully.
Sure, some cereal nutrition numbers aren’t all that shocking. Is it any surprise that a three-quarter cup serving of neon-colored, frosted Froot Loops has 15 grams of sugar (6 grams more than you’d get in four thin mint cookies) or that a practically fiber-less cup of Cocoa Puffs has 120 calories? No kidding.
But, what might be more astonishing is that though some cereals sound healthy, they don’t have the nutritional statistics to support their natural, virtuous-sounding names. Check out the fat and calories in one cup of these flakes, nuggets and puffs. Even before you add milk, they might be giving you more fat and calories than you bargained for:
Quaker 100% Natural (oats and honey): 440 calories and 18 grams fat
Kellogg’s Low-fat Granola (with raisins): 330 calories and 4.5 grams fat
Post Great Grains with Raisins, Dates & Pecans: 315 calories and 7.5 grams fat
General Mills Raisin Nut Bran: 280 calories and 6 grams fat
Kellogg’s Cracklin’ Oat Bran: 266 calories and 9 grams fat
Post Banana-Nut Crunch: 250 calories and 6 grams fat
Want a better breakfast in your bowl? Try these cereal combinations with milk included for less fat and calories and plenty of wake-up-mouth flavor:
For A Berry Nutty Morning
1 cup bran cereal, such as All Bran
1/2 Tbsp. chopped walnuts
1/4 cup raspberries
1/2 cup fat-free milk
Combine ingredients in your cereal bowl.
(Per serving: 250 calories, 5 grams fat, 22 grams fiber)
Banan-Cran Crispy Clusters
1 cup puffed rice cereal
1/2 cup Kashi GoLEAN cereal
1/2 banana, sliced
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup fat-free milk
Combine ingredients in your cereal bowl.
(Per serving: 280 calories, 2 grams fat, 7 grams fiber)
Pear and Honey Flakes
1 cup bran flakes
1/2 cup pear, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. honey
1/2 cup fat-free milk
Combine ingredients in your cereal bowl.
(Per serving: 270 calories, 2 grams fat, 7 grams fiber)
Hot Cinnamon Shredded Wheat
1/2 cup shredded wheat
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup sliced strawberries
1/4 cup blueberries
Cinnamon, to taste
Tear shredded wheat biscuits into pieces and place in bowl with milk; microwave 2 minutes. Top with berries and cinnamon.
(Per serving: 150 calories, 1 gram fat, 4 grams fiber)
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