I love cereal.  When I was a kid, I would eat 2 or 3 bowls of it before going to school every day.  Froot Loops, Lucky Charms, and Count Chocula were my favorites.  The reality though is that most cereals don’t help you to maintain your health or control your weight.  Did you know that in the past decade, the percentage of kids being overweight in every age group (yes, even the 2 - 5 year olds) has grown?!!

I'm not saying that kids should never ever eat cereal again, but I am suggesting that we carefully choose which ones we allow them to eat.  Relying on the manufacturers to help us will only result in the continuing epidemic of childhood obesity.  Here are some points to consider:

•    labeling on the front of the package is often misleading

•    serving size – you should measure it instead of pouring it from the box or bag into your bowl.  To better understand what I’m saying, pour what you normally would into a bowl and then measure it.  You’ll probably be shocked

•    sugar content - obviously less is better but look for those with no more than 5 grams per serving

•    fiber content – you want at least 3 - 5 grams per serving
•    protein content – you want at least 3 grams per serving
•    total calories – you want 200 or less per serving
•    total carbohydrate-to-sugar ration should be at least 4:1.  For instance, if there are 28 grams of total carbohydrates, sugar should be 7 grams or less.  This tells you that most of the carbohydrates are from grains and fibers
•    as a point of reference, cereal that is considered very nutritious has a carbohydrate-to-sugar ratio of 6:1 or 7:1
•    high fiber grains are barley, buckwheat, millet, oats, rye, and whole wheat
•    use a teaspoon instead of a tablespoon to eat it so you consume it slower
•    eat out of a small bowl.  If you use a large one, you may be tempted to fill it instead of watching the portion size
•    put the box or bag of cereal away after you measure what you are going to eat
•    use skim milk instead of whole milk, and measure this too
•    on the ingredient list, whole wheat or whole oats should be one of the first ingredients.  Quinoa, buckwheat, and amaranth are also whole grains
•    be wary of appealing names, colors, pictures, toys
•    ideally, zinc and iron should each be at least 25% of RDA

For information on specific cereals, Men’s Health rated 24 of them.   I noticed that Count Chocula isn’t included but Froot Loops and Lucky Charms are, and it’s not pretty!