Article brought to you by: Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
Some children's cereals have more sugar than a Twinkie
By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
December 7th, 2011
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
December 7th, 2011
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
Is breakfast really a healthy start to everyone's day? While a nutritious breakfast is seen as being especially important for children and their school performance, popular cereals contain substantial amounts of sugar. A new report by the Environmental Working Group reviewed 84 popular brands, and revealed some shocking comparisons of the sugar content with popular snack cakes.
LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - At nearly 56 percent sugar by weight, three cereals -- Kellogg's Honey Smacks, Post Golden Crisp, and General Mills Wheaties Fuel -- weigh in with 20 grams of sugar in a skimpy one cup serving.That's a heaping five teaspoons of sugar, roughly the same as one Twinkie snack cake. In addition to today's oversized cereal bowls, a typical serving size is likely to be double that amount, closer to two cups.
A single one-cup bowl of an additional 44 cereals, including the popular Honey Nut Cheerios, Apple Jacks and Cap'n Crunch, are equivalent to eating three Chips Ahoy cookies - three teaspoons of sugar!
Not to despair -- there are a lot of tasty lower sugar options to choose from. These include Kellogg's Mini-Wheats, General Mills' original Cheerios and Kix, Post Shredded Wheat and Quaker Oats Cinnamon Oatmeal Squares.
Parents should read back package labels, and not only the front. Parents shouldn't be fooled by the front of the box nutrition claims. Look at the nutrition panel on the back, and make your own decision. A gram of sugar per serving usually doesn't connect with most people, so translate this into teaspoons of sugar by dividing the sugar grams on the label by four. A cereal with 20 grams of sugar contains 5 teaspoons of sugar. Also skip the "good source of whole grains" on the front. Look for three grams of fiber per serving, found on the back.
Parents can also cut the sugar in half by mixing with low-sugar cereals. Many brands of cereals contain a low-sugar "basic" with higher-sugar product.
For variety, add some fresh, frozen or dried fruit to low-sugar cereals. Boost the nutrients and provide nature's sweetness by adding fruit to a low-sugar cereal.
Sugary cereals can also be substituted as a dessert, portioning out a single serving, about one cup in a small bag for your child to enjoy as a treat or dessert, instead of a cookie or other treat.
A top 10 list of the worst children's cereals, based on percent sugar by weight:
1. Kellogg's Honey Smacks
2. Post Golden Crisp
3. Kellogg's Froot Loops Marshmallows
4. Quaker Oats Cap'n Crunch's OOPS! All Berries
5. Quaker Oats Cap'n Crunch Original
6. Quaker Oats Oh!s
7. Kellogg's Smorz
8. Kellogg's Apple Jacks
9. Quaker Oats Cap'n Crunch's Crunch Berries
10. Kellogg's Froot Loops Original
© 2011, Catholic Online. Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.