Your morning bowl of Chocolate Marshmallow Cherry Oats might have a little less sugar and a little more fiber from now on. But are those changes enough to make it healthy?
A major breakfast cereal manufacturer recently announced that, by the end of 2008, it would either make its products healthier or stop marketing them to children under 12. Whenever a large food company agrees to improve nutrition in its products, especially foods for children, AICR welcomes the step forward. Yet it’s important to look carefully at the changes that are actually made. That’s because the health gains from companies’ voluntary reformulations have tended not to be as significant as headlines suggest.
Just a Spoonful of Sugar?
Under this cereal company’s new standards, one serving can have a maximum of 200 calories, 2 grams of saturated fat, 230 mg of sodium, 12 grams of sugar (excluding fruit sources like raisins) and no trans fat.
By comparison, low-sugar oat circle cereals have 1 gram of sugar per 1-cup serving, compared to the 12 grams or 1 tablespoon per serving listed in the improved cereal. Twelve grams of sugar makes up almost one-quarter of the product’s calories. Sugar provides calories and many high-sugar cereals are made with refined grains, which also have few nutrients compared to whole grains.
In other words, just because a product is not as unhealthy as it was doesn’t necessarily make it healthy. AICR’s nutrition advisor, Karen Collins, MS, RD, CDN notes that, although changes will have to be made to half of the company’s product line, “These new standards are not a huge shift for most of their products.”
The Real Scoop
New products that are supposedly healthier may focus entirely on only one factor, like increasing fiber. Meanwhile, while the public’s attention is diverted by that claim, few people notice that unhealthy amounts of other ingredients such as fat or sugar may remain.
As for the whole-grain content of a cereal, the Nutrition Facts label will tell you how much dietary fiber is included, but that’s not the whole story. Many cereals are made from refined grains, from which the nutrient-rich but coarse outer layer is removed. To find out how much of a cereal is made from whole grains, look at the ingredients list. If “whole wheat” or “whole grain” is the first ingredient, you are getting mostly or all phytochemical- and vitamin-rich whole grains.
When very high amounts of fiber per serving are touted on the box, the cereal probably has extra fiber added back later in the manufacturing process, whether it is made from whole grains or refined grains. To be sure you are getting cancer-fighting phytochemicals, first make sure you are getting whole grains. Second, consider the amount of fiber: at least 3 grams per serving is recommended for good digestion. Health experts advise aiming for at least 3 to 4 servings of whole-grain products like cereal, bread and pasta each day.
Keep in mind that it’s your overall diet that matters for general health, weight management and cancer prevention. A nutritious breakfast can give you a good start toward meeting your daily nutrition goals. On the other hand, if you choose a breakfast high in calories but low in fiber and nutrients, you’ll have to compensate by eating more nutritious, low-calorie meals throughout the day.
And no matter how healthy the cereal, the portion size still matters, Collins says. “If the one serving listed on the Nutrition Facts label leaves you still hungry, try topping your cereal with a half-cup of fresh fruit and a tablespoon of chopped nuts instead of eating a second serving.”
AICR Breakfast Cereal Chart
Below is the nutritional information for several popular breakfast cereals. It’s best to consider all of the factors when you choose a cereal.
Cereal |
Serving Size |
Calories |
Sodium (mg) |
Sugar (g) |
Dietary Fiber (g) |
First Ingredient |
General Mills Cheerios |
1 cup |
100 |
190 |
1 |
3 |
whole grain oats |
General Mills Berry Burst Cheerios (Triple Berry) |
3/4 cup |
100 |
170 |
8 |
2 |
whole grain oats |
General Mills Honey Nut Cheerios |
3/4 cup |
110 |
190 |
9 |
2 |
whole grain oats |
General Mills Multigrain Cheerios |
1 cup |
110 |
200 |
6 |
3 |
whole grain corn |
General Mills Golden Grahams |
3/4 cup |
120 |
270 |
11 |
1 |
whole grain wheat |
General Mills Lucky Charms |
3/4 cup |
110 |
190 |
11 |
1 |
whole grain wheat |
General Mills Trix |
1 cup |
120 |
180 |
13 |
1 |
corn (whole grain corn- meal) |
General Mills Wheaties |
3/4 cup |
100 |
190 |
4 |
3 |
whole grain wheat |
Kashi Go Lean Crunch |
1 cup |
190 |
95 |
13 |
8 |
whole oats |
Kellogg’s Apple Jacks |
1 cup |
130 |
150 |
16 |
1 |
sugar |
Kellogg’s Corn Flakes |
1 cup |
100 |
200 |
2 |
1 |
milled corn |
Kellogg’s Froot Loops |
1 cup |
120 |
150 |
15 |
1 |
sugar |
Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes |
3/4 cup |
120 |
150 |
12 |
1 |
milled corn |
Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats |
approx. 24 biscuits |
180 |
5 |
10 |
5 |
whole grain wheat |
Kellogg’s |
1 1/4 cups |
120 |
320 |
3 |
0 |
rice |
Kellogg’s Raisin Bran |
1 cups |
190 |
350 |
19 |
7 |
whole grain wheat |
Kellogg’s Smart Start Healthy Heart |
1 ¼ cups |
230 |
140 |
17 |
5 |
oat bran |
Kellogg’s Special K |
1 cup |
110 |
220 |
4 |
less than 1 |
rice |
Post Honey Bunches of Oats |
3/4 cup |
120 |
150 |
6 |
2 |
corn |
Post Raisin Bran |
1 cup |
190 |
300 |
19 |
8 |
whole |
Quaker Cap’n Crunch |
3/4 cup |
110 |
200 |
12 |
1 |
corn flour |
For complete nutrient information on many foods and products, visit www.nutritiondata.com.
The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) is the only major cancer charity focusing exclusively on the link between diet, nutrition and cancer. The Institute provides a wide range of consumer education programs that help millions of Americans learn to make changes for lower cancer risk. AICR also supports innovative research in cancer prevention and treatment at universities, hospitals, and research centers across the U.S. The Institute has provided more than $70 million in funding for research in diet, nutrition and cancer. Visit AICR’s Web site. AICR is a member of the World Cancer Research Fund International.