Breakfast cereal sales have been on the decline, and while part of that is because millennials have not jumped on this easy breakfast option, another one is because folks are concerned about eating healthily. And cereal, because of our memories of the sugary stuff we ate as kids, does not often depict the image of good food choices.
But at the end of the day, we still love cereal because it’s an easy, thoughtless breakfast option. There are only so many overnight oats we can eat, only so many smoothies we can blend. Some mornings, cereal is what sounds right.
And so we set out to find cereals that we could feel good about eating for breakfast. Looking at the calories, fat, fiber, protein and sugar content ― and the ingredient list ― we consulted with Charles Mueller, associate professor of clinical nutrition at NYU, and found 10 choices that would make a healthy part of anyone’s morning routine.
Each of these cereals got the stamp of approval by Mueller, and he gave each one a grading based on how well it did in terms of ingredients, sugar content and salt. Check them out:
60g per serving
140 calories
7g fat (.5g saturated fat)
4g fiber
6g protein
0g sugar
Ingredients: chia seeds, buckwheat groats and hemp seeds.
40g per serving
140 calories
1g fat
5g fiber
4g protein
0g sugar
Ingredients: 100 percent whole wheat.
58g per serving
180 calories
2.5g fat
6g fiber
8g protein
0g sugar
Ingredients: Organic Sprouted Wheat, Organic Malted Barley, Organic Flax Seeds, Organic Sprouted Barley, Organic Sprouted Millet, Organic Sprouted Lentils, Organic Sprouted Soybeans, Organic Sprouted Spelt, Filtered Water, Sea Salt.
30g per serving
120 calories
1g fat
14g fiber
2g protein
0g sugar
Ingredients: Whole Grain Wheat, Corn Bran, Modified Wheat Starch, Guar Gum, Color (caramel color and annatto extract) Salt, Baking Soda, Sucralose, Natural Flavor.
58g per serving
calories 210
1g fat
7g fiber
6g protein
5g sugar
Ingredients: whole grain wheat flour, malted barley flour, salt, dried yeast.
48g per serving
170 calories
2.5g fat (.5 saturated fat)
8g fiber
4g protein
8g sugar
Ingredients: Whole Grain Wheat, Whole Grain Oats, Cane Sugar, Rice, Wheat Bran, Oat Fiber, Sunflower Oil, Honey, Sea Salt, Invert Cane Syrup, Molasses, Vanilla Extract, Annatto Extract Color, Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols) Added to Preserve Freshness.
26g per serving
100 calories
2g fat (.5g saturated fat)
3g fiber
3g protein
1g sugar
Ingredients: whole grain oats, corn starch, sugar, salt, tripotassium phosphate, Vitamin E.
55g per serving
180 calories
1g fat
5g fiber
6g protein
9g sugar
Ingredients: organic whole grain wheat, organic dried cane syrup, organic cinnamon, natural cinnamon flavor.
30g per serving
120 calories
3g fiber
4g protein
4g sugar
Ingredients: whole oat flour, concentrated grape and/or pear juice, brown rice flour, whole millet, oat bran, barley malt extract, sea salt.
58g per serving
180 calories
2g fat
13g fiber
12g protein
8g sugar
Ingredients: Kashi Seven Whole Grain Honey Puff Cereal (Hard Red Wheat, Brown Rice, Honey, Cane Syrup, Barley, Triticale, Oats, Rye, Buckwheat, Sesame Seeds), Degerminated Yellow Corn Flour, Expeller Pressed Soy Grits, Ground Degerminated Corn, Cane Syrup, Expeller Pressed Soy Protein Isolate, Oat Fiber, Wheat Bran, Expeller Pressed Soy Flour, Corn Bran, Kashi Seven Whole Grains & Sesame Flour (Whole: Oats, Hard Red Wheat, Rye, Brown Rice, Triticale, Barley, Buckwheat, Sesame Seeds), Salt, Natural Flavors, Annatto Extract Color.
Before You Go
