RSS

Bring on the sugar in kids’ cereal

Most parents say no to dessert for breakfast, but many children’s cereals have just as much sugar as a dessert — or more.

Kellogg’s® Honey Smacks® cereal, at nearly 56 percent sugar by weight, leads the list of high-sugar cereals, according to new analysis by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). A one-cup serving of Honey Smacks packs more sugar than a Hostess Twinkie, and one cup of any of 44 other children’s cereals has more sugar than three Chips Ahoy!® cookies.

The EWG reviewed 84 popular brands. They found most children’s cereals fail to meet the federal government’s proposed voluntary guidelines for foods nutritious enough to be marketed to children. Too much sugar is the number one problem, but many also contain too much sodium or fat, or not enough whole grain.

Most parents say no to dessert for breakfast, but many children’s cereals have just as much sugar as a dessert –— or more.

According to EWG, the best cereals are also free of pesticides and genetically modified ingredients:

  • Ambrosial Granola: Athenian Harvest Muesli
  • Go Raw: Live Granola, Live Chocolate Granola and Simple Granola
  • GrandyOats: Mainely Maple Granola, Cashew Raisin Granola and Swiss Style Muesli
  • Kaia Foods: Buckwheat Granola Dates & Spices and Buckwheat Granola Raisin Cinnamon
  • Laughing Giraffe: Cranberry Orange Granola
  • Lydia’s Organics: Apricot Sun, Berry Good, Grainless Apple, Sprouted Cinnamon and Vanilla Crunch
  • Nature’s Path Organic: Optimum Banana Almond, Optimum Cranberry Ginger, Corn Puffs, Kamut Puffs, Millet Puffs and Rice Puffs

 

Source: Environmental Working Group’s “Sugar In Children’s Cereal,” December, 2011.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 31, Number 1, Feb/Mar 2012.

, , , ,
Web Analytics