Think that bowl of cereal in the morning is a better breakfast than a donut, or even a bag of candy? Think again! Cereal can be loaded with as much sugar as a candy bar, making it one of the worst ways to start your day. Not all cereal are bad, though. In fact, the right bowl can be a great way to fill you up, stabilize blood sugar, and even help you lose weight.
Here are 5 of the worst cereals, and what to eat instead! (1 cup of cereal with 1/2 c 2% milk)
General Mills Oatmeal Crisp – Hearty Raisin
290 Calories
5 g fat
57 g carbohydrates
5 g fiber
24.5 g sugar
Whaaaaat!? With nearly 25 grams of sugar, this cereal has the sugar equivalent of 87 Cinnamon Teddy Grahams. Sure, oatmeal is healthy, but not when it’s loaded with sugar! Even with the reasonable 5 grams of fiber, the amount of added sugars definitely promises a blood sugar spike and crash in no time. Stick to real oatmeal instead topped with a little honey and raisins.
Kellog’s Honey Smacks
195 calories
3.5 g fat
38 g carbohydrates
1.5 g fiber
25.5 sugars
Here we go with another 25 grams of sugar, and this time, it’s only combated with 1.5 grams of fiber. You might as well eat 3 rolls of Fruit by the Foot. There’s really no nutritional value to this cereal. Skip it and stick with a bowl of puffed oats topped with a little honey and fresh fruit for a much better start to your morning.
Arrowhead Mills Maple Buckwheat Flakes
230 calories
3.5 g fat
41 g carbohydrates
1 g fiber
10.5 g sugars
Think going gluten-free will help you drop a few pounds? Not quite, considering if you down a bowl if this stuff you might as well eat 7 cups of butter popcorn. With 230 calories, only 1 gram of fiber and 10 grams of sugar, this is not a healthy choice by any means. Pour yourself a bowl of unsweetened flakes that contain at least 4 grams of fiber and no added sugars, and add a drizzle of natural maple syrup instead.
Post Golden Crisp
207 calories
2.5 g fat
38 g carbohydrates
<1 g fiber
24.5 g sugar
Another sugar bomb! 50% of the ingredients in Golden Crips is SUGAR – sugar, corn syrup, and honey. Yuck. With less than one gram of fiber and the sugar equivalent of 8 Firecracker Popsicles, eat a bowl of this junk and you’ll be hungry and sleepy in no time. Opt for Honeycombs and top with fresh fruit for added fiber.
And the worst contender…
Kashi Summer Berry Granola
500 calories
14.5 g fat
84 g carbohydrates
14 g fiber
23.5
Whoa! Isn’t Kashi suppose to be healthy? It may have a hefty 14 grams of fiber, but you could get the same amount of fiber in a 60 calorie half-cup serving of Fiber One. At 500 calories a bowl, that ‘s about equivalent to two Milky Ways, 69 Swedish Fish, and just shy of a Big Mac! If you’re really craving that granola crunch, mix a half-cup Kashi Go-Lean Crunch with a half-cup Fiber One for a crunchy, high-fiber breakfast that’s less than 200 calories.
