By Taylor Sutton, MS, RDN, LD
United Supermarkets Dietitian
National Cereal Day was March 7th this year and we love the stuff! Cereal is a staple in the western diet, and for a delicious reason. There is nothing wrong with a big bowl of cereal and you can add some things like Greek yogurt, or ultra filtered milk, and even protein powder to help level off the higher carbohydrate amounts. While nothing comes close to this childhood classic, there are the things we like to take note of when choosing a cereal.
10g of Less of Added Sugar
Added sugar is the number one culprit of diet woes. Added sugar can have a correlation with many chronic diseases and if you add in additional lifestyle factors it’s a recipe for disaster. So controlling what we can, is the take-home message here. Switching to a different cereal entirely may be your preferred method but there are other options. For example, mixing your cereals! Taking your favorite and mixing it with a lower sugar option can help with this. For example we love to suggest mixing honey nut cheerios and it’s plain version. You’re still getting the same great sweet taste but with less sugar. This is great for toddlers, kids, to adults and beyond.
3g of more of Fiber
Fiber helps keep us full and regulated and if you’ve been following along since January we’ve discussed many times why fiber is so important to have in the diet. Not only its importance but the types of fiber, the benefits, and how it changes the nutritional game. The next time you’re wandering down the cereal aisle, turn around a few of the packages to read the nutrition label and see if it’s more than 3 grams! For reference, the recommended intake for women is 26 grams and men is 38 grams or more per day.
150mg or less of Sodium
Looking at the sodium is the last on our list but the first on our list if you have babies under 1 who are trying cereals for toddlers. For littles, we like looking for less than 100 milligrams or less of sodium per 100g of product. For us adults, 150mg or less. Sodium is not the enemy, because we need it, just like sugar, but too much of it is where we can see some less than ideal outcomes.
We like incorporating cereal into our lifestyles by doing a few of the following ideas: as a bowl of cereal with ultra filtered milk to increase the protein; mixed in with Greek yogurt, like a parfait; as part of a snack; part of trail mix; as a breading on proteins compared to traditional crumbs; as a crumble on warm fruit or pie.
Frozen Greek Yogurt Cereal Bites
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. of your favorite cereal
- 2 Tbsp. plain Greek yogurt
- 1/8 tsp. honey
Directions
1. Mix together Greek yogurt and honey.
2. Pour 2 Tbsp. mixture into silicone muffin liners or mold.
3. Top with 1.5 Tbsp. cereal and lightly press in.
4. Freeze for 3 hours or overnight.
