By Taylor Sutton, MS, RD
United Supermarkets’ Lifestyle Desk
It’s summer and we’re here for the quick easy options. With kids off to camps and other activities involving the whole family, getting out the door can be a challenge. Cue, the cereal! 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 yogurt, or ultra filtered milk, and even protein powder to help level off the higher carbohydrate amounts.
Before we get too far into the details, we’ve got some stipulations to talk about. Here are the things we like to look for in our 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 is another option. 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 its plain version. You’re still getting the same great sweet taste but with less sugar.
3g of more of Fiber
Fiber helps keep us full. 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. We love Kashi Go Crunch Peanut Butter, you can thank us later. No, really, it doesn’t taste like cardboard and the Kashi Go Crunch line has some delightful flavors while packing a fiber punch to help keep you fuller longer.
150mg or less of Sodium
Looking at the sodium is the last on our list, but the first on our list if you have kids under 1 who are trying cereals. For littles, we like looking for less than 100mg 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. With that said you can try opting for a cereal blend, or carving out some time the next time you’re in the cereal aisle to read a few labels that peak your interest.
How we like incorporating cereal into our lifestyles:
- As a bowl of cereal
- Mixed in with Greek yogurt (like a parfait)
- Part of a snack
- Part of trail mix
- As breading (crushed up corn flakes as a “breading”)
- Clusters or bites in cookies
- As a crumble (on warm fruit or a pie topping)
Milk and Cereal Cups
What You Need
1 Tbsp. of your favorite cereal
2 Tbsp. plain Greek yogurt
1/8 tsp. honey
How It’s Made
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.
