Take a Second Look at Your Breakfast Cereal
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Your cereal bowl could be one place extra calories are sneaking into your meals. Check the serving size and calories listed in the Nutrition Facts panel on the box, or use our Food Calculator and calculate the serving size you eat.
To cut down on calories:
- Measure the serving size or eat from a smaller bowl.
- Add fruit and cut back on the cereal.
- Use non-fat or low fat milk or low calorie milk substitutes.
When buying cereal, beware of cereal box claims of less sugar. If you want a cereal that will help you keep trim, examine the Nutrition Facts panel carefully. While many new cereals do contain less sugar, the calories, carbohydrates, fat, fiber and other nutrients are almost identical to the full-sugar cereals. The manufacturers have simply replaced sugar with other refined carbohydrates and these cereals offer no benefits to aid weight loss.
As for whole grain cereals, most offer fiber and vitamins from the bran and germ portions of the grain, which are stripped when grains are refined. Health benefits you reap by eating whole grains include decreased risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer. And eating more whole grains has been shown to aid in weight loss and maintenance.
When choosing a cereal:
- Look for whole grain or bran as the first ingredient.
- Aim for at least 5 grams of fiber per serving (more is better).
- Limit calories to 150 per serving.
Healthy regards,
Megan Porter, RD
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