Best Breakfast Cereals for Kids
When was the last time you let your kids eat dessert for breakfast? You'd never do that, right? Well, maybe not intentionally, but if this morning you poured a bowl of Honey Smacks, Golden Crisps, Cap'n Crunch, or even seemingly healthful Quaker Oats Oh!s cereal, the answer is: today. All have 3 to 5 teaspoons of sugar per cup.
Related: Here's what all that sugar does to a kid's body.
It's hardly news that kids' cereals are loaded with sugar, but it's still surprising to see how much. Last month, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) released a new report that painstakingly evaluated 84 popular kids' cereals. EWG's experts found that one cup of Kellogg's Honey Smacks, Post Golden Crisp, or General Mills Wheaties Fuel has more sugar than a Twinkie (and that's a whopping 18 grams!). Honey Nut Cheerios, Apple Jacks, and Cap'n Crunch have more sugar than three Chips Ahoy! cookies (11 grams).
Related: 3 smart things to include in a healthy breakfast.
"Adding that much sugar to any food, but especially to children's breakfasts, ought to be a civil, punishable crime," says RealAge cofounder Michael F. Roizen, M.D. "Seriously. Food makers are condemning kids to health problems and the nation to higher health costs." A lifetime sugar overload contributes to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and unhealthy cholesterol levels.
So, which cereal should you serve? The EWG report found plenty of better alternatives out there, including some big-brand favorites. "There were some winners on the list -- healthy, tasty, 100% whole-grain cereals that kids will happily eat and you can buy at any grocery," says Roizen. These 4 are great for kids -- and parents.
1. General Mills Cheerios Original. It's just 3.6% sugar and has 3 grams of fiber. Avoid flavored varieties like Apple Cinnamon Cheerios and Fruity Cheerios, which are 33% sugar.
2. Kellogg's Bite-Size Unfrosted Mini-Wheats. A bowl of this cereal is less than 2% sugar and 6 grams of fiber -- that's great for heart health and to help a kid stay satisfied until lunchtime. Skip any of the frosted varieties; they're at least 25% sugar.
Related: A sweet cereal topper that's good for you.
3. General Mills Kix Original. If your child is reluctant to give up "kids' cereal," try this classic. It's just 10% sugar and still has 2 grams of fiber (top it with some fruit to boost that number). We consider it a good transition cereal to wean kids off the super-sweet stuff.
4. Oatmeal. This is Roizen's all-time favorite for kids and grown-ups alike, and he prefers steel-cut oats because they're minimally processed. Steel-cut oats take about 30 minutes to cook, but you can make them on Sunday, refrigerate, and reheat them as needed during the week. Still prefer the convenience of quick-cooking or instant oatmeal? "Just skip flavored instant types," Roizen says. "They're sugar fiestas, too."
Related: Use a slow cooker to make this easy overnight oatmeal with steel-cut oats.
It's always smart to double-check the ingredient list (shorter is better), the fiber content (at least 3 grams of fiber per serving is ideal), and few or no added sugars. In addition to "sugar," watch out for honey, molasses, fruit juice concentrate, brown sugar, corn sweetener, malt syrup, and anything with "ose" on the end of its name (like high-fructose corn syrup) in the ingredient list.
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