Kristen tested. SimplySavor approved: Choosing Cereals
Good morning everyone! I woke up on this sunny, but hot Tuesday morning with my stomach growling and one thing on my mind for breakfast: COLD CEREAL
Tuesday’s bowl contains:
-3/4 c. Barbaras Multigrain Shredded Spoonfuls
-3/4 c. Kashi Honey Sunshine
-1 c. frozen blueberries (the key ingredient)
-1 c. plain organic soy milk
(MMmm, just look at that foam from the soy milk!)
Everyone’s heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day—it essentially 1) kickstarts your metabolism, 2) gives you the energy boost you need, and 3) helps set the tone for healthy eating habits throughout the rest of the day.
For me, eating breakfast seems like a no brainer…but finding the right cereal is where the real challenge lies. Many of you have told me that navigating the never ending cereal aisle, trying to find a filling and nutritious cereal among all the commercial, sugar-laden ones can be a real pain (and I agree with you!) So I’ve made a list of my must-haves for finding the perfect breakfast cereal:
My favorite tips for finding a healthy breakfast cereal:
1.) Check the ingredient list and look for “whole grains” as the first ingredient listed
2.) High in fiber: At least 6 grams of fiber (keeps me fuller longer and stabilizes blood sugar)
3.) High in protein: At least 4 grams of protein (also helps to keep me feeling fuller longer)
4.) Low in sugar: Less than 10 grams of sugar per serving
5.) I like to mix and match my cereals, so I look for cereals in the 100-150 calorie range
Other tips:
1.) Use a smaller bowl to control portion size
2) Eat with a smaller spoon to slow down your eating
3) Top cereal with fruit (sliced bananas, strawberries, blueberries, etc.) for an extra serving of fruit and added sweetness
4) Another way to mix and match: Use a lower calorie cereal as the base, and sprinkle top with a smaller serving of a more calorie-dense cereal or granola
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Product Review Alert!!
(Disclaimer: These products were not given to me by Barbara’s or Kashi, and my reviews are my personal, honest, and unbiased opinion.)
Barbara’s Multigrain Shredded Spoonfuls
Serving Size: 3/4 cup Calories per serving: 120 kcal Dietary Fiber: 4 grams Sugars: 5 grams Protein: 4 grams
Kristen’s Taste: For only 5 grams of sugar, this cereal is surprisingly sweet! It is sweetened with all-natural molasses which is also a plus for me—I don’t like all that artificial stuff. For the low calories, I really feel like I’m getting a nutritional bang for my buck (high in protein+fiber, low in sugar) and the first ingredient listed is Whole Oat Flour (with added Oat Bran). Another big thing for me is that this cereal can hold its own in milk—it stays Crunchy and doesn’t get soggy. I give it an A-
Serving Size: 3/4 cup Calories per serving: 100 kcal Dietary Fiber: 6 g Sugars: 6 g Protein: 2 grams
Kristen’s Taste: I loooooved this! Seriously, the first thing I thought of when I took a bite was French Toast! As a past Cinnamon Toast Crunch lover, this Kashi cereal made me feel like I was eating my favorite childhood breakfast again, and was a far cry from some of the boring, tasteless health cereals out there. It is lower in protein than I usually aim for, but when mixed with the Barbara’s Shredded Multigrain Spoonfuls, plus skim/soy milk—I find that this cereal breakfast keeps me full until lunch. A+
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Well I’m off to enjoy a cup of this,
(English breakfast tea)
…and then maybe a nice yoga podcast session with my boy Dave Farmar outside on the patio. Enjoy your morning, and I’ll “see” you for lunch!
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Giveaway Announcements!
-Don’t forget to enter my giveaway for your chance to win the Amazing Grass Best of Both Combo: Just leave a comment on THIS post
-Katie over at Chocolate-Covered-Katie is giving away a spiralizer!
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Questions for you:
What are some of your favorite healthy breakfast cereals? (I love getting new ideas to try!)
What are your ‘guilty pleasure’ cereals?
My fav cereals are Nature’s Path Fruit Juice Sweetened Corn Flakes and Nature’s Path Whole O’s.
My guilty pleasure bowl of cereal is a mix of Envirokids Peanut Butter Panda Puffs and Envirokids Koala Crisp.
Both with homemade Raw Almond Milk! YUM!!!!!!!!!
Good to hear the honey sunshine tasted good. i wanted to try it in hopes that it would taste like a non-mouth-cutting form of capn crunch, my fave childhood cereal. lol.
-muffy
I love kashi honey sunshine too!!! It’s the best. Your blog looks great – welcome to this wonderful community!!!
Sometimes cold cereal is the best. I love fresh blueberries in mine too. I usually end up eating a couple of small bowls a day as snacks. Great blog btw!
My favorite cereal recipe:
- 1 cup Quaker Oats “Oatmeal Squares”
- 1/4 cup Trader Joe’s “Just the Clusters” in Maple Pecan
- 1/2 cup diced Fuji apples
It’s delicious!!
Hi, Ugh, I liked! So clear and positively.
Hobosic
I just bought Uncle Sam Toasted Whol-Wheat Flakes and Flaxseed. It holds up well to your cereal check list, except for 3/4 c single serving, it is 190 calories. I will try a bowl in the morning with some fresh fruit, hope it holds it’s own with the ogranic Hazelnut milk
I love shredded spoonfulls too! i also like Life and Cinnamon Life. I like to mix up my cereal though too. Honey bunches of oats with almonds is dangerous for me, i could eat the whole box! And I also like golden grahams and lucky charms
ooh i like multigrain cheerios too