Top 10 Best and Worst Breakfast Cereals
Is your breakfast cereal bowl filled with calories, sugar and sodium? Even if you think you’re choosing wisely — such as Cheerios or Honey Bunches of Oats — you may be surprised. While these two cereals are among the most popular brands with the biggest sales, they are not the healthiest choices. DietDetective.com ranked 301 different cereal brands based on 19 criteria, including calorie count, fiber content, added sugar, sodium, protein, ingredient placement of whole grains, vitamins, presence of food additives and artificial coloring.
The top 10 healthiest cereals:
- Nature’s Path Organic Millet Puffs
- Barbara’s Shredded Wheat
- Kashi Whole Wheat Biscuits Autumn Wheat
- Quaker Oats Old-Fashioned
- Nature’s Path Oatmeal Gluten Free Selections Homestyle
- Kashi 7 Whole Grain Cereals Puffs
- Post Shredded Wheat Original Spoon Size
- Nature’s Path Qi’a Superfood Chia, Buckwheat & Hemp Original Flavor
- Post Shredded Wheat Spoon Size Wheat’n Bran
- Nature’s Path Original Hot Oatmeal
The top 10 least healthy cereals:
- General Mills Monsters Boo Berry
- Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats
- Post Fruity Pebbles
- Post Summer Berry Pebbles
- General Mills Chocolate Lucky Charms
- Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Cocoa Krispies
- General Mills Cinnamon Toast Crunch Frosted Toast Crunch
- Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes
- Quaker Honey Graham Oh’s
- Kellogg’s Granola Low-fat Granola Multigrain with Raisins
Cereal is in the pantries of more than 90 percent of U.S. households. More than 2 billion boxes of cereals are sold annually. 93 percent of us consume ready-to-eat cereal. When choosing a breakfast cereal, read labels. Look for a cereal that is low in calories with low or no sodium. Do avoid cereals with added sugar. Don’t be fooled by health claims on the package.