| ■ Kids' Breakfast Cereals Way Too Sweet, Report Says | 2008.10.06 |
| A Consumer Reports nutritional analysis of 27 popular children's breakfast cereals found only four of them could be rated "very good" because of low sugar content, the Washington Post reported Thursday. The good cereals were Cheerios, Kix, Honey Nut Cheerios and Life. Cheerios topped the list with just 1 gram of sugar and 3 grams of fiber per serving. The ratings were based on energy density and nutrient content on the labels' serving-size recommendations and confirmed by an outside laboratory, the paper said. Corn Pops, Honey Smacks, Golden Crisp, Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, Rice Krispies, Cap'n Crunch and Cap'n Crunch's Peanut Butter Crunch fell to the bottom of the list, with all of them rated as having too much sugar and sodium and very little fiber. Golden Crisp and Honey Smacks had more than 50 percent sugar, and another nine cereals had at least 40 percent sugar. The analysis found that Honey Smacks and 10 other cereals contained as much sugar as there is in a Dunkin' Donuts glazed doughnut, the Post reported. Rice Krispies garnered only a "fair" rating, because the cereal was found to be high in sodium and had zero dietary fiber. Frosted Mini-Wheats Bite Size was rated "good," because it was low in sodium and had six grams of fiber. |