It wasn’t long ago when mornings at our house started off with baby cereal, oatmeal, or fresh fruits. Then, the picky stage hit. All my life I’ve been a big cereal eater, but I never considered giving it to my child. Not because I knew there was a lot of sugar in some cereals, but just because of everything I’ve heard. Yeah, that’s right. I hadn’t actually looked on the side of most boxes of cereal in a long time. That is, until I started dieting. Once I started educating myself a little more I realized something. Most of those cereals I thought had too much sugar for my son or myself, actually had tons of fiber, vitamins, and less sugar than I a lot of things I eat. You know what I also realized? That “special” cereal I was eating was filled with more sugar and calories than some of my favorite cereals that I had given up.
That’s when I started taking a closer look at the labels on cereal boxes. Soon after that I was buying various boxes of some of my old time favorites and sharing them with my son, who guess what? surprise surprise, ate them! Yes, he’s still picky and I have to switch his cereal up on a regular basis but at least he eats breakfast.. and it’s not the kind of breakfast that comes in a can, masquerading as kids snacks meant for breakfast. There’s fiber, vitamins, and plenty of nutrition in each and every bite. That’s why I was very happy to hear about General Mills commitment. Which you can read about below.
The following information was provided by General Mills through My Blog Spark.
General Mills has announced a commitment to further reduce sugar in cereals advertised to kids under 12 to single digit grams of sugar per serving. The company has already been reducing sugar in cereals while increasing key nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D, and providing whole grain.
Did you know that ready-to-eat cereal eaters consume less fat, less cholesterol and more fiber than non-cereal eaters? Cereals also deliver important vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients, making cereal a top source of key nutrients in children’s diets.
Other cereal benefits:
- Ready-to-eat cereals, including presweetened cereals, account for only 5% of sugar in children’s diets.
- Ready-to-eat cereal is the No. 1 source of whole grains in a child’s diet today.
- More frequent cereal eaters tend to have healthier body weights and lower Body Mass Index measures.
Studies also demonstrate the benefits of eating breakfast. A 1998 study showed that children who eat breakfast tend to perform better at school. Compared to children who skip breakfast, children who eat breakfast score higher on tests, are less likely to miss class or be tardy, have fewer reported discipline problems, and make fewer trips to the office.
For more information about kids and cereals, please visit Cereal Health and Wellness.
Disclaimer: I was provided with free coupons & information from General Mills through Myblogspark for sharing this with you.
I hear ya on the picky, my son will eat a lot more than my daughter, she is currently only wanting to eat Poly-O cheesesticks,cereal, fruit and applesauce. She’ll eat a few other things, but she won’t eat any meat. It’s very frustrating.