Is your favorite cereal healthy? What to know about the nutritional information on the package

Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day?

It\’s more than just a way of saying that studies suggest that regular breakfast intake in children results in higher academic performance in the classroom.

A 2021 Ohio State University study found that 15 percent of adults skip breakfast, but those who skip the first meal of the day are also missing out on important nutrients and have lower overall diet quality.

Cereal is one of the quickest breakfast options, but how does it affect our overall nutritional profile? Here\’s how to get the most out of your meal.

What is the healthiest cereal?

The healthiest cereal will be a high-fiber, fortified cereal made with whole grains.

Here\’s the good news that you don\’t have to break the bank to get a healthy, nutritionally dense cereal option. In fact, many expensive organic cereals aren\’t fortified.

The fortified food has added nutrients, making the item like a multivitamin, says Chris Mohr, a registered dietitian and founder of Mohr Results.

Ready-to-eat cereals are actually a major source of nutrition for kids especially, says Mohr. A key element of breakfast cereals is that fortification because this way you get those vitamins and minerals that you usually don\’t get otherwise.

Regular breakfast eaters generally have a higher intake of dietary fiber, B vitamins such as folic acid, calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc.

Mohr recommends looking for whole grains on the ingredients label on the back. Whole grains have the grain completely intact instead of having the germ and bran removed during processing, which sets aside many important vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytonutrients, which prevent cellular damage.

You should also keep an eye on the fiber content. Grains are among the highest sources of fiber for Americans. Mohr recommends choosing a cereal with at least three grams of fiber per serving, although many types of cereal offer significantly more fiber than that.

But in general, any type of cereal will add some fiber and nutrition to your breakfast, Mohr says.

Are cereals healthy?

Added sugar is a major concern with grain intake, but it\’s not as big an issue as you\’d expect, Mohr says.

Grains make up just 7 percent of US populations by added sugar intake, fifth on the list of top sources of added sugars. It is far below sugary drinks (24%) and sweet desserts and snacks (11%). Coffee and tea also add more sugar to our diet than grains.

They\’re getting more nutrition even if they\’re getting a little more sugar because in the grand scheme of things, it\’s pretty low on the list of added sugars in the U.S. diet, Mohr says. If you\’re eating cereal for breakfast with fruit and milk and a hard-boiled egg to get more protein, you\’re definitely within dietary guidelines.

Looking for cereals with less added sugar (the average cereal has about 8 to 10 grams per serving, Mohr says) is certainly a healthier choice, but it doesn\’t mean you should avoid cereals with added sugars in general.

At the end of the day, people are more likely to eat foods that taste good, Mohr says, noting nutrients you\’d be lacking without eating grains.

You\’ll also likely eat your cereal with milk, which adds extra calcium and vitamins to your diet. A breakfast of cereal and milk versus an empty stomach positively affects children\’s cognitive function at school, studies show. And according to a 2019 study, kids who ate regular grains had a 29 percent higher dairy intake and a 61 percent higher overall whole grain intake.

Mohr recommends pairing your bowl with some fruit, granola or extra protein like an egg, yogurt or nuts.

Are Cheerios healthy?

Have you seen the heart on the front of a box of Cheerios? It\’s not just the marketing, the main ingredient in the cereal is whole grain oats, and the fiber in oats is known to lower cholesterol.

One serving of Cheerios contains just 1 gram of added sugar, 4 grams of dietary fiber and 2 grams of soluble fiber.

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