Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - Would you serve your children cookies for breakfast?
One watchdog group finds that the sugar levels in some brands of cereal are more fitting for dessert than breakfast.
The Environmental Working Group – an advocacy non-profit – found that about half of the cereals marketed to children contain as much sugar in a one-cup serving as three chocolate chip cookies. Another cereal had as much sugar per eight-ounce serving as a Twinkie.
The problem with the sugar is that it has a lot of calories. It contributes a lot of calories at a time when we’re consuming too many and it provides no other essential important nutrients.
The top five high-sugar cereals include Kellogg’s Honey Smacks, Post Golden Crisp, Kellogg’s Froot Loops Marshmallow, Quaker Oats Cap’n Crunch’s Oops! All Berries, and Cap’n Crunch Original.
In response to the study, Kellogg’s replied: Kids who eat a cereal breakfast – regardless of the sugar level – have healthier body weights than those who skip breakfast.
Meanwhile, Quaker Oats said: “Consumers have enjoyed the great taste of Cap’n Crunch for decades. While it’s not marketed as a health product, the cereal does include essential vitamins and minerals and offers consumers a low-fat breakfast option.
Parents should look for products that have five grams of sugar or less and as much fiber as possible.
