By Chuck Carroll A list of the 10 best-selling cereals is out and it proves America’s love affair with sugar is alive and well. Actually, it’s more than that — it’s thriving.
As we begin to examine the numbers and determine which cereals are healthy and which ones we should avoid, there’s something we’ll need to keep in mind. Take a look at the serving size. Does anyone really pour just 3/4 of a cup of cereal into a bowl?
No! The bowl itself is usually filled 3/4 of the way, leaving only just a little room for milk.
So, that’s probably going to mean you’re getting at least double the recommended serving size. As such, you’re going to get double the calories and sugar listed on the nutrition label.
Unhealthiest
What cereal on the 10 best-selling list is the one you don’t want on your breakfast table?
Honey Nut Cheerios? Nope.
Frosted Flakes? They may be grrrreat, but they’re not the answer here.
Froot Loops? In the words of Toucan Sam… follow your no’s.
The answer is the cereal you might think is actually the healthiest — Raisin Bran.
Surprise! You’re really getting two scoops of sugar!
If you’re like me, you thought the whole grains and raisins would be a nutritious combo. But the problem here is all of the added sweetness.
Raisins naturally contain a lot of sugar, which is fine. However, the raisins inside this purple box are also sugar-coated! On top of that, the cereal contains brown rice syrup, which is just another form of sugar.
So, this one is sure to give you a sweet buzz (and not the good kind)!
For that reason, Raisin Bran is the unhealthiest cereal on the list.
Healthiest
It’s hard to go wrong with good old-fashioned Cheerios here. The ingredients list is relatively short (the shorter the better is a good rule of thumb when it comes to ingredients lists). And you’ll also note the serving size is larger than it’s sugary counterparts. A full cup of Cheerios only contains 100 calories and 2 grams of fat. Better yet, you’ll only find a minuscule single gram of sugar in there.
The longtime family favorite is the fifth best-selling cereal in the country and by far the healthiest on this list.
However, Honey Nut Cheerios are a different story.
10 Best Selling Cereals
How does your favorite stack up? Here are the 10 best-selling cereals along with their full nutrition information for you to look over.
1.) Honey Nut Cheerios
1.) Honey Nut CheeriosServing Size: 3/4 cup
Calories: 110
Fat:1.5g
Sugar: 9g
Ingredients: Whole Grain Oats, Sugar, Oat Bran, Corn Starch, Honey, Brown Sugar Syrup, Salt, Tripotassium Phosphate, Rice Bran Oil and/or Canola Oil, Natural Almond Flavor. Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols) Added to Preserve Freshness.
Vitamins and Minerals: Calcium Carbonate, Zinc and Iron (mineral nutrients), Vitamin C (sodium ascorbate), A B Vitamin (niacinamide), Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), Vitamin B1 (thiamin mononitrate), Vitamin A (palmitate), A B Vitamin (folic acid), Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3.
2.) Frosted Flakes
2.) Frosted FlakesServing Size: 3/4 cup
Calories: 110
Fat: 0g
Sugar: 10g
Ingredients: Milled corn, sugar, contains 2% or less of malt flavor, salt, BHT for freshness.
Vitamins and Minerals: Iron, vitamin C (ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbate), niacinamide, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B1 (thiamin hydrochloride), vitamin A palmitate, folic acid, vitamin D, vitamin B12.
3.) Honey Bunches of Oats
3.) Honey Bunches of OatsServing Size: 3/4 cup
Calories: 120
Fat: 1.5g
Sugar: 6g
Ingredients: Corn, Whole Grain Wheat, Sugar, Whole Grain Rolled Oats, Brown Sugar, Rice, Canola Oil, Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Corn Syrup, Salt, Whey (From Milk), Malted Corn And Barley Syrup, Wildflower Honey, Caramel Color, Natural And Artificial Flavor, Annatto Extract (Color). Bht Added To Packaging Material To Preserve Product Freshness.
Vitamins and Minerals: Reduced Iron, Niacinamide, Vitamin B6, Vitamin A Palmitate, Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Zinc Oxide (Source Of Zinc), Folic Acid, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D.
4.) Cinnamon Toast Crunch
4.) Cinnamon Toast CrunchServing Size: 3/4 cup
Calories: 130
Fat: 3g
Sugar: 9g
Whole Grain Wheat, Sugar, Rice Flour, Rice Bran and/or Canola Oil, Fructose, Maltodextrin, Dextrose, Salt, Cinnamon, Trisodium Phosphate, Soy Lecithin, Color Added. BHT Added to Preserve Freshness.
Vitamins and Minerals: Calcium Carbonate, Zinc and Iron (mineralnutrients), Vitamin C (sodium ascorbate), A B Vitamin (niacinamide), Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), Vitamin B1 (thiamin mononitrate), Vitamin A (palmitate), A B Vitamin (folic acid), Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3.
5.) Cheerios
5.) CheeriosServing Size: 1 cup
Calories: 100
Fat: 2g
Sugar: 1g
Ingredients: Whole Grain Oats, Corn Starch, Sugar, Salt, Tripotassium Phosphate. Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols) Added to Preserve Freshness.
Vitamins and Minerals: Calcium Carbonate, Iron and Zinc (mineral nutrients), Vitamin C (sodium ascorbate), A B Vitamin (niacinamide), Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), Vitamin A (palmitate), Vitamin B1 (thiamin mononitrate), A B Vitamin (folic acid), Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3.
6.) Frosted Mini Wheats
6.) Frosted Mini WheatsServing Size: 21 biscuits
Calories: 190
Fat: 1g
Sugar: 11g
Ingredients: Whole grain wheat, sugar, contains 2% or less of brown rice syrup, gelatin, BHT for freshness.
Vitamins and Minerals: Reduced iron, niacinamide, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B1 (thiamin hydrochloride), zinc oxide, folic acid, vitamin B12.
7.) Froot Loops
7.) Froot LoopsServing Size: 1 cup
Calories: 110
Fat: 1g
Sugar: 10g
Ingredients: Ingredients: Sugar, corn flour blend (whole grain yellow corn flour, degerminated yellow corn flour), wheat flour, whole grain oat flour, oat fiber, modified food starch, soluble corn fiber, contains 2% or less of hydrogenated vegetable oil (coconut, soybean and/or cottonseed), salt, natural flavor, red 40, turmeric extract color, yellow 6, blue 1, annatto extract color, BHT for freshness.
Vitamins and Minerals: Vitamin C (sodium ascorbate and ascorbic acid), niacinamide, reduced iron, zinc oxide, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B1 (thiamin hydrochloride), vitamin A palmitate, folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin D3.
8.) Lucky Charms
8.) Lucky CharmsServing Size: 3/4 cup
Calories: 110
Fat: 1g
Sugar: 10g
Ingredients: Whole Grain Oats, Sugar, Oat Flour, Corn Syrup, Modified Corn Starch, Corn Starch, Dextrose, Salt, Gelatin, Trisodium Phosphate, Yellows 5 ; 6, Red 40, Blue 1 and Other Color Added, Natural and Artificial Flavor. Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols) Added to Preserve Freshness.
Vitamins and Minerals: Calcium Carbonate, Zinc and Iron (mineral nutrients), VitaminC (sodium ascorbate), A B Vitamin (niacinamide), Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), Vitamin B1 (thiamin mononitrate), Vitamin A (palmitate), A B Vitamin (folic acid), Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3.
9.) Raisin Bran
9.) Raisin BranServing Size: 1 cup
Calories: 190
Fat: 1g
Sugar: 18g
Ingredients: Whole grain wheat, raisins, wheat bran, sugar, brown sugar syrup, contains 2% or less of salt, malt flavor.
Vitamins and Minerals: Potassium chloride, niacinamide, reduced iron, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), zinc oxide, vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B1 (thiamin hydrochloride), vitamin A palmitate, folic acid, vitamin D, vitamin B12.
10.) Special K
10.) Special KServing Size: 1 cup
Calories: 120
Fat: .5g
Sugar: 4g
Ingredients: Rice, wheat gluten, sugar, defatted wheat germ, contains 2% or less of salt, whey, malt flavor, calcium caseinate.
Vitamins and Minerals: Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), reduced iron, niacinamide, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamin B1 (thiamin hydrochloride), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), folic acid, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin B12, vitamin D3.
* Cereal sales data provided by IRI Worldwide
