Danger in the Cereal Aisle

Would you give your child 3 "Chips Ahoy" cookies and a glass of milk for breakfast? Probably not.

You might actually consider serving cookies for breakfast if you've been giving your children some of the breakfast cereals listed below. Three chocolate-chip cookies actually contain less sugar than many of today's breakfast cereals for kids do.

In December 2011, the Environmental Working Group listed children's breakfast cereals by their percentages of sugar. Many of them contained more sugar than did cookies or other desserts.

The 10 Worst Children's Cereals

(Based on percent sugar by weight)

1. Kellogg's Honey Smacks 55.6%
2. Post Golden Crisp 51.9%
3. Kellogg's Froot Loops Marshmallow 48.3%
4. Quaker Oats Cap'n Crunch's OOPS! All Berries 46.9%
5. Quaker Oats Cap'n Crunch Original 44.4%
6. Quaker Oats Oh!s 44.4%
7. Kellogg's Smorz 43.3%
8. Kellogg's Apple Jacks 42.9%
9. Quaker Oats Cap'n Crunch's Crunch Berries 42.3%
10. Kellogg's Froot Loops Original 41.4%

Sugar has no nutritional value--that's why we call it "empty calories"--so cereal makers advertise heavily to make these cereals appealing to children. Obesity, tooth decay, and poor nutrition are all risks for people who eat high-sugar diets. It's up to you as parents to avoid falling for this trap.

What should you do?

• High fiber. Look for cereals high in fiber (3-4 grams of fiber per serving, or more).
• Low sugar. Avoid cereals with many added sugars. These include sugar, high fructose corn syrup, honey, fruit-juice concentrate, sucrose, lactose, glucose, and corn sweetener.
• Read labels. Check the ingredients on foods labeled "natural" or "organic"--such adjectives do not mean these products are low in sugar. Honey and fruit-juice concentrate are good examples of "natural" sugars--but they're sugar just the same, and they have no nutritional value.
• Just say no! Don't buy such cereals. Every parent has been down the cereal aisle with a child who's asking you to buy 1 cereal or another that you just know isn't a good choice. Be consistent and firm in your choices. If you don't buy it, your children will learn that you don't buy too-sweet cereals. And if the cereal doesn't end up in your house, your children can't eat it, can they?
• Dilute them. Okay, you had a moment of weakness and bought "Super Sugar Bombs." Start mixing a small amount of them in with a healthier cereal like plain Cheerios or with some other low-sugar, higher-fiber, breakfast food.

Most children's cereals don't even count as a healthy breakfast--and yet studies have shown that children who eat a healthy breakfast perform better in school. So teach your children early about healthy choices and you'll be doing them a favor.

For more information on these cereals, go to:

• The EWG's news release: Kids' Cereals Pack More Sugar than Twinkies and Cookies
• The EWG's full report on sugared cereals: Sugar in children's cereals: Popular brands pack more sugar than snack cakes and cookies