Sugar, Sugar
I confess that I do not make a hot breakfast for my family every day. In fact, I rarely make a hot breakfast. You could ask my kids what they have for breakfast most days of the year and all seven of them would say, “Cereal and skim milk.”
I calculated one time that between the lunches and dinners that I prepare for the nine of us, I cook about 6,500 meals in one year, and that is not including snacks. That’s my “excuse” for not making eggs, vegetarian bacon, and toast or whole wheat pancakes very often for breakfast.
When I was overweight and even after, I just bought whatever cereal appealed to the kids although I did draw the line at cereals based on cookies or ones that were as colorful as a box of crayons. Even I knew those cereals couldn’t be good for us.
There has been a lot of attention on high fructose corn syrup and a lot of attention given in the media to how much refined sugars we are consuming. All this attention caused me to reexamine the foods I was feeding my children for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner. Although I knew that even a small dessert of frozen yogurt or a brownie had sugar, I was surprised to find out how much sugar was in some of the cereals that I had previously considered relatively healthy.
Here are some examples for the sugar content in one bowl of cereals that we have eaten over the past years:
Honey Bunches of Oats: 6 grams
Raisin Bran Crunch: 20 grams
Frosted Mini-Wheats: 12 grams
Smart-Start: 17 grams
Interestingly, some of those “cookie” cereals that I avoided had less sugar than some of the cereals we had been eating. This made me sit up and think about how careful we must be when just taking something off the shelf and feeding it to our kids.
These days, we ditched the Raisin Bran Crunch and other high sugar cereals and now eat cereals that have under 5 grams of sugar such as those from the Attune Foods line. My kids had to make some adjustments in their palates because going from a sweet cereal to one that was not took some persuading. (Especially for the younger ones.) Over time though, they adjusted.
I’d challenge you to take a look at the sugar content of the foods you assume might be a healthy choice. I wonder if you are surprised as I was. The good thing is that it is never too late to make a change in your diet, whether it is the cereal you eat, the lunches you purchase, or the dinners you make.
Any thoughts on sugary cereals for kids and yourself?
Be well!
Diane
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Jul 11, 2012 @ 02:34:00
I too do not buy into these “healthy” sugared cereal…just this year I have given up Kashi cereal too. I must admit that I eat eggs every morning but I do have my own hens. When I do eat cereal I usually add stevia for a sweeter taste. Does your kids add any to their cereal or do you add stevia to your greek yogurt?
Jul 13, 2012 @ 01:27:00
We do add stevia or fruit to some of the cereals because the kids would have a hard time eating them. Greek yogurt too, because to me, plain Greek yogurt tastes like sour cream! I love that you have your own hens – we are going to get some next year!
Jul 11, 2012 @ 04:11:00
This is exactly why everyone should start reading the labels on all food types. There is sugar in everything we eat. Sugar in fruit for example, is not as bad as the ones we find in fortified products like cereals but one still need to look at your sugar intake to keep control of your weight.
Jul 13, 2012 @ 01:28:00
Very good point. So many people I meet have an “ah-ha” moment when I show them exactly what the information on the food label means. For some of them, they never, ever look at the label.
Jul 11, 2012 @ 04:49:00
My children are grown now, but when they were young, I tried to be careful about the amount of sugar they got in their diets, especially for breakfast. I remember once caving in to buying Pop Tarts and then read the ingredient label and almost fainted. I can’t believe that they market such junk to kids. Since I grew up with a real sweet tooth, I’ve found that the only way to tame it is to stay away from sugar - period! If you start feeding children a high sugar diet when they’re young, they become accustomed to the taste and it can be hard to cut back as an adult. I believe the biggest change we can all make in the world is to start feeding kids right so they don’t end up with weight problems like their parents. As always the best solution is prevention.
Jul 13, 2012 @ 01:30:00
So true Karen. I used to think that Pop-Tarts and other foods like that were okay because they were “fortified” with all those vitamins. Now I know better. I am the same way as you are – the less refined sugar I eat, the less I crave it, and I know my kids are the same way.
Jul 11, 2012 @ 04:54:00
There are so many healthier alternatives. Why introduce children to the sugary cereals in the first place? As far as a mom and dad can control breakfast, go for healthy options. Whole wheat toast with natural peanut butter might be a great way to start the day.
*Funny though… I haven’t had those sugar filled Fruit Loops in years but had a weird craving the other day. Odd… espec. since they were never a favorite.
Jul 13, 2012 @ 01:35:00
You are right Joanne, but a lot of parents do not really think about it. I know I did not fully understand what was in the sugary cereals. I just knew that my children ate them willingly. Education is the key for both parents and children as they grow. Thanks for your insight!
Jul 11, 2012 @ 05:10:00
I am such a label reader!!! Many people assume things based on “words on the box or packaging”. We all know what “assume” means!
Got to read the labels! Thx for sharing Diane!!!
Jul 13, 2012 @ 01:37:00
Assuming can lead to unintentional mistakes can’t it Jody? You are so wise!
Jul 11, 2012 @ 06:04:00
It is so important to read those labels ~ great post Diane!
Jul 13, 2012 @ 01:44:00
Thanks Marla – you are exactly right.
Jul 11, 2012 @ 07:57:00
I think a lot of people assume natural and organic cereals are always the best choice, but some brands have even more sugar than conventional. Picking a good low-sugar AND natural brand is essential.
Seriously, I’ve been amazed at what foods contain added sugar! Even plain old tomato sauce.
Jul 13, 2012 @ 01:45:00
Alisa – that’s so great you brought that up because it is not just cereal, but lots of processed foods that contain ridiculous amounts of added sugar. And you are right – just because it says natural on the front does not mean it is really good for you.
Jul 11, 2012 @ 09:00:00
That’s one of the reasons, despite cooking every meal for them and wishing I could cut one out, that I DO make breakfast for them. Once every few weeks they have cereal or a pop tart, but almost every day it is some combo of this list – toast (homemade bread) and eggs, omelets, bacon, sausage, cottage cheese and a little jam, oatmeal, all with half a banana. As much as I’d love to pour it from a box we seem to do best with more hearty breakfast cereals in the morning. So the kids get hot breakfast pretty much every day
Jul 13, 2012 @ 01:43:00
You are a good mom! If I make eggs Taryl, I make 20 scrambled eggs because my three oldest are teens and five of the kids are boys! And then the eggs are not enough to fill them up so then I have to make grits or toast to go with it. I know – I should make a hot breakfast more often. I will try it this week and see how it goes. Thanks for the encouragement.
Jul 11, 2012 @ 09:41:00
I know that my mother had to watch me with the sugar container when I was young. We had one of those Tupperware containers with the pour spout, and I would carefully and slowly go over my whole bowl, making sure all the surface area sported the same neat covering of sugar. Appropriate depth was between 1/8″ and 1/4″.
She tried, I’ll give her that! But I was a determined child
Jul 13, 2012 @ 01:47:00
I have a child who loves salt, so of course I removed the salt shakers from the table. I took them off when I saw her carefully shaking the salt over every food item on her plate making sure she could “see” the salt. Bad, bad, bad!!
I know people who add sugar to the packets of oatmeal that are already flavored and have plenty of sugar!
Jul 11, 2012 @ 14:27:00
I stopped eating cereals a long time ago, once I realized that they don’t actually fill me up for breakfast unless I add a banana and a glass of milk on the side. A banana and milk are better for me than the cereal, so I just ate that most days, and sometimes with an egg, and toast. The only cereal in our family of two these days is my husband’s daily oatmeal
Jul 13, 2012 @ 01:51:00
We do eat oatmeal too because almost all the kids like it. (I’m still working on the 7 year old!) For us, if the cereal also has a good amount of fiber, then it does fill us up, but the cereals with little fiber do not. Thanks for sharing what works for you – I like bananas in the morning too!
Jul 11, 2012 @ 18:12:00
Reading those labels are so important. As for cold cereals, I have ditched them in favor of my special oatmeal breakfast. It is interesting how much sugar some of the “healthier” cold cereals actually have. Back in the days when my kids were growing up, I didn’t read labels very often. Good thing that we are more enlightened now!
Jul 13, 2012 @ 01:54:00
It is a good thing that we are more informed and more aware of how the foods we eat impact us. I’m curious what you add to your oatmeal?
Jul 11, 2012 @ 21:14:00
I had to give up refined white sugar (and any cane sugar products) a little over 8 years ago. There is sugar in everything! It forced me to eat a whole foods diet and for that I will be forever grateful. I am so much healthier for it.
Jul 13, 2012 @ 01:55:00
Wow Amy that is amazing. I can imagine how carefully you had to read each label and analyze your diet. You are an inspiration!
Jul 12, 2012 @ 08:34:00
This is one of the major reasons why I love salads for breakfast. Fresh, crisp, light so that I don’t feel like getting back into bed. Most breakfasts are predicated on the assumption that we’re going to spend all day pushing a plow and nowdays, that’s just not the case.
Jul 13, 2012 @ 01:57:00
I have to confess that I have never had salad for breakfast. But I’m not opposed to trying it! My kids would think I had gotten my days and nights mixed up!
You are right that back in the olden days, people ate breakfast to fuel them for working outdoors, whereas for most of us, we just move from the house to the office using a car not our feet!
Jul 13, 2012 @ 22:44:00
The craziest thing I have learned this year is how many carbs/sugar I was taking in on a daily basis.. before I actually started counting them and paying attention. And dropping my favorite habit ever was the toughest thing to do.. a big bowl of raisin bran every night before bed!
I confess.. I let my 4 year old and 2 year old pick out their own cereals and they love the bright colorful boxes with all the sugary goodness. This year is the first year I’ve given up sugar and I’ve actually managed to stay on that bandwagon since Jan 1. I guess it’s a good time to get experimenting with some different cereals and get my kiddos off the sugar too!