Reading nutrition labels on the sides of  breakfast cereal boxes can make you wonder if you’ve gone astray and landed in the candy aisle by mistake. Sugar, sugar, and more sugar, plus a helping of fat, all with little or no nutritional benefits.

My family eats a ton of breakfast cereal every week, so I always try to make it as healthy as possible. My husband, who wins the prize for healthy breakfasts, consumes his cereal with a heaping portion of cut-up fresh fruit and homemade yogurt (see previous post for my yoghurt recipe). My son drowns his cereal in milk. My daughter adds cereal to her cup of raspberry or strawberry yogurt, the only flavors she likes. And, I eat mine with a minimal amount of milk due to lactose intolerance.

How do I cater to everyone without buying four different boxes of cereal? The answer is by making a delicious cocktail of healthy breakfast cereals which I combine with homemade granola. In a large, airtight plastic container, I mix about half the box of  two different cereals (today, it was three: Nature’s Path Optimum Cranberry Ginger, Kashi GoLean, and the remainder of the All Bran cereal from the bran muffins I made). I add homemade granola, and it’s good to go (see previous post for granola…I sweetened my latest batch with maple syrup, walnuts, and dried mango bits…yummy!). Whether you mix and match, or you’re a one-cereal-box  gal or guy, here are some essential tips for choosing a healthy breakfast cereal.

Tips for Choosing the Healthiest Cereal Brands on the Shelves

• Look for cereals containing the following first on their ingredient lists: whole wheat, whole grain, whole oat flour, or rolled oats. This ensures that the product has not been subject to fiber-robbing refining processes.
• Look for cereals containing at least 2 grams of fiber per serving. Whole grain products contain fiber, but refined grain products do not. Examples of the three high-fiber cereals include: General Mills Fiber One (14 grams of  fiber per 1/2 cup serving); Kellogg’s All Bran Cereal (10 grams of fiber per 1/2 cup serving); and Kashi GoLean Crunch (8 grams of fiber per 1/2 cup serving).
• Look for cereals low in sugar. A maximum of 5 grams of sugar (about 1 teaspoon) per serving is advised. Cereals containing dried fruit, such as raisins, are likely to have a higher sugar content, but the nutritional benefits are generally worth the extra sugar.
• Look for cereals with no more than 2 grams of fat per serving.
• Look for cereals fortified with 100% folic acid and 100% iron.
• Vegans and non-meat eaters should look for cereals fortified with 100% B12.

More about Breakfast, Fiber, Folic Acid, whole grains