General Mills has been making Big G cereals since 1960, and its brands include Lucky Charms, Cheerios, Total, Chex, Wheaties, Fiber One and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Lucky Charms has frosted oats with colored marshmallow shapes, and it come in original and chocolate varieties. When looking for a healthy breakfast cereal, read the nutrition label to determine whether it is low in calories and sugar but high in fiber and other nutrients.
Nutritional Information
A serving size for Lucky Charms cereal is 27g, or 3/4 cup. A serving has 110 calories and 1g fat with no unhealthy saturated or trans fats. It has 2g protein and 22g carbohydrate with 1g dietary fiber. The cereal has 10g sugar, or about a third of the suggested daily amount, according to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines from the Department of Health and Human Services. It has 190mg sodium, or 8 percent of the daily value for someone on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Whole Grains
According to the dietary guidelines, whole grains are natural sources of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Eating a diet high in whole grains may reduce the risk of heart disease and help you control your weight. All Big G cereals have whole grains, and General Mills claims that its cereals supply more than a tenth of the whole grains that Americans eat. The first ingredient in Lucky Charms Cereal is whole-grain oats.
Vitamins
Lucky Charms has 10 percent of the daily value for vitamin D, which promotes strong bones by helping your body absorb calcium. It also has 10 percent of the daily value for vitamins A and C. A serving has 25 percent of the daily value for thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12. For women of childbearing age who may become pregnant, this cereal has 50 percent of the daily value of folic acid, which reduces the risk of neural tube birth defects, anencephaly and spina bifida.
Minerals
Calcium is an essential mineral for building and maintaining strong bones. However, many Americans do not get enough of this nutrient and may be at higher risk for bone fractures. A serving of Lucky Charms cereal provides 10 percent of the daily value for calcium. The cereal has 25 percent of the daily value for zinc and for iron, which can reduce the risk of iron-deficiency anemia, reports the dietary guidelines.
Considerations
You can make your breakfast more balanced by eating Lucky Charms cereal with other foods. The recommendation for someone on a 2,000 calorie diet is to have three servings of dairy per day, and having the cereal with a cup of milk would give you one serving of dairy. You could also have some fruit to increase the vitamins and dietary fiber of your breakfast.
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