Whole grain breakfast cereals provide a wide range of good nutritional and low-calorie options. You may presume that cereal varieties with the most fruit, nuts and seeds are healthy foods, but these often have elevated fat and sugar content. In comparing brands, note which ones satisfy your nutrient priorities while limiting fat, sugar and sodium. Emphasize beneficial fiber, vitamins or minerals by selecting cereals with 20 to 100 percent of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's, or FDA, recommended daily value, or DV, for those nutrients.
Fiber
Soluble fiber supports cardiovascular health, according to the Harvard School of Public Health, while insoluble fiber aids digestion. Select cereals, such as bulk oatmeal or Quaker Natural Lowfat Granola, are heart-healthy foods with at least 1 g of soluble fiber. Higher in insoluble fiber, Kellogg's All-Bran or Homestat Farm Wheatena contain 25 percent DV or more of total dietary fiber in a suggested serving, as per the USDA Nutrient Database.
Iron
Breakfast cereals provide good nutrition for building or maintaining iron stores, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, reports. Manufacturers add to the iron content of whole grains to total as much as 100 percent DV of iron. Low-sugar Malt-o-Meal and Kellogg's Product 19 meet this standard.
Calcium
Fewer cereal brands have calcium enrichment, but the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans prefers this healthy food source over mineral supplements for people who need more calcium. B&G Foods Cream of Wheat, General Mills Basic 4 and General Mills Total breakfast cereals contain from 20 to 100 percent DV of calcium per suggested serving.
Vitamin C
Many adults, especially pregnant women, may need more good nutrition from vitamin C, the USDA Dietary Guidelines note. Some vitamin-enriched cereals have it and some don't. Brands, such as Kellogg's All-Bran and General Mills Total, varieties contain 100 percent DV of vitamin C per suggested serving.
Folate
Adequate folate, also known as folic acid or vitamin B9, serves to prevent birth defects and is a special requirement of good nutrition for pregnant women. Kellogg's All-Bran and General Mills Total have 100 percent DV of folic acid as well as necessary vitamin C in suggested servings. Additional folate-rich breakfast cereals include General Mills Cheerios and Quaker Oat Life, as per the USDA.
Vitamin B12
The CDC reports that about 3 percent of Americans over age 50 have vitamin B12 deficiencies. Only fortified, as opposed to natural, whole grain cereals will contain B12. Suggested servings of Kellogg's All-Bran, Special K and Product 19 and General Mills Total cereals all provide more than 100 percent DV of B12 in healthy food sources.
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