Since 1980, the caloric intake of Americans has increased by 150 to 300 calories per day, states the American Heart Association. It concludes that the increase in weight for the average individual is due to increases of added sugars, such as found in your breakfast cereal. This has led to a recommendation by the AHA to decrease added sugars in your daily diet to no more than 8 or 9 tsp. per day.
Original Cheerios
The original Cheerios cereal has been a breakfast mainstay since 1941. Numerous manufacturers have mimicked it over the decades and the manufacturer, General Mills, has come up with its own variations. But the original Cheerios, without the added sugar or honey, has 1 g of sugar per cup of cereal without added milk, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. This equates to approximately 4 calories per gram of sugar in each cup of Cheerios.
Corn Flakes
Corn Flakes has been on breakfast tables since 1894, according to The Great Idea Finder. The Kellogg brothers ran a health spa in Battle Creek, Michigan, in the late 19th century, where they accidentally developed the cereal. Over the decades, the company produced variations, but the original Kellogg's Corn Flakes has 2 g of sugar per one cup of cereal, or about 8 calories from sugar.
Fiber One Original
A recent addition to the breakfast cereal market, Fiber One Original, manufactured by General Mills, offers 14 g of fiber and 0 g of sugar per 1/2 cup of cereal. It also carries the USDA organic seal, meaning it meets the requirements and criteria of the National Organic Program of the USDA.
Original Shredded Wheat
The original Shredded Wheat cereal, manufactured by Post, has been on the grocery shelves since the early 1900s. It contains no sugar, with 1 cup of the original cereal providing you with 0 g of sugar and 6 g of fiber, 5 g of that fiber being insoluble, according to Post. It also claims to be heart-healthy due to its 100 percent whole-grain wheat content. Variations of the original cereal do have more sugar added.
