Kellogg's Rice Krispies is a puffed, crispy ready-to-eat breakfast cereal. Rice Krispies is a popular cereal that has been sold in the United States since 1928, but it's not a nutritious choice for breakfast -- it's made from refined white rice, is a poor source of fiber and is rapidly converted to sugar by the body during digestion.
Nutrition Facts
The main ingredient in Rice Krispies is processed white rice. The second ingredient is sugar. Rice Krispies also contains salt, malt flavorings, several vitamins and minerals and BHT, a chemical preservative. One serving equals 1 1/4 cups, and has 130 calories, zero fat, 2 g of protein and 29 g of total carbohydrates, which includes 4 g of sugar and less than 1 g of fiber.
Sugar and Glycemic Index
Rice Krispies has 4 g, or 1 tsp, of sugar per serving. Nutrition experts at Clemson University recommend choosing a breakfast cereal with 8 g of sugar or less per serving. Even though Rice Krispies cereal is low in sugar, it has a high glycemic index -- a measurement of how much a food impacts blood sugar. Rice Krispies cereal is quickly converted to glucose during digestion, causing a sharp rise in blood sugar and insulin levels. Over time, this response can lead to inflammation, weight gain and type 2 diabetes. Rice Krispies has a glycemic index of 82, which is higher than white bread or jelly beans.
Fiber
Rice Krispies cereal is a poor source of fiber, containing less than 1 g per serving. A healthy breakfast cereal should contain at least 3 g of fiber, and ideally contain 5 g or more. This cereal is made from white rice, a refined grain that is stripped of it's fiber-containing bran during processing. Fiber is an essential part of the diet. It helps you feel full, slows digestion, lowers cholesterol, decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease and promotes bowel regularity. The American Heart Association recommends that adults get at least 25 g of fiber daily.
Vitamins and Minerals
Rice Krispies cereal is fortified with added vitamins and minerals. It contains 50 percent of the recommended daily requirement for iron, 25 percent of recommended required amounts of vitamins A, C, E, B6, B12, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folic acid and 15 percent of the recommended amount of vitamin D.
Grains
Rice Krispies cereal is not a whole-grain food. This cereal is made from processed rice that has been milled and stripped of fiber, vitamins and minerals. When shopping for a healthy breakfast cereal, choose one that lists a whole grain, such as whole wheat or whole oats, as the first ingredient. Whole grains contain fiber, B vitamins and the minerals selenium and magnesium, control blood sugar and appetite and may reduce the risk of heart disease.
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