When you're standing in front of endless shelves of cereal choices, it can be difficult to know what kind to choose. Many make health claims, but your best bet is to read the nutrition label once you know what to look for. Choose a cereal that is low in calories per serving -- 120 calories or less -- and remember that the milk you add will increase the calories and fat.
Whole Grains and Fiber
Cereal's first ingredient should be a whole grain, like oats or whole wheat, instead of a refined grain or sugar. If it says "wheat" instead of "whole wheat" or "wheat bran," it's not whole wheat. An April 2006 article in "Nutrition Action Healthletter," a publication of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, explains that cereal boxes state "good source of whole grain" when the cereal only contains 2 g of fiber. Instead, find a cereal that has 3 g or more of fiber in every serving, or preferably over 5 g. Fiber is thought to lower your risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes and diverticulitis, as well as prevent constipation.
Sugar
Read the nutrition label for the sugar content and choose varieties with fewer than 13 g per serving. It is not only children's cereal that is high in sugar, so read labels of adult varieties as well. Some whole grain cereal on the market has no added sugar. CSPI notes that you can have some leniency with the sugar content if the cereal includes natural fruit like berries or raisins, but has a lot of fiber. Also, keep in mind that your milk will add sugar.
Number of Ingredients
Look at the list of ingredients on your cereal box. If the list is as long as your hand, you might want to pass that one by. Some hot and cold cereals only contain one ingredient, like wheat or oats. Conversely, many cereals use refined grains and are fortified with nutrients after the processing has reduced the natural nutrients. If this is the case, you will see the added vitamins and minerals in the ingredients list. The healthiest cereal has natural nutrients instead of added. Also, choose cereal without artificial color, preservatives or hydrogenated oil.
Health Claims
Be wary of specialty health claims on cereal boxes. CSPI notes that these claims are often misleading. For instance, some of the "healthy" yogurt coating in cereal includes a lot of sugar, palm kernel oil and yogurt powder that is missing the healthy bacteria because of processing. Specialty diet cereals from well known weight loss companies are also often misleading as they contain artificial sweeteners. Some contain inulin in place of fiber from whole grains, although inulin is fiber that does not have the same health benefits as fiber from whole grains.
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