Sugar Smacks, also known as Honey Smacks and Smacks, is a common breakfast cereal. The sweetened wheat puffs are a welcome start to the day for children and adults alike. As sweet as this cereal may be, check the food label and consider the nutrition facts.
What to Look For
Food labels can be misleading. The standard food label of any product lists the amount per serving and the percent daily value of each nutrient as well as all ingredients. The amounts are listed per serving so you need to multiply the values by how many servings you consume. More importantly, for a food to be considered "fat-free" it needs to contain less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving. Lastly, pay attention to the ingredient list. As a general rule, if you cannot pronounce an ingredient or do not know what it is, it is probably not good for you. In addition, the terms "hydrogenated" and "partially hydrogenated" in front of any oil indicates trans fat in the product.
The Food Label
The nutrition label of Smacks cereal lists the serving size as 3/4 cups and there are 16 servings per box. In each serving there are 100 calories, 5 calories from fat. The total fat content is 0.5 g with 0 grams of saturated fat, trans fat and unsaturated fat. There are 0 mg of cholesterol, 50 mg of sodium, and 40 mg of potassium. There are 2 grams of protein and the total carbohydrate content is 24 mg with 1 gram of dietary fiber and 15 grams of sugar.
The Ingredients
The ingredients listed on the food label are sugar, wheat, corn syrup, honey, hydrogenated soybean oil, salt, caramel color, soy lecithin, and BHT for freshness.
What Does This Mean?
The ingredients on the standard food label are listed in order of quantity. According to the label on Smacks cereal, the main ingredient is sugar. Corn syrup and honey are sweeteners and could be categorized with sugar. In addition, the term "hydrogenated" before any type of oil indicates trans fat. Soy lecithin is a food additive that originates from the leftover sludge when crude soy oil is processed. According to Prevent Disease, it is a waste product containing solvents and pesticides and goes through a bleaching process to give it a more appealing color and consistency.
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