1. Consumer Advocate Groups Are Very Concerned About Cereal Nutrition
Packaged cereals are generally known to have a high sugar content, a problem that has vexed nutritionists for decades. But Yale University researcher Dr. Marlene B. Schwartz is particularly concerned about the 161 cereals she studied that are marketed to children. She found that the sugar, sodium, carbohydrates and calories per gram were higher in those brands that those with more adult appeal. And a follow up study reported in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that 91 percent of food ads aimed at children on Saturday morning television were for foods rated as having poor nutrition, with high sugar content the main culprit. Further, grab-and-go cereal bars are just as high in sugar, providing no convenient alternative.
2. Reduced-sugar Varieties Often Have the Same Number of Calories
Unfortunately, moves by cereal marketers in recent years have failed to produce calorie reductions and health benefits for consumers. A number of prominent brands in the category have introduced reduced-sugar varieties with less sugar and large claims on box fronts to herald that fact, yet refined carbohydrates added to the product left the net calories the same. "The changes don't buy you anything," Dr. Lilian Cheung of the Harvard School of Public Health told USA Today. "From a health point of view, I really can?t see the difference."
3. The Physiological Effect of All That Sugar
The common belief that sugar adversely affects children's behavior was somewhat dismissed by a study conducted at Vanderbilt University and reported in The Journal of Pediatrics. But cognitive skills were found to be somewhat diminished in the same study, and rapid spikes in blood glucose are in general considered problematic for both healthy and diabetic individuals. In the Vanderbilt study, consumption of sugary foods was mitigated by the presence of fats, proteins and fibers, as one might find with peanut butter on whole grain toast, or a whole fruit (apple, orange or banana). For diabetics, sugary cereals can be very problematic because their bodies have greater difficulties handling rapid increases in blood sugar.
4. Some Breakfast Beats No Breakfast
Researchers at the University of Minnesota found that 12-34 percent of children and teens regularly skip breakfast, with the percentages increasing with age. Yet, those who do eat breakfast tend to gain less weight and have a lower body mass index (BMI) than those who skip the first meal of the day. The study did not distinguish between the kind of food in the breakfasts they ate.
5. Alternatives to Sugary Cereal Keep You More Alert
Because sugared cereals affect blood glucose levels so directly, the key is to slow digestion with protein, fiber and fat. Researchers in Sweden (Lund University) tested low glycemic index (GI) foods to identify adverse and favorable effects from different breakfast foods. Those who ate foods with a low GI, such as whole barley, performed best on mental acuity tests.
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