Different versions of the cereal have come and gone, but the original Rice Krispies has been on the market for more than 80 years. According to the Kellogg Co., it only costs 50 cents per bowl, making it a cost effective way to gain nutrition. The cereal is a high source of iron and most vitamins, and it provides essential minerals.
Definition
Rice Krispies is a ready-to-eat cereal enriched with vitamins and minerals, and contains the primary ingredients of rice, sugar, salt, malt flavoring and high fructose corn syrup. Food scientist Ted Labuza at the University of Minnesota studied the cereal to learn why it makes its characteristic noise. When grains of rice are steamed then oven cooked, sugar granules expand to create air-filled pockets and tunnels inside the rice kernel. As the cereal absorbs milk, the fluid pushes against the pockets, causing them to break with a cracking sound. The nutritional values for this article are based on one cup, or 28 g, of Rice Krispies without milk or sugar added.
Basic Nutrition
One serving of Rice Krispies has 108 calories, 1.9 grams of protein, 23.87 g of carbohydrates and 0.2 g of fiber. Rice Krispies contain only 0.27 g of fat, which is too small to be stated as a percent of recommended daily value. Regular Rice Krispies has 2.65 g of sugar.
Vitamins
A bowl of the cereal supplies 34 percent to 44 percent of the recommended daily value of all B vitamins, including thiamin, with 0.5 g; riboflavin, with 0.6 g; niacin, with 5.9 g; pantothenic acid, 0.2 g; vitamin B6, 0.8 g; and vitamin B12 with 2.6 micrograms (mcg). It also provides 7.8 g of vitamin C, 529 IUs of vitamin A, and 35 IUs of vitamin D. Rice naturally contains folate and the cereal is enriched with folic acid, so the combined measurement--a dietary folate equivalent--is 256 mcg DFE.
Minerals
All of the calcium in a bowl of Rice Krispies comes from the milk you add; the cereal contains no calcium. However, it's a wonderful source of iron. One cup of plain cereal provides 9.63 mg of iron, which represents 54 percent of your recommended daily value. Rice Krispies provide 31 mg of potassium; 0.35 mg of zinc; 0.05 mg of copper; 7 mg of magnesium; and 35 mg of phosphorus. The cereal contains 254 mg of sodium, 0.4 of manganese and 5.1 mcg of selenium.
Comparison
The sweetened varieties, such as Berry Rice Krispies, have seven more calories per serving. Carbohydrates only go up by 2 g, but the total amount of sugar increases from 2.65 g in regular Rice Krispies to 9 to11 grams in the sweetened varieties. Most other nutrients remain about the same, but the sweetened cereals provide a range of about 0.3 to 4 grams less of most vitamins and minerals, with the DFE for folate dropping to 169.
Member Comments