Last week, General Mills made a dramatic splash in nutrition circles when it announced it would reduce the amount of sugar in its cereals for kids to “single digit” levels. While sugar reduction is commendable, it still does not make the cereals a good choice for breakfast. And the decrease is not substantial enough. Some cereals have already seen their sugar content lessen by 1 gram or 2 (8%-15% decrease), but cereals are still at the 3-teaspoon-of-sugar per serving level.

Take Lucky Charms as an example. “Magically delicious Lucky Charms cereal features frosted oats and colored marshmallows.” Why should kids be getting marshmallows for breakfast every morning? Aren’t these treats reserved as occasional treats for roasting over a fire at summer camp or a family outing?

We took a deeper look inside Lucky Charms to find out just how good they are for our children. Read more…

General Mills, one of the big 4 cereal manufacturers, including brands such as Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Trix, and Wheaties,  announced yesterday that it will reduce the added sugar in its products. More specifically, the sugar in cereals advertised to kids will be reduced to “single digit” levels, according to the press release headlines. Reading the fine print of the comapny’s release, which basically extols General Mills as the best thing to happen to healthy diets since the invention of food processing, we learn that “by spring General Mills cereals advertised to children will all have 11 grams of sugar per serving or less.”

What you need to know:

The first thing you should know is that “11″ is not a single digit. 11 grams of sugar is still almost 3 teaspoons of sugar, and that’s for serving sizes for 4 year olds.

Nonetheless, General Mills should be commended for taking a step in the right direction. If all manufacturers follow suit, maybe in 2011 they can do another down round, and reduce added sugar to 1 teaspoon’s worth.

Here are two further improvements that General Mills can make:

- remove artificial colorings from all cereals. Red 40 and others have been linked to hyperactivity in children.

- stop using BHT to preserve freshness. BHT is also suspected of causing hyperactivity and cancer.

What to do at the supermarket:

Your children do not need a sugar rush first thing in the morning. Look for cereals that contain less than 6 grams of sugar. You can always add more at home.

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USA Today has two stories out about a recent research project by Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. The findings were presented in Washington DC as part of the annual meeting of the Obesity Society. Here’s what they found:

Cereals marketed to kids have 85% more sugar, 65% less fiber and 60% more sodium than those aimed at adults!

Some more interesting facts:

•The least nutritious cereals are  the most heavily marketed to children – Reese’s Puffs, Corn Pops, Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Cap’n Crunch.

•Some of the products with the poorest nutrition ratings have health claims on the boxes.

•The average preschooler sees 642 TV cereal ads a year; most are for types with the worst nutrition ratings.

•Cereal companies spend more than $156 million a year marketing to children.

This study shines an even brighter light on the ludicrous Smart Choices Program, terminated this weekend, which elevated candy breakfasts such as Froot Loops and Apple Jacks to a “nutritious” status.

As Expected, the major cereal manufacturers have an answer though:

General Mills spokeswoman Heidi Geller says kids who eat cereal more frequently, including pre-sweetened cereals, “tend to weigh less than kids who eat cereal less frequently — and they are better nourished.”

The Rudd center put together a great website called Cereal Facts, that lets parents search cereals by name or manufacturer, and then receive a nutrition ranking, including information about the product.

What to do at the supermarket:

Look for cereals that are high in fiber (3 grams and up per serving), low in sugar (less than 6 grams), and low in sodium (less than 120mg). If your kids complain that they are not sweet enough – you can always add a spoonful of honey, maple syrup, or sugar to the milk.

Click here for a list of the top 10 cereals according to Cereal Facts. In the list are shredded wheat products from Kashi, Barbara’s Bakery, Nature’s Path and the big players too.

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Are Lucky Charms Better for You Than Granola?

In a recent Newsweek piece, reporter Tina Peng compared 2 breakfast options and came up with a surprising result -

“Compared with Kellogg’s Low-Fat Granola cereal with raisins, one cup of General Mills’ Lucky Charms is actually healthier, with less fat and sugar and fewer calories and carbs.”

Seems counter intuitive, so Treehugger Blog dug a bit deeper:

If you didn’t read the introduction and your eyes went straight for the chart, you’d probably assume that Newsweek tarred all granola products for their criminally high calorie count and fat and sugar content. The magazine makes its comparison using one particular brand of low-fat granola, however: Kellogg’s, which isn’t particularly representative of the healthier granola options on the market…

Read more…

What you need to know:

When comparing products, make sure the serving sizes match. Newsweek compared a cup of granola to a cup of Lucky Charms, but the the granola serving size is only two thirds of a cup. Shorter ingredient lists without artificial coloring and additives are very important, in this case both products comapred do not excel. Many granolas include dried fruits such as raisins, which are rich in natural sugar (fructose). While still packing calories, raisins are definitely more nutritious than refined sugar or HFCS that is added to Lucky Charms.

What to do at the supermarket:

Look for a short ingredient list. Look out for artifical coloring. Examine the nutrition label. Choose a sugar count of less than 12 grams per serving.

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