Most parents know that there are many kids' breakfast cereals that are marketed as being good for the brain and overall physical development but do not keep their promise.
Cereals marketed to kids have 85% more sugar, 65% less fiber and 60% more sodium than those aimed at adults, according to the report from Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. "The worst cereals are being marketed very heavily to children," says Kelly Brownell, director of the Rudd Center. He presents the analysis today in Washington at the annual meeting of the Obesity Society.
Cereals with the poorest nutrition ratings that are advertised to kids: (USA Today article--http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-10-25-kids-cereals_N.htm?csp=34 )
1. Reese's Puffs
2. Corn Pops
3. Lucky Charms
4. Cinnamon Toast Crunch
5. Cap'n Crunch (tied) with Trix
6. Froot Loops (tied) with Fruity
9. Cocoa Pebbles (tied) with Cocoa Puffs
10. Cookie Crisp
One of the first things you can do to avoid a situation where your kids ask for these cereals is to educate them about reading the nutrition labels. Explain the negative consequences about consuming some of the ingredients on the list. Once they are educated, they will almost always not ask for those cereals again! Look for low sugar, high fibre, zero colors and preservatives, zero hydrogenated oils and lots of whole grains on the cereal box ingredient list. There are a lot of breakfast ideas on the internet that are healthy, wholesome and will not take too much time to make. Good old oatmeal takes only a few minutes!
I completely agree, Sharmila! All those artificial preservatives and colors have no room in our home.
ReplyDeleteI have started showing my daughter the nutritional labels while we shop.
PS...Many of the organic cereals have the same tastes without any of the bad additives!
I look forward to your other posts!