Dietitians Say These Are the Healthiest Cereals You Can Have for Breakfast
Dietitians Say These Are the Healthiest Cereals You Can Have for Breakfast
We updated this article in March 2023 to add more information about each featured product, based on extensive research done by our team.
Eating a hearty meal in the morning sets you up for the day. But not all breakfasts are created equally. Consider choosing one of the best healthy cereals on the market to help you make smarter choices in the a.m.—and to save you from a sugar crash later on in the day.
The good news is there are plenty of crunchy, whole-grain cereal alternatives you can enjoy daily, without consuming too much of the sweet stuff—and you don’t have to sacrifice taste. The Prevention Test Kitchen staff grabbed some spoons and dug into the healthiest options out there to find the most delicious healthy cereal brands.
Meet the experts: Kristen Smith, R.D., Atlanta-based dietitian, founder of 360 Degree Family Nutrition, and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics; Bonnie Taub-Dix, R.D.N., creator of BetterThanDieting.com and author of Read It Before You Eat It - Taking You from Label to Table.
Naturally, the first place you should look on the nutrition label is the carbs category, says Bonnie Taub-Dix, R.D.N., creator of BetterThanDieting.com and author of Read It Before You Eat It - Taking You from Label to Table. “These days, popular diets bash carbs, so people think if this is a high number, they shouldn’t have it,” she says. “But really, you need to think about portion size and the type of carb.” It’s also important to consider protein, fat, and other nutritional info before pouring yourself a bowl.
In fact, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated what it means for food to be “healthy.” It even laid out the following as a parameter for cereal: “Cereal would need to contain ¾ ounces of whole grains and contain no more than 1 gram of saturated fat, 230 milligrams of sodium, and 2.5 grams of added sugars.”
We’re breaking down the nutrition information of each of the below healthy cereals, so you can spend more time eating than researching.
Our top picks
For a hearty bowl of grains, check out this list of the best healthy cereals.
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There are plenty of whole-grain, low-sugar cereals you can enjoy for your everyday breakfast that’ll keep you full all morning. Here are the best healthy cereals.
