SkinnyTwinkie » cereal

Box of Candy or Box of Cereal?

Twinkie — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:00:51 +0000

We have been taught that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So why are millions and millions of people buying and then consuming sugary cereal for ourselves and feeding it to our kids?

Do We REALLY Believe Marketing Campaigns?

We have been told by the big cereal companies such as Kellog’s, Post, and General Mills that their cold cereals are “part of a complete breakfast” and a great way to start the day. But are they really healthy for us? Just in case you weren’t sure, let me help you with the answer to that question. No, these sugary cereals are not healthy for you! I am starting to get these cereal’s nutrition labels confused with a box of candy! So why are these cereals advertised as a healthy breakfast choice?

You might not like what I have to say, but I am telling you the truth. The truth hurts sometimes, but knowing the truth can lead to a much healthier you. That is, if you don’t ignore the facts!

As I have said before, marketers will tell you what you want to hear. You want to hear that buying this cheap cereal that takes five seconds to make for your family is guiltless because it has nutrients in it. The cold cereals do have some nutrients, but more sugar that vitamins and minerals. Most of the cold cereals out there today like “Fruity Pebbles” and “Lucky Charms” are just fortified with vitamins and minerals. Do these added vitamins and minerals make it OK to eat? No. Unfortunately, millions of people are either too ignorant to realize that these sugary cold cereals are unhealthy for them and will believe everything the marketing campaigns tell them, or they are just ignoring what they don’t want to hear, or what I call “selective hearing”.

Sugary Cereal is OK – According to Some Nutritionists

According to the nutritionists from an article posted on the abc NEWS website, sugary cereal is OK since you are consuming milk with it. Really? Apparently, the big cereal companies aren’t the only ones to blame. These nutritionists and “health experts” are trying to please too many people by telling them what they want to hear – or perhaps work for the cereal companies – if they are seriously going to justify eating sugary cereal every day for breakfast and call it good. Are these cereals OK every once in awhile. Maybe. I’ll let you be the judge of that (and let you define what “every once in a while means” to you!). Just don’t start considering the sugary cereals as healthy all of a sudden.

Concerned Parent Fighting Back

In the same article from abc NEWS that I mentioned earlier, a parent by the name of Ron English- who so happens to be a very talented artist – has decided to fight back in his own way.

Check out some of his art work below:

Ron, like many other parents, is fed up with the heavy ad campaigns from the top cereal companies that are geared towards young kids. The loveable frog character from Smacks (used to be called “Sugar Smacks” back in the day) doesn’t look so cute and friendly in the artist’s unwelcoming picture. Let’s face it, the reality of eating an unhealthy breakfast full of sugar isn’t that appealing in real life either.

What can you do?

Did you know that every day you vote. You don’t vote by filling out a ballot, you vote with your dollar. Every time you go to the grocery store you are putting money in someone’s wallet. Who are you giving your money to? If you buy those sugary cereals I have been mentioning in this article, those big cereal companies are using your money to market unhealthy foods to you and your kids. Is that what you want? Of course not. Make sure your vote counts, again and again. Let the big cereal companies know that you aren’t OK with their advertising campaigns that push sugary foods towards the young and innocent (or ignorant!).

What are you voting for at the grocery stores?

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Image Credit: Popaganda.com

Organic Flax Plus Maple Pecan Crunch by Nature’s Path

Twinkie — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 12:00:08 +0000

This cereal has wonderful ingredients to truly benefit from, such as rolled oats, wheat bran, pecans, flax, brown rice flour, sea salt, cinnamon…you name it! As many of my readers know, I am a huge fan of Organic products. I know and appreciate the nutritional value of Organic products, and this is a certified USDA Organic cereal.

What is this cereal missing? Well, it does NOT include things like Trans Fat (which are formed when liquid oils are made into solid fats…not so good), it has Zero Cholesterol, and if you are a Vegetarian…you are in luck! This cereal doesn’t have any ingredients that come from meat, such as fish, fowl, or eggs, which you can thank the wonderful founders for, since it agrees with their personal beliefs and lifestyle.

So this cereal has a lot of healthy “stuff” in it. So the next important question is, “Does this cereal even taste good?” Let’s put it this way. This is seriously one of my favorite cold cereals right now. It has all of Nature’s love packed into one cereal! You will actually look forward to eating breakfast again! This cereal tastes great, and is something you will truly enjoy!

Serving: ¾ cup

Calories: 220

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Grape-nuts by Post Cereal

Twinkie — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:00:16 +0000

Taste

I actually like this high fiber cereal-every once in a while, It’s not so bad! If you are bored with the high carb/fiber taste, you might want to mix in some fruit, dried fruit, or maybe even some honey to add a little flavor to it. Grape-nuts is great since you don’t need to eat a lot of it, and you still end up getting full. You might want to try eating this slowly, since this does seem to expand in your stomach.

Health and Nutrition

The reason I like this cereal is mainly how impressive it’s Iron content is. For just one serving, you get 90% of your daily value of iron (based on a 2,000 calorie diet). Iron is something a lot of women are low on, and this is a great cereal to add some Iron to your diet. I was low on iron, and I couldn’t handle anymore Sugar Snap peas or Pumpkin Seeds, so I tried Grape-nuts! Of course, you don’t want too little or too much Iron, so please keep that in mind as well. It is all about balance.

Serving: 1/2 cup

Calories: 208

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