Food

Breakfast cereals

Updated: 28 Apr 2009

Introduction

Stumped by the hype in the cereals aisle? We checked out 137 breakfast cereals and found 46 to recommend.

We were looking for cereals that contribute to your daily fibre intake and are low in total fat, saturated fat, sugar and sodium. Many of the cereals in our survey provide an excellent start to the day, especially if you eat them with fruit and low-fat milk.

The perfect kick-start

A healthy cereal is the perfect kick-start to the day. Even if you're trying to lose weight, eating breakfast is important - if you're skipping breakfast you may eat more fat and sugar-laden snacks later in the day.

The quality of breakfast is also important. Studies have shown that people who eat a wholegrain cereal (high in fibre and other nutrients) have a reduced risk of obesity.

While our survey doesn't cover every cereal, you can use our criteria to see how other cereals stack up (see Our criteria).

Products we surveyed

We looked at cereals in the following categories:

Our criteria
Per 100g look for:

Fibre - more than 5g (no more than 15g for children).
Fat - less than 5g total fat (10g is acceptable if saturated fat is less than 2g).
Sugar - less than 15g (25g is acceptable if some of the sugar comes from fruit).
Sodium - less than 400mg.

Breakfast on the run

There's a large range of breakfast bars and drinks to choose from. They're better than nothing but they don't measure up to a sit-down breakfast with a bowl of cereal, milk and fruit.

Many breakfast bars are more than 30 percent sugar - and that includes products like Nestle Milo Energy Snack Bars and Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Bars which don't have any fruit in them.

Breakfast drinks are a better option. They're low in fat and sugar and are a good source of calcium.

But a bowl of the real thing is better: it'll also boost your fibre intake and fill you up for longer.

Health or hype?

Wanting to increase your vitamin intake or the beneficial bacteria in your stomach? Or trying to shed a few kilos? Whatever's on your wish list, there's a cereal marketed to you. But cereals claiming "added benefits" don't always stand up to scrutiny. We look at some of the main claims on the packets.

Vitamins and minerals

Many cereals are fortified with vitamins and minerals. Some replace the nutrients lost during processing; others were never there in significant amounts in the first place.

A cereal like Sanitarium Toasted Muesli Golden Oats & Fruit touts its vitamin and mineral content but not its 16 percent fat. And while Kellogg's Nutri-Grain is fortified with iron and calcium, the positives are outweighed by the negatives: high sugar, low dietary fibre and high sodium. There are healthier options.

Tip: Base your cereal shortlist on fibre, sugar, fat and sodium. If you're already eating a balanced diet, the vitamins and minerals will take care of themselves. Adding milk or yoghurt will boost your calcium intake.

Fat-free

Kellogg's Special-K is "99 percent fat-free" and Signature Range Bran & Sultana Lighten Up is "98 percent fat-free". In their natural state, however, cereals contain almost no fat - and despite processing most are relatively low in fat.

Tip: "Fat-free" (at whatever percentage) is just one factor to think about. You also need to look at the levels of sugar, sodium and fibre.

Low GI

There's some evidence that lower-GI diets protect against both heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

But the GI shouldn't be used in isolation when choosing a cereal. The GI of a food is affected by many factors including the amount of food you eat, how the food is cooked, the type of fibre, and the fat content. It's the overall GI of your meal that counts, not the GI of the individual food. After all, chocolate and ice cream are low GI foods too ...

Tip: Milk and yoghurt are low GI foods so will reduce the GI of your breakfast.

Prebiotics

Prebiotics encourage the growth of good bacteria in your stomach.

Prebiotics are naturally present in some carbohydrate foods and you don't need a special product like Vogel's Café Style Dark Berry Blend or Nature's Path Organic Optimum Zen to get them in your diet. Plus there's no way of knowing the quantity of prebiotics in such products - it may not be enough to do you any good.

Wholegrains

This is the buzzword in breakfast cereals. Cereals from whole grain (the edible part of any grain - including the bran and germ) are best because they haven't been stripped of fibre, vitamins and minerals. Eating more wholegrains is associated with lower cholesterol, weight control, and reduced risk of both heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

But always check the nutrition information panel. Most Sanitarium cereals say "wholegrain" on the label, yet some are wholier than others. Sanitarium Weet-Bix Crunch for example is nearly 30 percent sugar.

Tip: Ignore the marketing hype and the label claims. Go straight to the product's nutrition information panel to check out how healthy it is - and use our criteria for guidance.

What to look for

Fibre

Per 100g look for more than 5g (no more than 15g for children).

Adults should eat 25-30g of fibre a day. Cereal grains can be high in fibre, so you should be able to rely on the cereal you choose to provide a fair whack of your daily needs.

There are two types of dietary fibre - soluble and insoluble - and both are important in a healthy diet. Soluble fibre (found in oats, fruit and barley) can help prevent constipation. Insoluble fibre (found in whole wheat and wheat bran) adds bulk to your diet and speeds everything through your system.

Bran-based cereals are high-fibre options. Kellogg's All-Bran and Nature's Path Organic Optimum Power both have more than 20 percent fibre. Wheat biscuits, porridge and some mueslis and light flake cereals are also good choices.

Regular cornflakes and puffed rice are low in fibre - although some of these products now have added psyllium to boost their soluble fibre content.

Fibre is important in assessing a good cereal. Although it's not mandatory to list fibre, we think all manufacturers should. If they did, more cereals would probably get our seal of approval.

Sugar

Per 100g look for less than 15g (25g is acceptable if some of the sugar comes from fruit).

Cereal grains contain little sugar. But breakfast cereals often have sucrose, glucose or honey added. These add energy without adding nutrients. Sugar also causes tooth decay.

In some cases it's obvious. Anything with "honey" in the title will be high in sugar. With others you need to check the ingredients list. For example Kellogg's Crunchy Nut Corn Flakes contain more than 30 percent sugar.

Dried fruit adds to the sugar content. And because bits can get stuck in your teeth, they can be even worse for tooth decay. But dried fruit contains fibre and other nutrients - so we've allowed a sugar content of up to 25 percent if some of the sugar comes from fruit.

Wheat biscuits and porridge are good low-sugar choices. But watch the amount of sugar you sprinkle on top! Use fruit or flavoured yoghurt to add sweetness.

Tip: If sugar (or one of its many aliases) is listed in the first few ingredients, put it back on the shelf.

Fat

Per 100g look for less than 5g total fat (10g is acceptable if saturated fat is less than 2g).

There's not a lot of fat in most cereals. Muesli is the main culprit - ingredients are often baked in oil to make them crunchy or include other high-fat ingredients like nuts and seeds.

However, nuts and seeds have mainly unsaturated or "good" fats and provide other nutrients. The exception is coconut: it's high in saturated fat.

Grain Foods Toasted Muesli is the worst fat offender. It has more than 20 percent fat, nearly half of which is saturated fat. The ingredients list on Hubbards Caramel Cashew Crunch Muesli reads more like a dessert: this high-fat cereal should be kept for treats.

Sodium

Per 100g look for less than 400mg.

This is the baddie in salt and is linked to high blood pressure - a key risk factor in stroke and heart disease. It's added to some cereals during processing.

Some brands of cornflakes and bran cereals are high in sodium.

What about kids?

In October 2008 we looked at cereals marketed specifically to kids. Generally speaking, good choices for kids are the same as for adults - but steer clear of the very high fibre options (more than 15g per 100g). Children shouldn't eat lots of fibre because it can make a small stomach feel full before the child has got the nutrients it needs. It can also cause small children to have stomach upsets and diarrhoea.

Flakes & puffs

Guide to the table

Fruity flakes

Guide to the table

Muesli

Porridge-style

Biscuits & bites

Bran-based cereals

Sports cereals

Portion size

50g and 150g servings

If you're trying to maintain a healthy weight or lose a few unwanted kilos, portion sizes can make a difference.

There's a huge range of portion sizes on cereal packets. Take mueslis: Nicola's Organics 96% Fat Free Toasted Muesli has a recommended serving size of 30g while Alison Holst Decadent Delight recommends 100g. That's a huge difference.

So how realistic are serving sizes? Eight Consumer staffers poured muesli into a bowl as they would in the morning. The suggested serving size was 50g (left of picture) but only two people poured that amount. The rest poured significantly more - and two people poured 150g (right of picture).

There are no rules on food portion sizes. People's energy needs vary depending on age, gender and physical activity.

Where's my cereal gone?

Healtheries Bircher Deluxe cereal and packaging

Consumer member Peter Ward contacted us about the excessive packaging on Healtheries Bircher Deluxe Muesli (pictured).

Peter wasn't concerned about the weight of the product - it was 420g as stated on the label, but the packet inside was less than half full. He thinks this is wasteful and deceptive packaging. Peter isn't the first to contact us about this.

Cereals are sold by weight, so manufacturers aren't doing anything legally wrong. And some cereals may "settle" during transport and storage. However, we think manufacturers are using bigger packaging mainly to create a bigger shelf presence.

Our supermarket shelves are full of excess packaging and manufacturers should be mindful of this. But not all manufacturers are at fault: wheat biscuits and porridge packets are often full to the brim and many companies are now providing sealed plastic packets so you can tell at a glance how full they are.