NOT YOUR MOTHER’S KRISPIES

By Bonnie Liebman & Jayne Hurley Natural Food Store Brands The aisle is changing. Sure, you can still find Kellogg, General Mills, and Post. shredded , bran , muesli, and other For decades, the Big Three cereal healthy standbys. You still have to wade beyond the companies kept most smaller competitors out of the super- Froot Loops, Trix, and other multi-colored near-can- market cereal aisles. Now some natural food store brands—like dies. And you still have to watch out for cereals like Barbara’s Bakery, Health Valley, Basic 4, Smart Start, and Special K, which sound like Kashi, and Nature’s Path—have managed to get a foot in the they belong in the healthy group, but don’t. door. (Kashi had the easiest time. Just when you think you’ve got it all sorted out, It was purchased by Kellogg in 2000.) cereal companies come up with new ingredients, Now several companies are The new arrivals are often adding real freeze-dried berries. packed with fiber-rich whole claims, spin-offs, or other shtick. Some of the inno- Pour in your and the grains. Tired of raisin bran and springs to life. (Not a bad trick vations are good, some are scams, and some are in ? Now you can if you’re trying to lure kids choose from mixtures of whole between. Here’s how to tell which are which. away from Apple Jacks or barley, buckwheat, triticale, Fruity Pebbles.) amaranth, rye, kamut, and more. The information for this article was compiled by Sarah Wade. Of course, you’re still better Another plus: Most brands are off tossing in your own berries, lighter on added (which sliced bananas, or whatever. are often disguised as evaporated After all, the cereals aren’t exactly brimming with fruit. We 1 cane juice, molasses, , and found only about 1 /2 (reconstituted) strawberries in each serv- brown rice syrup). ing of Berry Burst Strawberry Cheerios, for example. The downside to the new And the fruit is often added to mediocre cereals. A bowl arrivals: Most are not fortified of Special K Red Berries has only one gram of fiber. And with 10 to 25 percent of a day’s Berry Burst Cheerios has more —and less fiber—than worth of about a dozen vitamins the original Cheerios. But even a piddly amount of fruit is and minerals, like nearly all cere- better than no fruit or fake fruit. als made by the Big Three. If you take a multivitamin-and-mineral Weight Loss Claims every day, you don’t need a forti- How can a cereal help you lose fied cereal. But if you (or your weight? Once you get past the kids) don’t take a multi, you may sometimes grandiose claims on lose needed nutrients by switch- the front of the box, the answer ing to a natural food store brand. is rather mundane: The cereal is simply part of a (often ordinary) Real Fruit lower-calorie diet. “Bursting with Real Berries!” gushes the label of (what else?) Take Special K (suggested Berry Burst Cheerios. You’ll also find fruit in Special K Red motto: “Nothing Special About Berries, Kellogg’s Fruit Harvest, and Post Honey Bunches of It”). The front of the box says, with Real Strawberries. “lose up to 6 lbs. in 2 weeks.” It wasn’t long ago that cereal companies tried to pass off But the back explains that artificially colored and flavored blobs of fat and sugar as real Kellogg’s Kick-Start Diet consists of having Special K with strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. (The raisins and skim milk and fruit for two of your three daily meals—not other dried fruit were always genuine.) The ingredient lists exactly magical. The small print also notes that the average gave the blobs clever names like “blueberry bits,” but they weight loss was only 4.2 pounds. And it neglects to mention were essentially fake fruit. that people who ate Special K twice a day lost no more Photos: StockFood/Ruggieri (top), Nick Waring (bottom and right).

12 NUTRITION ACTION HEALTHLETTER ■ NOVEMBER 2003 BRAND-NAME RATING

weight than people who ate other cereals twice Breakfast Bars a day. Kashi GoLEAN is even bolder. The cereal is “All the nutrition of a bowl of part of a “Natural Slimming System” that instant oatmeal,” says the label of includes a GoLEAN Shake for lunch, a GoLEAN Quaker Oatmeal Breakfast Squares. Bar for a snack, and “a healthy meal of your For years, cereal companies have choice” for dinner. The recipes and meal plans been trying to convince people who on the Web site (www.kashi.com) are reasonably healthful. eat breakfast on the run that they can get their cereal in a And GoLEAN cereal gets a Best Bite. (GoLEAN Crunch gets portable rectangle. Some (like Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Cereal an Honorable Mention because it’s got more sugar.) Bars) are the nutritional equivalent of white bread and jam. But Kashi gets carried away. According to the box, Others (like Nutri-Grain Muffin Bars) are essentially low-fat GoLEAN’s “combination of high protein and high fiber is a cookies. proven formula that curbs cravings and, with exercise, helps Milk-and-cereal bars by Kellogg and General Mills are the you build muscle so you burn more fat.” Extra protein may most deceptive, because they imply that each bar delivers a curb muscle loss and fiber may lessen hunger. But “proven” serving of milk. In fact, the “milk filling” consists largely of is a bit strong. And it’s unclear that a GoLEAN shake or bar sugar, non-fat milk, and enough hydrogenated palm or palm helps people curb calories better than any mini-meal of foods kernel oil to supply two or three grams of heart-damaging with protein or fiber. saturated-plus-trans fat. All have 10 to 20 grams (about three to five teaspoons) of sugar and little or no fiber. Heart Disease In contrast, Quaker Oatmeal Breakfast Squares have a nice shot of fiber (three grams for most flavors), though their You needn’t look far to find a calories (220) and sugar (20 grams) are higher than what cereal with a heart disease claim you’ll find in most bars. And if you eat one without milk, these days. The FDA has you’re getting only four grams of protein (out of your 50- approved several that cereals gram daily target). can use. Among them: So far, there’s no substitute for the healthiest (high-fiber, ■ Whole grains. Post Shredded low-sugar) cereals in a bowl of cold milk. Wheat’n Bran “helps reduce the risk of heart disease because it is Soy rich in ,” according Soy has hit the mainstream. to the box. General Mills’s Harmony cereal ■ Oats. Cheerios notes that juxtaposes “with soy” and “proud “three grams of soluble fiber to support The Breast Cancer daily from whole-grain Research Foundation” on its box. foods, like Cheerios, in a diet low in saturated fat and In fact, the evidence that soy pro- cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease. Cheerios tects against breast cancer is still has 1 gram per cup.” inconclusive. What’s more, Har- mony has only two grams of soy ■ Low-fat. Total Corn Flakes boasts that “while many fac- protein per serving. tors affect heart disease, diets low in saturated fat and So far, the only well-established cholesterol may reduce the risk of this disease.” claim for soy is that it helps lower Low-fat cereals may qualify for a heart disease claim, but cholesterol. For example, Health Valley Soy Flakes notes they’re not as good as their (low-fat) whole-grain cousins. that “after many years of research, the FDA has concluded (Cocoa Puffs, Lucky Charms, and other sugary cereals are that 25 grams of soy protein per day, as part of a diet low in also low-fat.) So look for cereals (like Shredded Wheat’n saturated fats and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart Bran) with heart disease claims that mention whole grains or disease.” fiber. Cereals like Harmony cannot carry the FDA-approved Kashi Heart to Heart goes further. It’s a “Healthy Heart heart disease claim because they don’t have enough soy. 1 System” that “includes a carefully selected balance of soluble Foods need at least 6 /4 grams of soy protein per serving—a fiber from natural whole grains, herbs, antioxidant vitamins, quarter of the 25-gram daily target—to qualify. and plant-derived nutrients to help maintain a strong, Other cereals can’t make the approved claim because they healthy heart and blood vessels.” contain soy isoflavones instead of soy protein. Barbara’s The soluble fiber from whole-grain oats is a legitimate Bakery SoyEssence, which has no soy protein and 21 mg of claim. But it’s not clear that Heart to Heart’s green tea, grape isoflavones per serving, points out that “in cultures where seed extract, vitamins E and C, beta-carotene, and lycopene soy has been a staple for thousands of years, there are lower will make a difference. The B-vitamins (folic acid, B-6, and rates of obesity, heart disease and many types of cancers.” B-12) may cut the risk of heart disease by lowering homocys- But so far, the evidence is shaky that the estrogen-like teine in the blood, but you’d get as much from almost any isoflavones can curb menopausal hot flashes, protect bones, multivitamin (or highly fortified cereal like Total). or reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, or obesity.››››

NUTRITION ACTION HEALTHLETTER ■ NOVEMBER 2003 13 BRAND-NAME RATING

Flax are found in fish oil. Nevertheless, if you’re not getting omega-3s from fish, fish Flax is following in soy’s footsteps. oil pills, or canola or soybean oils, the alpha-linolenic acid in It’s hot in natural food stores, flax may help (and certainly can’t hurt). Most flax cereals which means that it’s probably have anywhere from 400 mg to 2,400 mg of omega-3s (ALA) poised to show up in cereals made per serving. The National Academy of Sciences recommends by the Big Three. that women consume about 1,100 mg of alpha-linolenic As the label of Nature’s Path Flax acid a day and that men consume about 1,600 mg. (Soybean Plus explains, “Omega-3 fatty oil has 900 mg and has 1,300 mg per tablespoon.) acids, specifically alpha-linolenic Flaxseed (not flaxseed oil) is also a good source of fiber. acid (ALA), are found in canola oil, Check the label to see how much fiber you’re getting. wheat germ, soybeans, hempseeds, and flaxseeds. Flaxseeds Other claims for flax are more iffy: Nature’s Path Flax Plus are the richest plant source of ALA.” says that omega-3 fats are “associated with reducing inflam- The cereal box neglects to mention that fish oils, not ALA, mation, discouraging blood clotting, and expanding blood are the omega-3 fats that are most strongly linked to a lower vessels.” According to Cereal, “flaxseed, which risk of heart disease. And our bodies may convert very little contains omega-3 fatty acids, tends to be filling and can help alpha-linolenic acid into EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and curb the appetite.” That’s one part science and nine parts DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), the longer-chain omegas that Photo: Nick Waring. wishful thinking.

The Snap, Crackle, Pop Chart s) s)

CaloriesFiber(gram Sugar*(gram ✔ Back to Nature Ultra Flax (1 cup) 190 8 11 Best Bites have at least 3 grams of fiber and no more than ✔ General Mills Multi-Bran Chex (1 cup) 200 8 12 8 grams of sugar. Honorable Mentions have no sugar limit, ✔ Kashi GoLEAN Crunch (1 cup) 190 8 13 but have at least 5 grams of fiber. Neither has more than ✔ Malt-O-Meal Raisin Bran (1 cup) 190 8 17 1 gram of saturated fat. (We waived the sugar limit for ✔ Post Raisin Bran (1 cup) 190 8 20 1 Honorable Mentions because 5 grams of fiber is a substantial ✔✔ Kashi Seven in the Morning ( /2 cup) 210 7 3 step towards your 25-gram daily goal. What’s more, the ✔✔ Nature’s Path Flax Plus or Heritage Multigrain 3 2 ( /4 cup) 100 7 5 sugar numbers on cereal labels include both refined sugar 1 1 ✔ Nature’s Path Muesli (/2 cup) 220 7 10 and the naturally occurring sugar in fruit. We wouldn’t want 2 1 ✔ Z¯oe Flax & Soy Granola ( /3 cup) 180 7 12 the sugar limit to penalize high-fiber cereals, like raisin bran, ✔ Nature’s Path Granola, Hemp Plus, Pumpkin that get some of their sugar from fruit.) Within each section, Flax Plus, or Raspberry Heritage (1 cup) 2 270 7 13 ✔ cereals are ranked from most to least fiber, then least to most Kellogg’s Raisin Bran (1 cup) 190 7 19 ✔✔ Shredded Wheat, spoon size, any brand (1 cup) 170 6 0 sugar and calories. 2 2 ✔✔ Nature’s Path Millet Rice Oatbran or 8 Grain ( /3 cup) 100 6 5 1 s) s) ✔✔ Post Grape-Nuts (/2 cup) 200 6 5 ✔✔ 3 6 grams of fiber or more CaloriesFiber(gram Sugar*(gram Barbara’s Bakery Cinnamon Puffins ( /4 cup) 100 6 6 1 # ✔✔ General Mills Fiber One ( /2 cup) 60 14 0 ✔✔ Kashi Organic Promise, Autumn Wheat (1 cup) 190 6 7 1 # 3 ✔✔ Kellogg’s All-Bran Extra Fiber (/2 cup) 50 13 0 ✔ Nature’s Path Honey’d Raisin Bran ( /4 cup) 100 6 9 1 3 ✔✔ Kellogg’s All-Bran Bran Buds ( /3 cup) 70 13 8 ✔ Health Valley Golden Flax ( /4 cup) 190 6 9 1 ✔ Nature’s Path Optimum Slim (1 cup) 180 11 10 ✔ Quaker Oat Bran (1 /4 cups) 210 6 9 1 2 1 ✔✔ Uncle Sam Cereal (1 cup) 210 10 1 ✔ Health Valley Low Fat Granola ( /3 cup) 190 6 10 1 1 ✔✔ Kellogg’s Original All-Bran ( /2 cup) 80 10 6 ✔ General Mills Gold Medal Raisin Bran (1 /3 cups) 170 6 12 1 ✔ Peace Cereal Essential 10 (1 cup) 170 10 9 ✔ Health Valley Raisin Bran Flakes (1 /4 cups) 190 6 13 ✔ Kashi Good Friends Cinna-Raisin Crunch (1 cup) 150 10 11 ✔ Post Fruit & Bran (1 cup)1 200 6 15 ✔ Nature’s Path Optimum Power Breakfast (1 cup) 190 10 16 5 grams of fiber 1 ✔✔ Post 100% Bran ( /3 cup) 80 9 7 ✔✔ Shredded Wheat, any brand (2 biscuits) 160 5 0 ✔✔ 3 2 Kashi GoLEAN or Original Good Friends ( /4 cup) 110 9 7 3 ✔✔ Barbara’s Bakery Original Puffins ( /4 cup) 90 5 5 ✔✔ 1 Post Shredded Wheat’n Bran (1 /4 cups) 200 8 1 3 ✔✔ Barbara’s Bakery SoyEssence ( /4 cup) 100 5 5 ✔✔ 2 Barbara’s Bakery GrainShop ( /3 cup) 90 8 5 2 ✔✔ Nature’s Path Multigrain Oatbran ( /3 cup) 100 5 5

14 NUTRITION ACTION HEALTHLETTER ■ NOVEMBER 2003 s) s) s) s)

Fiber Calories (gram Sugar*(gram CaloriesFiber(gram Sugar*(gram 3 ✔✔ Post Bran Flakes ( /4 cup) 100 5 5 General Mills Basic 4 (1 cup) 200 3 14 3 ✔✔ Kashi Heart to Heart ( /4 cup) 110 5 5 Post Selects Cranberry Crunch (1 cup) 210 3 14 ✔✔ General Mills Wheat Chex (1 cup) 180 5 5 Kellogg’s Just Right (1 cup) 220 3 15 3 1 2 1 ✔✔ Quaker Crunchy Corn Bran ( /4 cup) 90 5 6 Kellogg’s Low Fat Granola (/2 - /3 cup) 210 3 16 3 1 2 ✔✔ Kellogg’s Complete Bran Flakes ( /4 cup) 100 5 6 Quaker 100% Natural Low Fat Granola ( /3 cup) 210 3 18 1 ✔✔ Health Valley Soy Flakes (1 /4 cups) 190 5 7 Kellogg’s Apple Cinnamon Fruit Harvest (1 cup) 190 3 19 ✔✔ 1 Familia No Added Sugar Swiss Müesli (/2 cup) 200 5 8 Less than 3 grams of fiber ✔ Malt-O-Meal Balance with Berries (1 cup) 110 5 10 3 1 Post ( /4 cup) 120 2 7 ✔ Kellogg’s Raisin or Strawberry Mini- 3 1 3 2 Quaker Life ( /4 cup) 120 2 8 ( /4 cup) 180 5 10 3 Kellogg’s Strawberry Blueberry Fruit Harvest ( /4 cup) 110 2 9 ✔ Post Selects Banana Nut Crunch (1 cup) 240 5 11 ✔ Kashi Organic Promise, Cranberry Sunshine Frosted Shredded Wheat, spoon size, or Strawberry Fields (1 cup)2 120 2 9 any brand (1 cup) 180 5 12 1 1 General Mills Berry Burst Cheerios (1 cup) 110 2 11 ✔ Barbara’s Bakery Shredded Oats (1 /4 cups) 220 5 12 General Mills Honey Nut Cheerios (1 cup) 120 2 11 ✔ Quaker Squares (1 cup)1 220 5 12 1 3 X General Mills Harmony (1 /4 cups) 200 2 11 Kellogg’s Cracklin’ Oat Bran ( /4 cup) 200 5 15 Kellogg’s Smart Start (1 cup) 180 2 15 ✔ General Mills Wheaties Raisin Bran (1 cup) 180 5 18 1 Quaker Puffed Wheat (1 /4 cups) 50 1 0 ✔ General Mills Total Raisin Bran (1 cup) 170 5 20 Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, Crispix, Product 19, 3 to 4 grams of fiber or Special K (1 cup)2 110 1 3 3 ✔✔ Weetabix (2 biscuits) 120 4 2 General Mills Brown Sugar & Oat Total ( /4 cup) 110 1 9 ✔✔ Health Valley SoyO’s (1 cup) 180 4 2 Kellogg’s Special K Red Berries (1 cup) 110 1 10 1 ✔✔ Health Valley Flakes, Amaranth, Blue Corn, Post Honey-Comb (1 /3 cups) 110 1 11 3 2 Fiber 7, Healthy Fiber, or Oat Bran ( /4 cup) 100 4 5 3 General Mills Apple Cinnamon Cheerios ( /4 cup) 120 1 13 3 ✔✔ Barbara’s Bakery Shredded Spoonfuls ( /4 cup) 120 4 5 General Mills Lucky Charms or Trix (1 cup)2 120 1 13 3 ✔✔ Nature’s Path Heritage Bites ( /4 cup) 100 4 6 Kellogg’s Apple Jacks, Froot Loops, or Frosted 2 3 2 ✔✔ Alpen No Added Sugar or Salt ( /3 cup) 200 4 7 Flakes ( /4 -1 cup) 120 1 14 2 1 2 ✔✔ Familia Low Fat Müesli ( /3 cup) 190 4 8 General Mills Corn or Rice Chex (1-1 /4 cups) 120 0 3 1 1 ✔✔ Post Selects Great Grains Crunchy Pecans (/2 cup) 220 4 8 Kellogg’s Rice Krispies (1 /4 cups) 120 0 3 2 1 Alpen Original ( /3 cup) 200 4 11 General Mills Total Corn Flakes (1 /3 cups) 110 0 4 General Mills Wheaties Energy Crunch (1 cup) 210 4 13 Breakfast Bars 1 1,X Quaker 100% Natural Granola (/2 cup) 220 4 14 Kashi GoLEAN Bars1,X 290 6 32 1 Familia Original Recipe Swiss Müesli (/2 cup) 210 4 16 Kashi GoLEAN Crunchy Bars1,X 160 5 14 2 Kellogg’s Müeslix ( /3 cup) 200 4 17 Quaker Oatmeal On The Go Bars1,X 190 3 14 1 General Mills Oatmeal Crisp (1 cup) 210 4 18 Quaker Oatmeal Breakfast Squares1 220 3 20 Kellogg’s Raisin Bran Crunch (1 cup) 190 4 20 Kellogg’s Special K Bar1 90 1 9 ✔✔ General Mills Cheerios (1 cup) 110 3 1 Kellogg’s Cereal & Milk Bars1,X 110 1 11 ✔✔ Malt-O-Meal Toasty O’s (1 cup) 110 3 1 Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Cereal or Yogurt Bars2 140 1 13 ✔✔ 1 Barbara’s Breakfast O’s (1 /4 cups) 110 3 2 General Mills Oatmeal Crisp Fruit’n Cereal Bars1 150 1 14 ✔✔ 3 2 Health Valley Just Flakes or Oat Bran O’s( /4 cup) 100 3 3 Quaker Fruit & Oatmeal Cereal Bars1 130 1 15 ✔✔ General Mills Wheaties (1 cup) 110 3 4 General Mills Milk’n Cereal Bars1,X 170 1 16 ✔✔ 3 Post Grape-Nuts Flakes ( /4 cup) 110 3 4 Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Muffin Bars1 170 1 17 3 ✔✔ General Mills Whole Grain Total ( /4 cup) 110 3 5 ✔✔ ✔✔ Best Bite. ✔ Honorable Mention. *Includes both added (refined) Nature’s Path Heritage O’s or Kamut Krisp # 3 2 sugar and any natural sugar from fruit. Contains the artificial sweetener ( /4 cup) 110 3 5 aspartame (NutraSweet). 1Average of the entire line. 2Average of the 3 ✔✔ Barbara’s Bakery Crispy Wheats ( /4 cup) 110 3 6 varieties listed. X Contains more than 1 gram of saturated fat. ✔✔ General Mills MultiGrain Cheerios (1 cup) 110 3 6 Daily Values (daily levels for a 2,000-calorie diet): Fiber: 25 grams. 3 Saturated Fat: 20 grams. ✔✔ Kashi Medley ( /4 cup) 120 3 6 Source: Manufacturers and U.S.D.A. National Nutrient Database for ✔✔ 3 Nature’s Path Oaty Bites ( /4 cup) 120 3 7 Standard Reference (www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/index.html). ✔✔ Health Valley Apple Cinnamon or 2 The use of information from this article for commercial purposes is Honey Nut SoyO’s (1 cup) 180 3 7 strictly prohibited without written permission from CSPI.

NUTRITION ACTION HEALTHLETTER ■ NOVEMBER 2003 15