I’m sure some of you have noticed by reading my Daily Food Journal, that I eat a lot of cereal. I admit it, I love cereal. I try to eat it atleast 3 or 4 times a week and getting plenty of fiber is very important to me. But knowing which breakfast cereal is healthy and which ones are best for you can get a little confusing. What you find when you go to the grocery store is that the cereal aisle is a very long one and full of many contradictions. You may see cereals made with refined grains with hardly any fiber. Then there are cereals made with whole grains and bran, claiming to have 7 grams or more of fiber. Then of course, you have cereals with tons of sugar that are like boxes of little cookies more or less.

Although it can be tiring trying to choose which cereal, it’s well worth the effort, experts say.

“If you eat cereal almost every day, either for breakfast or as a snack, the cereal you choose can say a lot about your health. It can add a lot of good stuff to your diet — or it can add a whole lot of nothing.”

Experts say that choosing a healthy breakfast cereal is mainly about getting some whole grains. There’s no excuse not to get at least one serving of whole grains if you eat cereal for breakfast. And it’s well worth the effort; recent research suggests those who eat more whole grains are at lower risk of diabetes and heart disease.  And thats music to my ears, considering that diabetes and heart disease runs rampant in my family.  But which ones are better for you?  Here’s a quick list of 8 great tasting cereals that are full of fiber and whole grains.  This list was compiled by Elaine Magee, MPH, RD, From WebMD.

After some taste testing and input from acquaintances, I came up with eight picks for the best-tasting healthful breakfast cereals. The cereals on my list had to have a whole grain as the first ingredient and 5 grams of fiber per serving. Sugar had to be around 25% calories from sugar or less, unless dried fruit was among the top three ingredients. I also tried to choose cereals that are easily found in the supermarket.

1. Post Grape-Nuts Trail Mix Crunch: 5 grams fiber, and 22% calories from sugar. The first three ingredients are whole grain wheat, malted barley, and sugar, followed by raisins and wheat bran.
2. Fiber One Bran Cereal: 14 grams fiber, 0% calories from sugar. First three ingredients are whole-grain wheat bran, corn bran, and cornstarch. This cereal only appeals to some people. I would suggest enhancing the flavor with cinnamon, fresh or dried fruit, and/or roasted nuts.
3. Fiber One Honey Clusters: 13 grams fiber, 15% calories from sugar. The first three ingredients are whole-grain wheat, corn bran, and wheat bran.
4. Quaker Oatmeal Squares: 5 grams fiber, 19% calories from sugar. The first three ingredients are whole oat flour, whole-wheat flour, and brown sugar.
5. Shredded wheat: 6 grams fiber, 0% calories from sugar (for a generic brand). The only ingredient is 100% whole grain cereal. I enjoy this with added fresh or dried fruit and nuts. If you opt for the frosted variety, it has 6 grams fiber and gets 23% of its calories from sugar.
6. Frosted Mini Wheats: 6 grams fiber, 24% calories from sugar. The first three ingredients are whole-grain wheat, sugar, and high-fructose corn syrup.
7. Raisin Bran: 7 grams fiber, 40% calories from sugar (in Kellogg’s brand). The first three ingredients are whole wheat, raisins, and wheat bran). Sugar is listed fourth in the ingredient list, but many of the calories from sugar come from the raisins.
8. Kashi Heart to Heart Honey Toasted Oat Cereal: 5 grams fiber, 18% calories from sugar. The first three ingredients are whole oat flour, oat bran, and evaporated cane juice. This is a higher-fiber alternative to Cheerios. I think they taste better, too. But that may be because there is more sweetener added (the evaporated cane juice).

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