Yes, cereals meet the need for a convenient morning food, but some products I call “breakfast candy” because they’re full of sugar and fat. In a lot of people, high-sugar diets appear to raise harmful triglycerides in the blood. And sugar squeezes out the whole grain and fiber in cereals. Here’s what to do:
Beware of granola, even the low-fat variety. It’s a dense cereal that packs tightly, but a meager ½-cup serving contains a whopping 190 calories. Bran flakes have more volume: Eat a generous ¾-cup serving.
CALORIES SAVED: 100.
Sweeten your cereal, but use a light hand. Though sugar is energy dense, a teaspoon of the sweet stuff adds only 16 calories—a lot fewer than you would get in any presweetened cereal, like granola or Frosted Flakes. Use Truvia and save those calories altogether.
Milk doesn’t need fat in it to taste good. Try unsweetened almond milk instead.
CALORIES SAVED: 100.
Other healthy strategies: Look for cereals with no more than 5 grams of added sugar per serving. And a bowl of good cereal should have at least 3 grams of fiber.