SHAPE UP
Study nutrition label before picking cereal

• Cereals — the great and the not-so-great
• Benefits of breakfast cereal can include improved mood

By Charles Stuart Platkin

Old fashioned oatmeal gets high marks for a fast, nutritious breakfast. Check out other great and not-so-great cereals below. Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

Luckily there's a quick, low-fat, low-calorie alternative that's been around long before the advent of the Croissan'wich — good old-fashioned cereal. Compared to some other breakfasts, a large bowl of even the most nutritionally dreadful cereal (about 400 calories) is a bargain.

Check out these breakfast horrors:

• Cinnabon Pecanbon: 1,100 calories, 56 g fat.
• Dunkin' Donuts plain bagel with cream cheese (4 tablespoons): 562 calories, 23 g fat, 70.5 g carbs.
• McDonald's Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit: 480 calories, 31g s fat, 31g carbs.

Research has shown cereal to be an excellent option for breakfast, with benefits that include reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, promoting weight loss, relieving stress and enhancing memory. If you choose cereal wisely, no other breakfast option can offer as much fiber, calcium and other nutrients for so few calories and so little fat.

Sugar alert: Most breakfast cereals have added sugar, so choose those with the least amount added. Check the nutrition label; the following ingredients should be absent, or at least lower than fourth on the ingredient list: sugar, brown sugar, molasses, corn syrup, organic cane juice, evaporated cane juice, high fructose corn syrup and malt syrup.

Whole grains only: It's important to distinguish whole-grain from refined-grain cereals for their role in preventing chronic diseases. A recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that both total mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality were inversely associated with whole-grain, but not refined-grain, breakfast cereal intake. Whole grains fill you up faster because they're high in fiber. Choose a cereal with at least three grams of fiber per serving.

Serving size matters: Typically, we eat anywhere from one to three cups of cereal at one sitting — not necessarily the serving size listed on the food label. Monitor how much you're eating.

In comparing cereals nutritionally, keep in mind that cereals have different densities (e.g., flakes, nuggets, puffed), so it's difficult to compare them to each other going just by the cups (volume).

In theory, the more dense the cereal, the less you are likely to eat. Check the weights listed next to the serving size and compare the calories per gram.

Lurking fat: Some cereals contain fat (e.g., nuts, coconut and granola). Choose low-fat versions. Also, stay away from items that include "partially hydrogenated oil." That's code for trans fat, and it's found in many cereals.

Don't be a health fool: Cereals are nutritionally dense and can be very filling — especially those made with whole grains. However, just because they have extra vitamins and minerals doesn't mean you can eat as much as you want.

Even if a cereal boasts "High Fiber," "Excellent Source of Calcium," or "Organic," it still may contain a significant amount of sugar, sodium, calories and even fat.

Cereal bars are not cereal: Some cereal bars may be low in fat and fortified with vitamins, but they're not high in whole grains or fiber, so they're really fortified candy bars.

Skim it: Choose skim milk and save about 64 calories and eight grams of fat per cup.

Cereals — the great and the not-so-great

When comparing cereals, make sure to adjust for serving size and weight.

Great cereals

(no sugar added, whole grain)

• Puffed Kashi Natural
• Post Shredded Wheat Spoon Size
• Quaker Old Fashioned Oats
• Very good cereals

(high fiber, low calories, low sugar, no fat, whole grain)

• Kashi Heart to Heart
• General Mills Fiber One Bran
• Kellogg's All Bran with Extra Fiber
• Arrowhead Mills Organic Oat Bran Flakes

Good cereals

(low fat, low sugar, low calories moderate fiber)

• General Mills Cheerios
• Kellogg's Corn Flakes
• General Mills Kix
• Kellogg's Complete Wheat Bran Flakes
• Kellogg's Product 19
• Kellogg's Special K

Ok cereals

(good fiber, low fat, added sugar)

• Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats
• General Mills Multi Grain Cheerios
• Quaker Life
• Kellogg's Raisin Bran
• Health Valley Soy Flakes
• Quaker Apple Cinnamon Instant Oatmeal
• Quaker Oatmeal Squares

Not-so-great cereals

(Either high sugar, high calories, high fat and/or little fiber, or a combination of any of the above)

• Health Valley Banana Gone Nuts
• General Mills Lucky Charms
• Post Oreo O's
• Post Waffle Crisp
• Post Selects Banana Nut Crunch

Benefits of breakfast cereal can include improved mood

Researchers at Cardiff University in Wales found that breakfast cereal eaters reported being in a better mood after consumption.

Additionally, they found that eating breakfast cereal was associated with lower cortisol levels, an indicator of less stress.

LOSE WEIGHT: Does Special K really help you lose weight? Of course not. One of the main reasons that you are likely to lose weight when you eat cereal is because it is lower in calories compared to other breakfasts. Some cereals have significant amounts of added sugar and refined flour, but even those only add up to about 350 calories to 400 calories for 1 1/2 to 2 cups.

The National Weight Control Registry, the largest ongoing database of individuals who have successfully maintained their weight losses, found that more than 59.7 percent of those champion dieters consumed cereal for breakfast on a regular basis.

A recent study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition analyzed data from more than 16,000 adults and found that those who ate different types of cereals were lower in weight when compared to those who ate meat and eggs or those who skipped breakfast. (Note: the study was financed by Kellogg's.)

Additionally, researchers at Purdue University found that dieters who used cereal as a meal replacement (such as Slimfast) were able to lose more weight than those who didn't use cereal.

LOWERS CHOLESTEROL: Not only is it on every box of Cheerios (as per the Food and Drug Administration), but the European Journal of Clinical

Nutrition reported that eating cereal for breakfast regularly can lead to reduced intake of total and saturated fat in your daily diet and consequently to a reduction in your cholesterol level.