A bowl of cereal makes a fast and fuss-free breakfast, providing energy, fibre, calcium and protein (from the milk), plus – with fortified cereals – a range of vitamins and minerals. But these benefits often come with a lot of sugar. While we love them, these sugary cereals are best consumed in moderation. Here, loveFOOD's nutritionist Angela Dowden counts down some of the sweetest breakfasts on the planet, starting from 13% sugar to a whopping 50%...
Over an eighth of the weight of Shreddies is sugar, but parents don’t need to feel too guilty for buying this cereal for their kids. It is a rich fibre source, has added vitamins and iron, and a 40g/1.4oz bowl has 5g/0.2oz (just over 1tsp) sugar, so not too excessive.
Made with rice, corn and sugar, this cereal has 5g/0.2oz (just over 1tsp) of sugar per the suggested serving size of 39g/1.4oz. That’s not too awful and it's fortified with plenty of iron – 60% of the US daily value – so not a bad choice if you tend to be low in this anaemia-protective mineral. There's virtually zero stomach-filling fibre though, so hunger might strike sooner than expected.
Plain Weetabix is one of the UK’s best lower-sugar, high-fibre cereals. But choose Weetabix with chocolate flavouring and that's no longer the case – the sugar content quadruples, meaning a serving of two biscuits (45g/1.6oz) has 7.7g/0.3oz sugar, which is nearly 2tsp.
A favourite for decades with British kids (plus many young-at-heart grown-ups), Coco Pops used to be more sugary, but Kellogg’s managed to reduce the sweet stuff, and now it has around a third less sugar than competitor chocolate cereals. A 30g/1.1oz bowl has around 5.1g/0.2oz or just over 1tsp of added sugar. Like most kids' cereal it is fortified, including 50% of the daily recommended intake of bone-building vitamin D. In other countries, however, this cereal still has a much higher sugar content – for example, in Australia, it's still 32% sugar.
These mini parcels of shredded wheat have a sugar frosting and contain beef gelatine too, so aren’t suitable for vegetarians. A typical 40g/1.4oz portion has 6.8g/0.2oz (about 1¾tsp) of sugar, and isn’t fortified with vitamins. But it is a decent source of fibre, with 3.6g/0.1oz per bowl – about an eighth of the recommended daily intake.
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Weet-Bix is 68% whole wheat, has added B vitamins and iron, and is a good source of fibre. But the cereal could definitely do better on the sugar front, as it contains over one-fifth of the white stuff.
This vitamin and mineral-fortified crispy cereal includes whole wheat and maize plus chocolate chips – not exactly the recipe for a healthy breakfast. A 30g/1.1oz bowl has 6.7g/0.2oz (nearly 2tsp) of sugar, just over a quarter of a seven–10-year-old’s recommended limit (or just over a fifth of an adult's). But it could be worse – it has 30% of the adult daily recommendation of bone-friendly calcium, and that's before adding milk.
Whole grain Honey Cheerios has 2.5g/0.08oz fibre per bowl – similar to a slice of wholemeal bread – but at 22% sugar, which tops out at 7g/0.25oz (nearly 2tsp) per 30g/1.1oz bowl, it shouldn’t be a regular habit. Cheerios has at least 15% of the daily recommendation of nine vitamin and minerals, so that is in its favour.
It's not too much of a surprise that chocolatey cereals are among some of the highest in sugar. A 30g/1.1oz portion of Nesquik cereal contains 6.7g/0.2oz, or 1⅔ tsp, of sugar, which is over a quarter of the maximum daily amount recommended for a child aged seven–10. It’s fortified with calcium, vitamin D, iron and B vitamins so you still get some goodness. In Australia, this cereal is 30% sugar.
An old favourite, this cereal is made from puffed whole wheat kernels coated with honey, and has been re-formulated to be less sugary than it used to be. One 30g/1oz bowl contains 6.6g/0.2oz sugar, which is around 1⅔ tsp. That is over a quarter of the daily sugar recommendation for a seven–10 year old, so still not wonderful. But it does have added iron and vitamins, no added salt and almost a 10th of the daily recommendation of fibre.
With around 2⅓tsp sugar per 40g/1.4oz serving, it's hard to see how this cereal rates four out of five on Australia’s Health Star rating scheme. One reason is that not all the sugar is added – some comes naturally from dried fruit, which also provides fibre and nutrients. This is also a whole grain cereal, has no added salt and is vitamin and mineral-fortified. So keep the portion under control and it’s an OK start to the day.
Made with wheat, oats and maize, this cereal is a reasonable source of fibre and has added wheat protein, meaning you should feel fuller for longer. But it is definitely high in sugar at 24%, equating to 9.6g/0.3oz (nearly 2.5tsp) per 40g/1.4oz bowl. It’s a fortified cereal though, supplying B vitamins, calcium, iron and zinc.
This is partly a whole grain cereal but it only has 1.3g/0.04oz fibre in a 30g/1oz bowl – far outweighed by the 8g/0.3oz (around 2tsp) of sugar. It’s fortified with at least 16% of the daily recommended intake of nine vitamins and minerals, but there are much healthier ways to get the good stuff.
Milo cereal is made with 50% whole grains so a serving of 30g/1oz gives you a similar amount of fibre as a slice of wholemeal bread. But 27% sugar is quite a lot – it adds up to 2tsp or 8g/0.3oz per bowl. Thankfully, it's fortified with B vitamins, calcium and iron.
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Like most boxed cereal, Cinnamon Toast Crunch Churros is fortified with lots of vitamins and minerals, but on the downside, it contains 11g/0.4oz of sugar (around 3tsp) per 41g/1.5oz serving. It is whole grain, however, and a bit higher in fibre than some of the worst offenders out there.
The sugar content (11g/0.4oz or nearly 3tsp) in a 40g/1.4oz bowl of this cereal is more than the amount in two chocolate digestives. But as an occasional treat for kids, you could do worse. Although Shreddies The Coco One is lower in fibre than the plain variety, a bowl is still a good source.
Sugar is the main ingredient after whole grain and rice in this “healthy” cereal, and brown sugar syrup features further down the ingredients list too. In total 2.5tsp (10g/0.4oz) of added sugars are in each 39g/1.4oz bowl. But a serving supplies 60% of your daily iron and 50% of your daily folate needs. The same cereal in the UK is a lot less sweet, at 17% sugar.
These bright corn puffs contain artificial colours that under British regulations would have to be labelled as a potential cause of hyperactivity in kids. The cereal is not high in fibre, will only give a short-term burst of energy and has 12g/0.4oz (3tsp) added sugar per 39g/1.4oz serving. Best not eaten every day, even though it does contain added vitamins.
Cereals with candy tie-ins are almost definitely going to be high in sugar. Reese’s Puffs contains 9g/0.3oz (a little bit more than 2tsp) sugar per 29g/1oz serving. It's not a great source of fibre, but surprisingly, has up to 25% of the recommended daily intake of several vitamins and minerals added.
This vitamin-fortified iconic sugary kids' cereal is close to one-third pure sugar, and is laced with artificial colourants. A small plus: the whole grain in the US version means along with the 12g/0.4oz (3tsp) of sugar per 39g/1.4oz serving, there’s a couple of grams of fibre (the same as in a large apple). In Australian Froot Loops the colours are naturally sourced, but the sugar is even higher at 39% and there are no whole grains in the cereal.
This rice-based chocolate cereal is around 31% sugar – in the suggested 42g/1.5oz serving there is 13g/0.5oz (just over 3tsp) of sugar. Each bowl is fortified with between 10–40% of a range of vitamins and minerals, but this benefit does not outweigh that sugary downside.
Made with oats and oat bran, a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios (different from UK Honey Cheerios) provides a type of soluble oat fibre that can help lower cholesterol. It's also fortified with a wide range of vitamins and minerals, but the cereal is nearly a third sugar with 3tsp (12g/0.4oz) per 37g/1.3oz serving. And, don't be fooled, sugar from honey isn’t any healthier.
Containing over one-third of sugar, this fortified cereal made from whole grain oats also has a slew of artificial colours and even looks and tastes like candy. Each 36g/1.3oz bowl contains 3tsp or 12g/0.4oz of sugar – more than in four Hershey’s Kisses.
A hefty one-third of this cereal is sugar and there is 12g/0.4oz (3tsp) in the suggested 36g/1.3oz serving. It's artificially flavoured and coloured, and devoid of fibre. Apart from the added vitamins, iron and zinc, it might as well be a bowl of candy.
These vitamin and iron-fortified flakes are made with maize and sugar, with just 6% peanuts and 1% honey. A 30g/1oz bowl supplies 11g/0.4oz (just over 2.5tsp) of sugar and this will be released very quickly, followed by a drop in energy. The result? You'll be seeking another sugar boost mid-morning.
These chocolate-filled cereal bites provide 15g/0.5oz (3¾tsp) of sugar in the suggested 41g/1.5oz serving size. That’s equivalent to a handful of M&M's. In the UK, Krave Chocolate cereal is less sweet at 26% sugar. But that’s still a lot!
Unbelievably, this cereal has a higher sugar concentration than the actual Chips Ahoy cookies. One 38g/1.3oz bowl supplies 14g/0.5oz (3.5tsp) sugar, and barely any fibre. You get a third of your daily iron from a bowl, but it’s much healthier to get iron from lean meat, leafy greens and nuts instead.
One of the highest sugar-laden kids' cereals, Frosties is coated flakes of low-fibre maize. One 35g/1.2oz bowl has 13g/0.5oz (just over 3tsp) of sugar, which is more than half the daily recommendation for kids aged between seven and 10. Apart from the added vitamins (the flakes are fortified) and the calcium that children will get from the milk poured over, this has little going for it.
Honey Smacks, quite appropriately known as Sugar Smacks when the cereal launched in 1953, now has a healthier-sounding name but is still a massive 50% sugar. It contains 18g/0.6oz (4.5tsp) sugar in the suggested 36g/1.2oz serving. That's more than in one Twinkie.
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For this gallery we used UK guidelines for sugar and fibre intake. The UK recommendation is that an adult should have no more than 30g/1oz “free” (added) sugars a day, and children aged seven–10 no more than 24g/0.8oz. A teaspoon of sugar is 4g/0.1oz. The World Health Organization guidelines for sugar intake are very similar. Sugar contents were sourced from brand websites, or sometimes direct from pack, and percentages rounded to the nearest whole number.