Mealtime Magic: Cereal

There isn't anything fun or exciting or original about cereal, but the folks at MyBlogSpark and General Mills wanted me to help spread the word about the benefits of cereal and breakfast.

General Mills is continuing to try to make cereals healthier, now by focusing on cereal marketed to children and reducing the amount of sugar per serving. General Mills has a section on their website dedicated to showcasing the health and nutrition benefits of eating cereal. Among the facts presented:

- Ready-to-eat cereals, including presweetened cereals, account for only 5% of sugar in children´s diets.
- Cereal eaters consume less fat, less cholesterol and more fiber than non-cereal eaters.
- Children who eat breakfast score higher on tests, are less likely to miss class or be tardy, have fewer reported discipline problems, and make fewer trips to the office.

The website also discussing the benefits around specific nutrients such as fiber and vitamins.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with feeding cereal to your kids - even pre-sweetened marketed-to-kids cereal. It's easy, kids can make it themselves, and most cereals are fortified with vitamins and minerals, making it another way to help ensure your kids are getting the nutrients they need.

Personally, I love cereal. It's cheap. It can be portable (if you eat it without milk). It provides quick energy. I used to live on cereal in college - there were many days where breakfast was a bowl of cereal, and cereal was my snack throughout the day (along with a few fruits and veggies), and then I'd have a bigger dinner. As a college kid on a budget, it sure helped me save, and I still felt satisfied and was healthy enough to perform well at the college track level for four years. I like that General Mills is striving to make their cereals even healthier - I think the less added sugar people eat, the better - but most kids' sugar intake comes from juices, pop, and candy (plus the fact that food-makers seem to like to add sugar and other sweeteners like HFCS to nearly everything). So a bowl of cereal at breakfast is not going to be bad for the kids (and can be a time-saver and life-saver in the morning when you're busy with other daily prep, if they can just pour it themselves and go).

This post is sponsored, but all opinions presented are mine. General Mills provided me with nformation, and free cereal through MyBlogSpark as a thank-you for posting.