What NOT To Have For Breakfast
May 19, 2010 28 Comments
Snack Girl has begun to receive many products and books for review on the website. If I don't like something, I usually just don't mention it - why be negative? There is so much negativity in the world!
BUT, this one I had to write about, because it made me sad. I received a packaged of Kashi GoLean Crisp! Toasted Berry Crumble in the mail and I thought, "Hey, cool, I already like their Kashi Roasted Vegetable Pizza and I kinda like their Kashi Crackers."
Let's start with the Healthy or Crappy Cereal test (sugar cereal):
- Is the first ingredient whole grain? Yes! Whole grain oats.
- Is sugar the second ingredient? Here is where the problem starts - yes - evaporated cane juice crystals (AKA sugar) is the second ingredient.
- Is there at least 4 grams of fiber in one serving? A whopping 8 grams of fiber is listed on the box!
When I opened the box, they smelled like Fruity Pebbles. My children absolutely loved them and demanded that I buy more. So, what is my problem?
The sugar is my problem. The ingredient list is CHOCK full of sugar. Not only do you have "evaporated cane juice crystals" as the second ingredient, but you also have brown rice syrup and evaporated cane juice (listed twice more as sugar for the berries). So that means that sugar was listed FOUR TIMES in the ingredient list.
Perhaps SUGAR should be listed before whole grain oats as the first ingredient!!
Food manufacturers try to trick the label readers by hiding not only the word "sugar" but also the amounts by using different types of sugars. The names for sugar include:
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Dextrose
Corn Syrup
Honey
Sucrose
Glucose
Lactose
Maltodextrin
Molasses
Maple Syrup
But, you don't really have to know all these names. Just taste it - does it tastes really sweet? Then, there is a lot of sugar in it - no matter what the box tells you.
Why am I concerned about sugar in my breakfast cereal? Eating a lot of sugar to start you day inevitably leads to a "crash" around 10 AM where you feel exhausted and hungry.
Now, you need a snack to keep you going. If you had eaten something with complex carbohydrates and protein such as Overnight Pancakes , Soft Boiled Egg, Overnight Oatmeal, or DIY Cereal, you will last the morning and have more energy!
What to do if you love this cereal? Well, I would buy some Cheerios or other sugar-free cereal and mix it with the sugary stuff not unlike what I suggested in Cut Soda Consumption in Half. Slowly cut back on the sugar cereal until your tastes buds recognize it as WAY too sweet.
This product was received for review consideration. No other compensation was provided.
Have you ever tried Kashi GoLean Crisp?
Want to read about snacks?
Cut Your Soda Consumption By Half In One Easy Step
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KINDa Fabulous: A Nutritionally Dense Snack Bar
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