Hey, Cleanish Squad! Buying cereal is such a pain. Every box has protein or fiber or whole grain printed on the front, and then you turn it over, and there's 12 grams of sugar in it…or more.

Fortunately, there’s an easy way to check the back to sort it out. Once you know how, you can check a box in about twenty seconds, and feel good about your choice. That's what we’re covering in this issue, plus we share our thoughts on granola as a cereal.

— Lacey Baier, Dustin Baier

The cereal aisle is screaming with health claims. High in fiber. Good source of protein. Made with whole grain. Heart healthy. It can be easy to grab a box and think you’re good to go, but it’s not that simple, sadly.

Some of it's easy. You already know to walk past the cartoon boxes at your kid's eye level. If your whole strategy is skip anything marketed to children, that gets you most of the way there (sorry, kids).

The hard ones are the boxes marketed to us. Matte packaging, PROTEIN in big letters, ancient grains, keto friendly, heart healthy, no added sugar. Those aren't aimed at a six-year-old.

The tricky part is most of what they say is true. A box really can be a good source of fiber and still be a quarter sugar by weight. The claim isn't lying to you, it's just not telling you the whole story.

Here's how to see through the marketing.

Fiber should be at least as high as added sugar.

Fiber comes from the grain, while added sugar is put in at the factory. Fiber is the part that fills you up and keeps you full, while added sugar gives you energy fast and then it's gone, often leaving a sugar crash.

Want to see how much added sugar is hiding in foods you think are healthy? Read this issue.

Weigh the bowl you actually pour, one time.

Every number on the nutrition panel assumes 40 or 60 grams, which can vary from 1/3 cup for denser cereals (like Grape Nuts) up to 3 cups for some puffed cereals (like Brown Rice Crisps). Most of us are eating two or three servings in one sitting, but using the single serving numbers.

Want to keep this guide? Download the printable version.

Cereal isn't breakfast. It's the carb part of breakfast.

That's why you're hungry at ten. A bowl of cereal with milk is mostly carbohydrate, and we’re talking about even healthier cereals here. We’re missing the protein and healthy fats that make up a complex meal, and keep you full.

Instead, eat your cereal over full-fat Greek yogurt instead of milk, have a couple eggs on the side, or add on a quick protein shake, and you’ll be fuller and happier.

Want my formula for high-protein smoothies? Get the smoothie guide.

We were sold a balanced breakfast.

We got sold the idea that a bowl of cereal is a balanced breakfast. It isn't. And, if you try and think back, those ads never actually claimed it was. Instead, they said, "part of this complete breakfast." Hmm…

Source for the piece: Center for Science in the Public Interest, "Healthy cereal: what to look for at the supermarket," September 2024

Granola most often sits on the cereal shelf at the store, so it gets treated like cereal. But, let’s check what the bag calls a serving. Most granolas have a serving size of about ¼ or 1/3 cup, while flake cereals list about a full cup.

Take Nature Valley Oats 'n Honey. Pour a normal cereal-sized bowl instead, about a cup, and that's around 480 calories, 28 grams of added sugar, and 4 grams of fiber.

That’s crazy, right? How can that be?

So, I use it as a topping, not a cereal. One or two tablespoons on my yogurt.

Personally, I buy Purely Elizabeth and Seven Sundays for my granola. They care more about the ingredients, and don’t go overboard on the sweeteners, like so, so many granolas do. It is worth knowing, though, that Ferrero, the company behind Nutella, is buying Purely Elizabeth, so there's a chance that all could change.

Want to see what happened to the other brands that got bought? Read this issue.

Even Purely Elizabeth still doesn't pass the fiber rule, however, with two grams of fiber against six of sugar, which is why I don’t recommend calling it a cereal.

Cereal is fast and convenient, and many brands do the opposite of what the front of the box promises. These are my seven picks, plus what I look at on the back before a box goes in the cart. Watch on YouTube →

50%

of a serving of Honey Smacks is added sugar, by weight.

A one-cup serving weighs 36 grams. Eighteen of those grams are added sugar. It has 2 grams of fiber. The first ingredient is whole grain wheat.

Source: Kellogg's Honey Smacks SmartLabel

💊 Popular brain supplement linked to shorter lifespan in men

A team in Hong Kong and Georgia studied over 270,000 UK adults. Men with more tyrosine in their blood lived about a year less. The study did not test the supplement.

💉 Ozempic and Wegovy linked to nearly 40% fewer asthma attacks

Imperial College London ran four studies of about 20,000 people each. Semaglutide use went with nearly 40% fewer asthma attacks. COPD flare-ups fell 20%. The data is observational, not a trial.

🧠 A structured lifestyle program beat plain health advice on cognition

A trial ran in 11 Latin American countries. It enrolled 1,065 older adults at risk of dementia. They did exercise, diet advice, brain training, and group meetings. Brain training scores rose 55% more than in the diet advice group.

🧪 Common dry-cleaning chemical linked to triple the risk of liver scarring

Keck Medicine of USC checked national health data from 2017 to 2020. Some people had traces of the dry cleaning chemical in their blood. They were three times as likely to have liver scarring.

I've spent years helping women live healthier while quietly hiding who I actually was. Proving Her Wrong is the part I kept quiet. New essays every Monday. Start with Sorry Doesn't Mean Much or subscribe free.

I used to stand in the granola aisle comparing sugar and calories and never find a number I was happy with. So, I make this instead. Ten minutes of prep, and it keeps in the pantry for months. Get the recipe →

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