Okay, so we probably didn’t need a study to prove this one, but nonetheless a recent analysis of 161 brands of cereals came to 2 unsurprising conclusions:
- Breakfast cereals meant for children are of poorer nutritional quality than those marketed towards adults
- Cereals marketed the most heavily had the poorest nutritional quality
Dr. Marlene Schwartz of Yale University – lead researcher of the study made the following observations:
- The cereal the parent is eating is probably better than what they’re feeding their child
- Health claims made for kids’ cereals were often misleading. Cereals sold as “low fat” or “low sugar” are not lower in calories
- Brands touted as “whole grain” did have more fiber, they had just as much salt, sugar and fat as other brands and the same calorie content.
- Children’s cereals had more sugar, sodium, carbohydrate and calories per gram than non-children’s cereals, and less protein and fiber
- Sugar accounted for more than one-third of the weight of children’s cereals, on average, compared to less than one-quarter of the adult cereals
- Thirty-four percent of the kids’ cereals met nutrition standards for foods sold in schools, compared to 56 percent of the non-children’s cereals, Schwartz and her colleagues report
Other Alarming Stats
- ¾ of American children say that they decide what to eat for breakfast
- In the past 10 years, the amount of money spent on marketing food to children has increased to $15 billion from $7 billion
- In 2004, General Mills spent $42 million promoting Honey Nut Cheerios
What to do with this Information
Perhaps the most formidable obstacle here is countering the inescapable and powerful advertising forces of big food and beverage companies that target the young. The marketing is stealth and designed to undermine parental authority. I think the first step as parents is to put boundaries on what types of foods are purchased. I think that letting children decide between healthy cereals is a good compromise.
Healthy Cereals – do they exist?
Here are 4 simple criteria for choosing cereals (based on ½ cup servings):
- Low in sugar: Choose cereals that have less than 8g per serving
- Higher in fiber: Choose brands that have more than 4g per serving
- Short ingredients list: Under 5 is usually a good
- Good, pronounceable ingredients: Look for whole grains or oats to be the first ingredient and watch for excessive additives
So next grocery trip, no need to “show ‘em you’re a tiger” or “follow your nose”. There are healthy cereal choices out there – you may just have to dig for them. Also remember that that breakfast doesn’t have to be cereal.
Sources:
- “Kids’ Shows Pushing Junk Food”. NYTimes. January 12, 2005
- Nestle, Marion. What to Eat. 2006
- Mary Story and Simone French. Food Advertising and Marketing Directed at Children and Adolescents in the US. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 2004
I was a vegetarian child and I was horribly jealous of all my friend’ food pantries but for some reason I never broke down and ate something I wasn’t supposed to, however it was also a time when the parent respected the dietary restriction and there was always healthy food on hand, unlike now with some parents. I even worked at a McDonalds and didn’t eat meat but I sure smelled like a Big Mac when I got home. I used to have to change in the garage because the smell would drive my parents crazy, I swear if we hadn’t lived 5 miles from town they would have cheated once I went to bed
Because of all of this my son makes good choices about food even though I’m only a part-time veggie now. He sees the health in food but gets to indulge when he wants to as long as there is a balance and he never throws a fit when I say no, not this week – thats the balance working.
I have maintained 135 as an athletic and very healthy male for a long time and I’ll be damned if they take my huge breakfast bowl(s) of Cinnamon Toast Crunch away!
With respects, Ma’am, this is a diet blog. Where else should we make comments about what parents should feed their children?
Also more than one valid study has shown the tremendous effect (for good or ill) that diets have on a child’s physical growth and mental development (although due to time constraints (it is 00:04 hrs where I am) I’m not going to include links to those studies).
“Sure, they will have friends, and those friends will be an influence, but if they have a good grounding, they will know what is good and bad.”
Ummmmm….
I don’t know, that sounds kind of messed up. There’s a world out there that kids shouldn’t totally be shut out to.
And vegans don’t often get persuaded by their friends but what percentage of the population is actually vegans. The majority of children is how soozeequeue said.
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Marketing. Those cereal co’s have been at it for years. And I think what they had on offer was close enough to english/scottish breakfast fare (un-processed cereals, ie. oatmeal) that the (once) anglo-dominant populations in North America were willing to buy into it. Still, I don’t remember being offered cereal EVER when I stayed on farms in Ireland – it was “bacon eggs sausage” every morning and they didn’t mean which would you prefer, they meant you were being served all of it! Hopefully with some broiled tomatoes.
My one son who would never pick cereal or toast for breakfast likes things like hard boiled eggs, cold meats, leftover potatoes, smoked salmon, or often tomato soup for breakfast, and my sister always comments that this is not a weird breakfast, it’s perfectly normal for many Europeans. It also helps clean the leftovers out of the fridge!
I don’t like the texture of the instant stuff either… But, according to an article I found from Ohio State extension, instant and rolled are nutritionally the same: http://extension.osu.edu/~news/story.php?id=3221
My breakfast is rolled oats with cooked banana and walnut butter… But, what is it with breakfast? When I was staying with a Turkish friend, she had feta, bread, hummus, and olives for breakfast. In China they had some kind of non-sweet churros with hot soy milk. In Japan I had those salty-sour pickeled plums (umeboshi) that woke me up just with their flavor. In Italy, a cappuccio and a small pastry in a bar while walking to work is so good. How did the US end up becoming so enamored with a manufactured food that was originally designed to repress sexual urges?
No, never the packets. They are made of paper. Low in calories though!
But you’re right. Even though you CAN get plain, unsweetened oatmeal in packets, it’s still full of that fuzzy fluffy oatmeal with no texture. I’m haven’t checked to substantiate this, but I’d bet it’s lower in fibre than the large flake oatmeal I like to eat. And it has a really mushy texture that bothers me.
The unsweetened oatmeal in the packets however might be useful for substitution with kids who are used to the sweetened and flavored packaged oatmeal, just use the plain stuff and add some cinnamon and raisins. Then you can switch them over to the real thing.
Eat Oatmeal. Not the packets.
At least they like all the good stuff too then. Balance is good – works all round!
I have quite a few cereals at my home and there’s only me! lol I enjoy Bran Flakes and Special K as I know this is better, but I do have Rice Krispies too, though I don’t tend to have this a lot as I know it isn’t as good as the 2 I just mentioned. Children’s cereals are advertised a lot but I wouldn’t be taken over by these so much as I know they are just for a treat really I think.
i grew up in a household where my parents never really monitored what i ate for brekky so it was mostly sugary cereals,biscuit and so on.furthermore,my mother was never fond of cooking and ate out alot.now at the age of 21 and living out on my own for the past 6,7 years (as i study overseas),i manage all my meals and gain most of my nutrition/diet tips and knowledge through the internet and books – and then applying that knowledge when shopping for groceries.
i use to love fruitloops,coco crunch,milo cereals but nowadays,i stick to all bran,or muesli crunch,in an attempt to go healthy.it started off tasting ‘odd’ or ‘bland’ but after a while,i kinda got use to it and enjoy it now!furthermore,if i crave a little sweetness,i add abit of honey or fruit as that’s all natural as well.
i’m actually glad in a way that i didn’t have such restrictions when i was young since i got to enjoy those yummy treats (abeit unhealthy) and as i get older,i learn to care for my own body and make nutritionally sound decisions (and totally appreciate the goodness of healthy good food).it kinda balances it out.rather than to from a young age,wonder how much greener is the other side if all i had was really health nut stuff.
Cap’n Crunch rocks!
I would eat it as a snack.
I think cereal is one of the most over priced foods. I stopped buying it in favor of oatmeal or eggs. Milk has went up in price as well. Milk and cereal is no longer in my budget.
exactly. Grannys always know best.
This is all so silly! There are so many things to worry about out there, a sugary cereal once in a while (or every day!) will neither ruin your child’s health, nor compromise his future.
The discussion seems to revolve around who is the better parent by controling what goes in the child’s mouth. I say “chill”; worry less about breakfast and teach your children to be kind, loving, and responsible.
I was also not suggesting that you would ever need to change the rules you have at home. We don’t buy sugary cereals either – in fact one kid never eats cereal at all, (he likes soup for breakfast, or smoked salmon with bagels) and the other has to be content with the stuff we approve of, except for rare occasions – like holidays. And even then he is mostly happy to eat oatmeal and yogurt with his mom at least some of the time.
I’m just suggesting it’s naive to think that they won’t encounter the “bad” cereals sooner or later and want to check them out. They will be in grocery stores and see the enticing packaging. They will eventually choose their own friends. If the worst they do is pick friends that eat crappy cereal then count yourself fortunate! And, after all, it’s their job, as children, to question our choices, and try to negotiate changes – it’s called growing up. It’s our job to find a balance between keeping them healthy AND letting them experience life.
Besides, the cereal aisle meltdown is a rite of passage for children and parents alike:)
I think (as with everything) moderation is the key. My kids eat sugary cereal, but we drink nothing but water — and occasionally OJ. No soda ever — not even in restaurants. They don’t eat “snacks” like fruit snacks — they eat actual fruit. The majority of the meals I cook are from “healthy” cookbooks. I think overall they do okay.
In spite of not having watched TV at home — ever — they still know all about various crappy foods from their friends. It’s not really a big deal though. As you said, they know the rules at home and that’s just the way it is. They watch TV at grandma’s house, they drink soda at friends’ houses, but at home, they know not to even ask.
We haven’t had TV since before my first daughter was born (11 years now) and my kids still ask for and prefer sugary cereals. Fortunately, they also love salad and fruit and chicken and other healthy stuff.
AND – you said yourself you tried all the sugary cereals at your friends’ houses, but now you eat oatmeal for breakfast most of the time, that sugary cereals don’t do it for you. You seem to be proving my point for me. I have no problem with my kids being exposed to things – at hotels, at grandma’s house, they can have just about whatever they want. But at home, we have rules, and that’s that.
On the individual level, yes, sure. But if the TV and commercials weren’t there to influence the kids in total, then none of the kids would be wanting the sugary crap at all.
We do have friends who are raising their kids similarly – no TV, whole unprocessed foods, homeschooling. I’m sure they will be able to go to that house any time without a problem.
Other kids? Well, they’ll go to their houses, eat whatever they are served, and that’s fine (although at the same time, if other parents don’t respect limits – like no soda – then it becomes a problem, and we’ll deal with that when the time comes). I don’t see how that means it will change their overall habits and diet. When I was a kid, we didn’t have HBO or Cinemax. I could go to other friends’ houses and watch it, but that didn’t make me think I could ask for it at home. Why is it any different with diet?
Well, we are planning on homeschooling, so there won’t be the influence of kids at school laughing at their healthy school lunches. It’s not that I want to totally shelter my kids, or think the TV is evil, but do think it’s unnecessary. Sure, they will have friends, and those friends will be an influence, but if they have a good grounding, they will know what is good and bad.
They’ve had Froot Loops at hotels, and they know it’s something other people eat. They also have heard what it does to their bodies and how it is not good for them, and they don’t ask for it at home. I don’t see how going to a friend’s house and having Froot Loops is going to make them suddenly think they can have it at home?
I don’t know – there are plenty of vegetarian/vegan kids out there who don’t seem to give way when a friend wants them to have a burger.
Maybe if they put images of the Olympic champions on eggs, it would change peoples perception?
I’m like this… when I choose to eat cereal in the morning, I usually eat Kashi GoLean Crunch. But for the past few weeks, I’ve had huge cravings for Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I think I’m up to my 3rd box now. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with indulging every now and then. I’ve even managed to lose weight at the same time, by balancing out my sugary cereal cravings with healthier foods for other meals and by exercising.
Cereal is crap. Eat eggs! There’s your breakfast of champions.
Ah, this amuses me. The biggest influence is not TV, and it is not even parents, eventually. It is OTHER KIDS and unless you plan to raise them in a bubble, they will go to school and to their friends houses and learn all about the heavenly sugary junk that is out there. It’s a breeze to stick with your guns when they are little people, the trick is to do it as they become bigger people. I still manage to stick to my guns now that my kids are school age, but we have had some memorable moments in the cereal aisle…
I eat a lot of Cheerios and Kashi GoLean, both of which I consider pretty healthy – and both of which have more than the 5 ingredients that the article says I should look for.
but wait….. I love Lucky Charms!!!! Their Magically Delicious!!!! (I’m 36)
But, but… ME WANT HONEYCOMB.
We don’t get cereal that isn’t on sale, unless one of my parents has an extreme desire for it. Even then, usually not.
Although I was allowed to have All-Bran when it wasn’t on sale
love me some fiber~!
I don’t think the cereals that the parents eat are necessary any better. Many of the cereals sold in health food stores contain evaporated cane sugar or some deceiving form of sugar, about 95%. Also the definition of whole grain is misleading. As long as the weight of the grain is at least 51% whole grain, then the cereal can be labeled as whole grain, which means as much as 49% is made from refined flour.
I think this researcher has her info backwards.
We also don’t have a TV/cable, and only watch select DVDs on the computer or tiny-screen portable DVD player. I think that has made a huge difference in what my kids ask for. Although we haven’t avoided commercialism altogether – my boys (4 and 2) love Thomas the Tank Engine, Bob the Builder and Disney’s Cars – it is seriously limited to mostly just those 3 things.
Since they don’t see the commercials for sugary processed cereals (and other junk food) they don’t request it often, and so it’s not a fight.
We’ve never had sugary cereals – or any breakfast cereal at all, really – so our boys don’t want it. We might get Cheerios or Chex occasionally, and if we are traveling they can have whatever they want from the hotel breakfast, because there just aren’t any good options, but otherwise, we make a good real breakfast. It’s usually oatmeal with raisins and cinnamon, or my husband makes pancakes.
I will admit that through my whole pregnancy with my younger son, I craved Frosted Flakes. When I woke up in labor, I ate a bowl. I don’t kid myself, though, and know it’s just a yummy sugar treat.
I’m shocked…shocked I tell you! (I kid, I kid.) But really now, is this at all surprising? I grew up having to eat mini-wheats and oatmeal and things like that, and I’m going to make my kid do the same. I’m really hoping that our not having any television subscriptions — we can watch DVDs but not TV — will help curb the kids’ intense desire for Count Chocula or whatever. If they don’t see it, they won’t want it, right?
Mary Story and Simone French run an Obesity Prevention Center at the University of Minnesota. The paper referenced here is more of a polemic than a research paper. You can find it at http://www.ijbnpa.org/content/1/1/3
From Story and French article: “The heavy marketing directed towards youth, especially young children, appears to be driven largely by the desire to develop and build brand awareness/recognition, brand preference and brand loyalty. Marketers believe that brand preference begins before purchase behavior does. ”
It worked on you!! ^_^
Frootloops forever (even if in my mid 30s)
What do you call it when someone likes to eat both the “healthy” cereals, and “non-healthy” cereals?
Wherever I look, I either see people who are only capable of eating the sugar loaded cereal, or people who willfully restrict themselves to the “healthy”, whatever that may be. But I happen to enjoy both. Am I a dietary anomaly? Or could is that just standard fare?
Oh no! They’re after me Lucky Charms.