I love cereal. I sometimes eat it for dinner...and lunch (but not all on the same day, come on!). However, I can't stand the super sweet stuff. Masquerading as health food, those sweet clumps of granola will do me in after a few bites. But unsweetened cereal isn't quite right, either. What to do? Make my own blend!
Maybe you can relate. I like a touch of sweetness in my cereal, but also some good old healthy bran or shredded wheat. So-called low sugar cereals tend to be sweetened with other, sometimes even sweeter, substitutes. The true low sugar varieties can be bland and unexciting. Faced with a box of the sweet stuff but trying to cut back on sugar? Do what I do and make your own cereal blend. I start with a layer of straight up bran flakes, unsweetened, unexciting. I layer on a bit of shredded wheat and then I top with a bit of the sweet, crunchy granola. The result cuts back on sugar but doesn't compromise on taste or texture. Plus, buying the simple bottom shelf brands helps keep costs down, too.
How do you tackle too-sweet cereal?
Related: Grape Nuts to Corn Flakes: 7 Recipes for Homemade Cereal
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I used to call this a "cereal cocktail." ; -)
don't eat it.
been doing this for years! and I add a sprinkle of chia seeds. The Sara cereal cocktail.
Good idea. I eat Mesa Sunrise quinoa, flax and amaranth which is gluten free and actually has some protein. Very low in sugar. I also eat regular (has to be gluten free) cereal for dessert sometimes.
When we've got the time we make our own granola at home. We've used honey, maple syrup, and shredded coconut (not necessarily all at the same time!) to sweeten things up a bit. Dried fruit also does the trick!
My favorite cereal is Crispix, and that's never been too sweet in a million years. (When I feel like sweet, I tend to end up with honey nut cheerios.)
I just eat brands from the "natural / organic" end of the aisle. Nature's Path makes a delicious multigrain cereal. If I feel I need it sweeter, I'll add maple syrup or dried fruit.
Or, conversely, if I'm stuck with an overly sweet cereal, I eat it with plain yogurt, cinnamon, and/or nuts sprinkled on top.The cinnamon and protein helps the body digest sugar better, and the sour tang of yogurt balances out the sweetness.
I love Cap'n crunch but it can be too sweet for me, so I usually cut the sweetness by mixing with another cereal - current favorite is cheerios
I love cereal, but I don't consider the sweeter ones as a breakfast food - they're dessert or a sweet snack. I know they're not marketed that way, but when you consider the sugar content of some of my favorites they may as well be ice cream (which I don't like) so that's where the go in my diet.
If you want a truly healthy cereal, skip all the storebought ones (none are healthy, even those that proclaim to be, because of the denaturing processes that go into making them) and make your own. It's actually really simple and, more importantly, delicious. This is the recipe I use and it's perfect: http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/video-healthy-cold-cereal-1/. It makes a huge batch that lasts me for weeks (and I eat it every single day at work).
Sometimes I sub in some almond flour, and I always add nuts and dried fruit at the end. You can use whatever flour you have on hand, and the oven is fine if you don't have a dehydrator. There's also a GF version for those who can't have wheat. Enjoy :)
I eat a bowl of Fiber One sprinkled with two tablespoons of (decadent!) homemade granola every day. On weekends I top the Fiber One with my kids' Cinnamon Toast Crunch instead. I am not ashamed. It is awesome.
I generally eat unsweetened muesli and add sweetened yogurt, or fruit, or something. Easier to control the sweetness and I like my favourite brand's sweetened yogurt too much to give it up.
Though I generally go for savoury things more often than sweet things, even in the morning.
Pray tell...what cereal is that in the picture above? It looks like graham cracker crumbs to me...LOL
The best slightly sweetened but not too sweet cereal I've found is Barbara's Puffins cereal, it's in the "health" aisle at the market, but the actual taste of the cereal is delicious, my favorite flavors being cinnamon and peanut butter, my husband calls them the "healthy cap'n crunch" - yummmmy!
this really isn't an issue for me (i love sweet) but i'd probably recommend a cereal like wheatbix
I'm pregnant, so trying to be healthier and avoiding the Cinnamon Toast Crunch I've loved for...oh, 30 years (Really insanely good, and still dessert sometimes: try adding a handful of chocolate Teddy Grahams -- don't judge me!). But for breakfast I do Ezekiel's sprouted cereal (seriously health-foody stuff) topped with a banana and a bit of maple syrup. It tastes like Grape Nuts.
I love to mix cereals (my favorite blend is raisin bran and the High Fiber cereal from Trader Joe's), sprinkle with toasted sliced almonds, then pour on the almond milk. It provides the right amount of sweetness and just isn't the same with "regular" milk.