VRG > Vegetarian Journal > 1994 Issue July > VEGETARIAN JOURNAL'S GUIDE TO BREAKFAST CEREALS

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VEGETARIAN JOURNAL'S GUIDE TO BREAKFAST CEREALS

By Reed Mangels, Ph.D., R.D.

It all started with a fairly simple question, "What cereal should we use now?" For years my family ate Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Wheat Cereal. We used a variety of other cereals but Nutri-Grain was the one we came back to. After all, it was whole grain, had no added sugar, and was fortified with vitamin B-12.

The cereal question arose because Kellogg's has begun adding sugar to Nutri-Grain Golden Wheat. It now has 6 grams of sugar in a 3/4 cup serving and we prefer a low- or no-sugar cereal. It was time for some serious label reading.

In the natural food store I use, cereals occupy one side of an entire aisle. The grocery store has a full aisle devoted to cereals. How was I going to decide what the better ones were? Some were easily eliminated. Cereals with marshmallows contain gelatin, not acceptable to vegetarians. A surprising number contained whey or non-fat dry milk, not acceptable to vegans. And the sugar — sometimes I wasn't sure whether I was on the cookie aisle or the cereal aisle!

I narrowed my choices down to those cereals with no animal products (gelatin, whey, honey, etc.), with no artificial colors or sweeteners, which are low fat (<2 grams of fat per serving), and which are low in sugar (no more than 5 grams of added sweetener). Table 1 shows some of the better cereals. Exclusion of a cereal from this table does not necessarily mean that a cereal is not a good choice; it was based on cereals available in my area which had complete label information.

The serving size for each cereal is based on survey information showing what amount of various cereals is commonly eaten. For example, for a concentrated cereal like Grape-Nuts, many people eat a 2 ounce portion. A serving for a puffed cereal is closer to 1/2 ounce. For most flakes, a serving is 1 ounce. For cooked cereals, a serving is 1-1/3 ounces dry unflavored, 2 ounces dry flavored, 1 cup prepared, or a single serving packet. These are the serving sizes which are used on the new food labels.

Other considerations in choosing a cereal include whether or not it is whole grain, whether it contains organically produced ingredients, its vitamin/mineral fortification, and the cereal's fiber content.

Whole grain cereals contain whole wheat, rolled oats, or other whole grains rather than refined grains. Whole grain cereals have higher amounts of some vitamins and minerals than refined cereals do.

American Prairie, Arrowhead Mills, Erewhon, Health Valley, Lundberg's, Nature's Path, Roman Meal, and New Morning are examples of companies which use organic ingredients in many or all of their cereals.

Fortified cereals are commonly listed as a reliable source of vitamin B-12 for vegans. Table 2 shows the amounts of some fortified cereals which would have to be eaten to meet the RDA for vitamin B12. Other nutrients which may be added include iron, calcium, and vitamin D.

I contacted several cereal manufacturers to deter-mine the source of their added vitamins and minerals. Nabisco, Ralston, and Post did not use vitamins and minerals derived from animal products. Kellogg's purchases vitamin D from several suppliers. In some instances the vitamin D they use is derived from lanolin (from sheep's wool). General Mills also uses vitamin D derived from sheep's wool. Some vegetarians may opt for a cereal which has added vitamins and minerals; others may prefer to use other sources.

Fiber is mainly an issue for those who don't eat plenty of whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables. If you don't, you may want to choose a higher fiber cereal to prevent constipation and reduce risk of colon cancer.

When selecting a cereal, you should decide what factors are important to you and check the label for those factors. As I learned with Nutri-Grain, ingredients can change so it is important to review the label of your favorite product periodically.

TABLE 1: SELECTED CEREALS

Company abbreviation is given before the product name. Serving size is indicated in parentheses after each product. Products are ranked from highest to lowest fiber.

Product	Calories	Fiber (grams)	Added Vits/Mins*
BB Shredded Wheat (55 g)+	192	7	none
AP 5 Grain (1/3 c dry)+	100	6	none
P Grape-Nuts (1/2 c)+	220	6	Fe,B12,D
AM 7 Grain (1 c)+	140	5	none
AP Creamy Rice and Rye (1/2 c dry)+	150	5	none
Nab Spoon-Sized Shredded Wheat (1 c)+	170	5	none
NP Multi-Grain & Raisins (1 c)+	160	5	none
P Natural Bran Flakes (2/3 c)+	90	5	Fe,B12,D
Q Multi-Grain (40 g dry)+	130	5	none
R Wheat Chex (3/4 c)+	190	5	Fe,B12
RM Cream of Rye (1 c)	110	5	none
Wheatena (1 c)+	150	5	none
Product	Calories	Fiber (grams)	Added Vits/Mins*
AM Instant Oats Original (1 packet)+	100	4	none
AM Puffed Kamut (1 c)+	80	4	none
BB Multi-Grain Shredded Spoonfuls (3/4 c)+	120	4	none
CW Roasted 7 Grain (40 g dry)+	140	4	none
E Barley Plus (1/4 c dry)+	170	4	none
E Kamut Flakes (3/4 c)+	90	4	none
E Super O's (30 g)+	110	4	none
Nab Shredded Wheat 'n Bran (2/3 c)+	90	4	none
AM Bits o Barley (30 g)	100	3.5	none
AM Kamut (1 c)+	120	3	none
AM Spelt Flakes (1 c)+	100	3	none
CW Roasted Wheat (40 g dry)+	140	3	none
E Apple Stroodles (1c)+	90	3	none
E Raisin Bran (30 g)+	100	3	none
E Wheat Flakes (30 g)+	110	3	none
NP Millet Rice Oat Bran Flakes (3/4 c)+	120	3	none
P Grape-Nuts Flakes (3/4 c)+	100	3	Fe,B12,D
Q Whole Wheat Hot Natural (1 c)+	138	3	none
AM Bear Mush (1/4 c dry)+	160	2	none
AM Corn Flakes (1 c)	130	2	none
AM Puffed Wheat (1.2 c)+	108	2	none
AM Rice & Shine (1 c)	150	2	none
NM Fruit-e-o's (1 c)	110	2	none
NM Oatios (1 c)+	110	2	none
PG Nutty Rice (1/2 c)	210	2	none
Puffed Kashi (1 c)+	70	2	none
AM Puffed Millet (1.2 c)+	108	1	none
AM Puffed Rice (1-1/3 c)+	120	1	none
Corn Grits (40 g dry)	130	1	none
E Aztec (1 c)	100	1	none
E Corn Flakes (3/4 c)	100	1	none
E Crispy Brown Rice (1 c)+	110	1	none
E Poppets (1 c)+	110	1	none
Nab Cream of Wheat (1 c)	120	1	Fe
NM Corn Flakes (1 c)	120	1	none
Product	Calories	Fiber (grams)	Added Vits/Mins*
NM Kamutios (1 c)	120	1	none
Q Puffed Wheat (1-1/4 c)	50	1	none
Farina (1 c)	100	<1	Fe
R Corn Chex (1-1/4 c)	110	<1	Fe,B12
R Rice Chex (1 c)	120	0	Fe,B12
Q Puffed Rice (1 c)	50	0	none
SM Crispy Brown Rice (1 c)+	130	0	none
E Brown Rice Cream (40 g dry)+	146	na	none
E Instant Oatmeal, plain (1 packet)	125	na	none
G Corn Flakes (1-1/4 c)	110	na	none
L Hot & Creamy Rice (1 c)+	150	na	none
Nab Cream of Rice (1 c)	160	na	Fe

*Fe=iron added; B12=vitamin B-12 added; D=vitamin D added; +Whole Grain; na=not available

AM=Arrowhead Mills; AP=American Prairie; BB=Barbara's Bakery; CW=Cream of the West; E=Erewhon; G=Grainfield's; L=Lundberg; Nab=Nabisco; NM=New Morning; NP=Nature's Path; P=Post; PG=Pacific Grains; Q=Quaker; R=Ralston; RM=Roman Meal; SM=Stow Mills

TABLE 2: APPROXIMATE AMOUNTS OF VITAMIN B-12 FORTIFIED CEREAL NEEDED TO MEET RDA FOR VITAMIN B-12

Product	Children 4-6 Years	Children 7-10 Years	Teens & Adults	Pregnant Women
Corn Chex	5/6 c	1-1/4 c	1-2/3 c	1-7/8 c
Grape-Nuts	1/4 c	1/3 c	1/2 c	1/2 c
Grape-Nuts Flakes	1/2 c	3/4 c	1 c	1-1/8 c
Natural Bran Flakes	1/2 c	2/3 c	1 c	1 c
Rice Chex	2/3 c	1 c	1-1/3 c	1-1/2 c
Wheat Chex	1/2 c	3/4 c	1 c	1-1/8 c

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