Cereal Vs. Ice Cream

This past week I had the privilege of leading a nutrition supermarket tour. When my tour group came to the cereal aisle, many of my participants had a very eye-opening experience about all of the sugar in "healthy cereal" products. In talking about carbohydrates and sugar, one woman had a very interesting comment, "With that much sugar, I could have just had my bowl of ice cream for a snack. I thought I was being healthier by having cereal."

After the tour, I was curious to see how cereal, a so called wholesome breakfast, really stacked up to a bowl of ice cream. Here begins my investigation:

Raisin Bran (w/o Milk)(1 cup): 
-Calories: 190    -Total Fat: 1g       -Sodium: 210mg    -Total Carbs: 46g
-Fiber: 7g    -Sugars: 18g    -Protein: 5g  
-Additional Vitamins and Minerals

Raisin Bran (with skim milk)(1 cup): 
-Calories: 230    -Total Fat: 1g       -Sodium: 275mg    -Total Carbs: 52g
-Fiber: 7g    -Sugars: 24g    -Protein: 9g

Special K (with skim milk)(3/4 cup):
-Calories: 160    -Total Fat: 1g       -Sodium: 205mg    -Total Carbs: 33g
-Fiber: 3g    -Sugars: 16g    -Protein: 6g
  
Choc Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream (1/2 cup):
-Calories: 160    -Total Fat: 9g      -Sodium: 65mg       -Total Carbs: 20g
-Fiber: 0g    -Sugars: 14g    -Protein: 2g
-Vitamin A and Vitamin C

Chocolate Ice Cream (1/2 cup):
-Calories: 150    -Total Fat: 7g       -Sodium: 45mg    -Total Carbs: 19g
-Fiber: 1g    -Sugars: 14g    -Protein: 2g
-Vitamin A and Vitamin C

So, we have similar calorie ranges, especially with the ice cream and Special K cereal. The ice creams have a higher fat content and lower protein content; however, they have less sugar, calories, and sodium. The cereals have more sodium, carbohydrates and sugars; however, they also have fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals.

What does that leave us with? Well, the cereals are a good source of fiber and protein, at the expense of too much sugar and sodium intake. I'm not sure how many people really measure out their cereals in the morning anyway. Most of the time, cereal is just poured in the bowl and eaten. Unless you measure your cereal (kudos to you), you will be likely multiplying all of the nutritional information by 2.

In terms of which is a "healthier snack," I would go for what tastes better. In the end, they both have a high carb/sugar content, as opposed to healthier snacks (like veggies, nuts, seeds, or fresh fruit). I really suggest checking the sugar content of your favorite cereals. If you have never took notice of the nutrition label, you may be surprised at how much sugar you are consuming. While cereal does have extra vitamins, minerals, protein (mostly due to the milk added), and fiber, it is not a significant amount to make a difference if you are eating an overall healthy diet. Most cereals are "enriched" with vitamins and minerals anyway, so they aren't really a "natural" source to begin with. Depending on the cereal, and ice cream, you choose, you may even end up with more skewed results than I found.

Some final advice:
1. Always read the nutrition label! Look at the ingredient list too. Ingredients are listed by weight, in descending order.
2. If sugar is one of the first 4 ingredients, skip it!
3. Compare products. Check out all of the nutrients and see which is the best option.
4. Be mindful of portion sizes. Read the serving size and compare it to what you are normally eating.
5. If all else fails, have a little splurge and enjoy what you are eating!

http://www.turkeyhill.com/products/premium-ice-cream-flavors.aspx?pID=431

nutritiondata.self.com/facts/sweets/5547/2

Eat This, Not That: Supermarket Edition

There are thousands of options when you go to the grocery store. Just peak down the cereal aisle and you will see at least 50 different options. Which ones are the healthiest?! Welcome to Eat This, Not That Supermarket Edition!

Cereals
Eat This: Kashi GOLEAN
               140 calories, 1g fat, 0g saturated fat, 6g sugar, 10g fiber
Not That: Post Banana Nut Crunch
               240 calories, 6g fat, .5g saturated fat, 12g sugar, 4g fiber
-Two key things to look for on the cereal label are high fiber and low sugar.

Yogurt
Eat This: Dannon Light and Fit Strawberry Yogurt
               60 calories, 0g fat, 90mg sodium, 7g sugar
Not That: Dannon Fruit on the Bottom Strawberry Banana
               150 calories, 1.5g fat, 1g saturated fat, 95mg sodium, 26g sugar

-Two key things to look for in yogurt are low sodium and sugar and high protein.

Breakfast Meats
Eat This: Banquet Brown'N Serve Turkey Sausage
               110 calories, 7g fat, 2g saturated fat, 380mg sodium
Not That: Banquet Brown'N Serve Original Links
               200 calories, 18g fat, 6g saturated fat, 490mg sodium

-Two key things to look for with breakfast meats are low saturated fat and sodium.

Peanut Butters
Eat This: Simply Jif
Not That: Skippy Creamy
               -Both have similar amounts of calories and fat; however, the natural peanut butters don't have added sugars.

Soups
Eat This: Campbell's Healthy Request Tomato Soup
               90 calories, 1.5g fat, .5g saturated fat, 400mg sodium
Not That: Campbell's Tomato Bisque Soup
               130 calories, 3.5g fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 880mg sodium
-Two key things to look for in soups are low sodium and saturated fat.

Nuts
Eat This: Raw Pistachios or Whole Natural Almonds
               -Pistachios provide phytosterols that decrease bad cholesterol
               -1 oz. almonds provides half of the Vitamin E you need in a day
Not That: Planter's Dry Roasted Peanuts
               -Peanuts are the lowest nut in nutritional value with minimal antioxidants.

-Don't worry about the fat content for nuts. Most of this will (should) come from the monounsaturated fatty acids.

Frozen Entrees
Eat This: Healthy Choice Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
               300 calories, 5g fat, 2g saturated fat, 430mg sodium
Not That: Maria Calendar's Fettucine with Chicken and Broccoli
               630 calories, 37g fat, 15g saturated fat, 900mg sodium
-Two key things to look for with frozen entrees are low sodium and saturated fat.

Cheese
Eat This: Athenos Traditional Feta 
               80 calories, 6g fat, 3.5g saturated fat, 330mg sodium
Not That: Treasure Cove Blue Cheese
               100 calories, 8g fat, 5g saturated fat, 380mg sodium

-Two key things to look for with cheese are low saturated fat and sodium.


When reading a food label, remember to look at the protein, fat, fiber, salt, and carbohydrate content. Also, sugar should not be one of the first 4 ingredients listed on a food label. 

As a final note, try to shop the outside perimeters of the grocery store as much as possible (that is where all the healthy foods are)!


Zinczenko D. Eat this not that. New York, NY. 2008.