Cereal Killer

When I was growing up, my mom had a rule I thought was cruel and unusual punishment. She absolutely refused to buy any cereal in which sugar was listed as one of the top three ingredients. As a typical kid, I often railed against this stringent decree and took it upon myself to gorge on these forbidden cereals whenever I spent the night out. I vowed that when I became a mom, I wouldn't perpetrate such injustice on my own children.

Fast-forward some 30+ years and I daresay, I've taken my mom's dietary rules to a whole new level!

Which is why I was especially dismayed to read the latest study from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) related to the health of cereals marketed to kids (or should I say, lack of health).

The study found that many of the top selling cereals, often marketed as "nutritious" are anything but -- filled with enough sugar, fat and/or sodium to rival treats like cookies and cake. Topping the list of the worst offenders was Kellogg's Honey Smacks (lest we forget it was actually named "Sugar Smacks" when I was a kid).

Don't be fooled by the honey hype. Honey Smacks packs 56 percent sugar by weight and one cup contains more sugar than a Twinkie (20grams vs 18grams). And by the way, the first three ingredients of Honey Smacks are sugar, wheat and corn syrup. Actual honey is listed as making up less than two percent of the total. Nearly 50 other name-brand cereal portions are filled with as much sugar as three Chip's Ahoy cookies, including Honey Nut Cheerios and Apple Jacks.

I'll admit, I'm a big label reader when it comes to food my kids eat. But I know I'm not the norm and it so sad that unsuspecting parents are being duped into giving their kids unhealthy fare to start their day (yes, I'm talking to you, Nutella, with your misleading commercials!)

This is just another reminder that you can't believe what you see when it comes to your kids' health. Take time to read more than just the splashy graphics on the front of the box. Just because a product touts that it contains "whole grain" or is even organic, doesn't mean that tells the whole story. Check out the ingredients yourself to get a scoop on the real nutrition and you'll really get your kids' days off to a good start!

To read more on the EWG cereal study, click here.