Best Tasting Health Cereals from Bon Appetit

This blog on Bon Appetit Magazine is doing a taste test tour of supermarket foods. I love the Quaker Oat Squares for dry snacking. Kashi GoLean is a great high protein (soy) cereal that works for breakfast & snacking. Barbara's Bakery also have gluten-free Puffins.

Supermarket Standoff: Healthy Cereals
4:00 PM / August 10, 2010 / Posted by Julia Bainbridge

Call them healthy, call them grown-up; whatever you want to call them, this group of cereals doesn't include Fruit Loops and Cap'n Crunch. We wanted to find out which were the best tasting out of the so-called "healthy" cereals sold in national supermarkets. So we compiled a list of thirteen boxes, picked them up along with some milk, and settled in our conference room early this Monday morning to crunch, much, and scribble on score sheets. Flakes, squares, clusters--all shapes and sizes were included. We also got nutritionist Sandra Frank to weigh in, breaking down which three cereals are the best for you out of the already good-for-you pack. Find both our winners for taste and Frank's picks for health after the jump.

The Results:

Our Favorites for Flavor

TIED FOR #1

Quaker Oatmeal Squares
Nutrition: Serving size 1 cup = 210 calories, 2.5g fat, 250mg sodium, 210mg potassium, 44g carbs, 10g sugars, 6g protein, 10% vitamin A, 50% vitamin C, 0% calcium, 10% iron, 100% vitamin E, etc.
Cost: $4.29 at Stop & Shop in Glen Cove, NY
Blind Tasting Notes: "Hearty and substantial"; "Not too sweet"; "Nice crunch/density"; "A good snacking cereal"


Barbara's Bakery Shredded Spoonfuls
Nutrition: Serving size 3/4 cup = 120 calories, 1.5g total fat, 200mg sodium, 125mg potassium, 24g carbs, 5g sugars, 4g protein, 0% vitamin A, 8% vitamin C, 2% calcium, 4% iron, 4% vitamin E
Cost: $3.69 at Whole Foods in New York, NY
Blind Tasting Notes: "Has some sweetness but not a ton"; "Crispy"; "Crunchy and slightly sweet"


Barbara's Bakery Puffins
Nutrition: Serving size 3/4 cup = 90 calories, 1g total fat, 190mg sodium, 85mg potassium, 23g carbs, 5g sugars, 2g protein, 0% vitamin A, 25% vitamin C, 0% calcium, 2% iron
Cost: $3.49 at Whole Foods in New York, NY
Blind Tasting Notes: "Delish!"; Cinnamon-y"; "Surprisingly good if it's healthy"; "Wonderfully crisp texture and light sweetness"; "Light but crunchy"

#2

Whole Foods Market 365 Everyday Value Raisin Bran
Nutrition: Serving size 1 cup = 200 calories, 0.5g fat, 210mg sodium, 210mg potassium, 44g carbs, 15g sugars, 6g protein, 0% vitamin A, 0% vitamin C, 2% calcium, 15% iron
Cost: $2.69 at Whole Foods in New York, NY
Blind Tasting Notes: "Like Raisin Bran with more heft"; "A very crunchy flake"; "Nice sweetness"; "Like the raisins, but flakes are tough to chew"


TIED FOR #3

Cheerios
Nutrition: Serving size 1 cup = 100 calories, 2g fat, 190mg sodium, 170mg potassium, 20g carbs, 1g sugars, 3g protein, 10% vitamin A, 10% vitamin C, 10% calcium, 45% iron, 10% vitamin D
Cost: $4.49 at Whole Foods in New York, NY
Blind Tasting Notes: "Yummy"; Classic"; "Almost burnt grainy flavor--tastes healthy"; "Light"; "This is what I ate as a kid"; "The old standby; a workhorse"

Fiber One Honey Clusters
Nutrition: Serving size 1 cup = 160 calories, 1.5g fat, 230mg sodium, 180mg potassium, 44g carbs, 6g sugars, 3g protein, 20% vitamin A, 0% vitamin C, 10% calcium, 25% iron, 15% vitamin D, 70% vitamin E
Cost: $4.99 at Stop & Shop in Glen Cove, NY
Blind Tasting Notes: "Caramel/butterscotch flavor"; Nice maple syrup note"; "Good crunch, good cluster, nice plain flake"

Nutritionist Sandra Frank's Picks
Note: "Adding variety helps you obtain the different nutrients you need, as well as keeping your meals interesting," says Frank. In other words, these cereals are healthy, but eating them every morning is not.

#1 Cheerios
Nutrition: Serving size 1 cup = 100 calories, 2g fat, 190mg sodium, 170mg potassium, 20g carbs, 1g sugars, 3g protein, 10% vitamin A, 10% vitamin C, 10% calcium, 45% iron, 10% vitamin D
Cost: $4.49 at Whole Foods in New York, NY
Frank's Comments: "Cheerios is lowest in calories per one cup serving. It is considered low in fat and a good source of fiber. For those watching your waistline, this is the best choice. In addition, Cheerios provides 45% of the daily value of iron."
Our Assessment: We ranked this in third place, so it's good news that it's also healthy. We should note, though, that some of us weren't fans of this cereal, commenting that it tastes like cardboard or sawdust.

#2 Kashi GoLean
Nutrition: Serving size 1 cup = 140 calories, 1g fat, 85mg sodium, 480mg potassium, 30g carbs, 6g sugars, 13g protein, 0% vitamin A, 0% vitamin C, 6% calcium, 10% iron
Cost: $3.49 at Whole Foods in New York, NY

Frank's Comments: "Need fiber? Go with Kashi GoLean. It scored highest in fiber, protein, and potassium and the lowest in sodium per serving. It is defined as a low fat, low sodium, and high fiber food."
Our Assessment: Uh oh. "Tastes about as dull as rice cakes. Does nothing for me"; "Too mealy and dry"; Yuck. No flavor and weird texture." Those were some of the comments we received about Kashi GoLean. Some of us were more into it, though: "Great assortment of textures and flavors"; "Nice sweetness." And some were confessional: "I eat this at home because I know it's healthy, but it really tastes like cardboard."

#3 Barbara's Bakery Puffins
Nutrition: Serving size 3/4 cup = 90 calories, 1g total fat, 190mg sodium, 85mg potassium, 23g carbs, 5g sugars, 2g protein, 0% vitamin A, 25% vitamin C, 0% calcium, 2% iron
Cost: $3.49 at Whole Foods in New York, NY

Frank's Comments: "Barbara's Bakery Puffins came in as the second lowest in calories. It is a low fat and a high fiber food. The ratio of fiber to calories placed it third. The good outweighs the lower iron content, but make sure you include iron-rich foods throughout the day. Some foods rich in iron include: lean meats, liver, seafood, shrimp, salmon, poultry, eggs (yolks contain iron), kidney beans, lima beans, black beans, pinto beans, soy beans and lentils; dark green vegetables (spinach, collard greens, mustard greens, broccoli, asparagus, swiss chard); nuts and; dried fruits."

Our Assessment: Hooray! We ranked this number one! We urge you to go for Barbara's Puffins if you want a healthy cereal that tastes scrumptious.

"There were a lot of factors to consider, so I turned to the labeling laws and the diet manual for assistance," says Frank. Nutrition ratings considered the following:

1.A food is considered low fat if it has 3 grams or less fat per serving.
2.A good source of fiber contains 10 to 19 percent of the daily value for fiber (2.5 to 4.75 grams) per serving.
3.Low sodium is defined as a food containing 140 milligrams or less sodium per serving.
4.Lowest calories per one cup (not per serving).
5.Iron fortification.