angelweave

May 20, 2004

Heather N. the Cereal Killer


Special K pisses me off. The website uses words like "nutrition" and markets itself as this wonder for anyone who's got a few pounds to drop. I've got a few words for Special K.

WHERE'S THE FREAKING FIBER?

It dances right around that with marketing text.
It's the cereal that started it all. Special K® lightly toasted rice flakes have just the right amount of crunch and substance to start the day off right. One serving holds eleven essential vitamins and minerals your body needs with a generous taste that satisfies. Kellogg's® Special K® is the cereal that puts you in a healthy frame of mind that includes eating smart all day long for a healthy way of life.
Oh, and it makes you click a nutritional info link TWICE before it gives you the reading. Here, click and click again.

Less than 1 gram of dietary fiber? What a crock.

Remember Total and it's "you'd have to eat 4 bowls of blah blah blah" to get the fiber in one bowl of total? You'd still have to eat 3+ bowls of Special K to get the whopping minute number of 3 grams in Total's new low-carb touted Total Protein. Uh, chances are that if you're living in America, you don't need more protein. But, perhaps I'm wrong and vegans are dancing everywhere with their milkless cereal.

Best two I've found so far are Post Raisin Bran at 8 grams per serving (Kellogg's has 7)and Kashi Cinna-Raisin Crunch (buy 10 boxes now!) at 10 grams per serving. We need fiber, people. Study after study has shown that fiber fills (and keeps that pesky colon cancer at bay). 25 grams per day - fiber recommendation.

We eat whole wheat pasta at the Noggle household. I prefer the texture of it, and, wow, what a benefit - 5 grams of fiber per serving. In a typical 2.5 serving dinner, check it out - that's 12 grams of fiber. (And then, of course, burn those carbs - that's what they're for!)

If you know of other high fiber cereals, tell me. Has to be at least 8 grams per serving. When I've got some spare time, I'll put a fruit/veggie fiber count per serving chart up.

hln

Posted by hln at May 20, 2004 02:50 PM | Nutrition
Comments

I knew there was a reason I'm addicted to Raisin Bran.

Posted by: Melissa at May 20, 2004 03:24 PM

I love Raisin Bran, and I have always preferred Post over Kellogg's (go figure). Yeah for FIBER!!!

Posted by: ReviewGuru at May 20, 2004 03:53 PM

Personally, I think any cereal that is composed mostly of air is designed to fill you up on water in the milk, not actual food.

POST :
SHREDDED WHEAT CEREAL ORIGINAL Dietary Fiber 6g
SHREDDED WHEAT CEREAL SHREDDED WHEAT 'N BRAN SPOON SIZE Dietary Fiber 8g

Kellogg's Dietary Fiber:
All-Bran® with Extra Fiber™ 13.0 g per 1/2 cup (26g)
Bran Buds® 13.0 g per 1/3 cup (30g)
All Bran® 10.0 g per 1/2 cup (31g)
Two Scoops® Raisin Bran 8.0 g per 1 cup (61g)
Cracklin' Oat Bran® 6.0 g per 3/4 cup (49g)
Frosted Mini-Wheats® Bite Size 6.0 g per 1 cup (49g)

Posted by: Courtney at May 20, 2004 04:45 PM

I prefer General Mills' Fiber One. 14 grams of fiber per half cup serving, and it tastes good, too (at least I think so). Half a cup in the morning, half a cup as a late-night snack and I'm covered.

As for whole wheat pasta, you can keep it. You like the texture but to me it has the texture of grossly undercooked pasta no matter how long I cook it.

Posted by: Mike at May 20, 2004 04:54 PM

Mike has not mastered al dente, I see. I don't like the sloppy pasta served in non-Italian restaurants - often WAY overcooked.

I'm a toothy gal.

As for the pure bran stuff, I should give that a shot with some added dates. I always add raspberries, blackberries, or blueberries (often two of the three) and eschew the milk (long story - used to love milk).

hln

Posted by: hln at May 20, 2004 08:03 PM

Heh...anyone else remember the "Colon Blow" commercial on SNL, featuring Phil Hartman? Classic.

Posted by: david at May 20, 2004 09:06 PM

Heather, I'm pretty sure the entire Kashi line is pretty high in fiber (7+ grams per serving).

Posted by: Victor at May 21, 2004 08:12 AM

I'm sooo glad you posted that about Special K!!!South Beach Diet recommends "Uncle Sam's Cereal", which has alot of flaxseed in it. just dont eat a big bowl or it might make you run for the bathroom at some point. lol. Also, Kashi has their GoLean Crunch.. 8 grams of fiber in it. I havent been able to find their Cinnamon-Raisin locally.

Posted by: Laura at May 22, 2004 07:48 AM

Heather, I cannot remember the name right now-it might be All Bran- but a 1/2 cup serving supplied around 13 grams of fiber. I used to eat a cup for breakfast. Trust me, it scrubs the intestinal walls like nobody's business. And it actually tastes okay, just a little bit chewy.

Whoops, I see someone has already mentioned it. Oh well.

Posted by: physics geek at May 25, 2004 08:56 AM

We've been rediscovering hot cereals too, though I just checked my Quaker Oats box, and 1/2 (dry) has only 4 grams of fiber. I usually add raisins or other fruit, so that ups the fiber considerably. And it's filling. Special K is so fluffy that I then look around for the main course after eating it.

Posted by: Deb Thompson at May 27, 2004 09:03 AM