When it comes to breakfast choices, a lot of us opt for a cold cereal because it’s quick and easy to eat in the morning. The cereal aisle in most grocery stores is usually really long and we can be bombarded by all the choices! A lot of them appear to be healthy, but are they? One popular choice is Kellogg’s Raisin Bran Crunch cereal. With the the word “bran” featured prominently in its name, it sounds like it would be a healthy choice, right? Well, let’s look at the nutrition information to find out. We’ve listed the nutrition facts for the dry cereal (without the milk included) and bolded the sugar in the ingredient list to help:

Serving Size: 1 cup

Calories: 190

Total Carbohydrate: 45g

Dietary Fiber: 4g

Sugar: 19g

Protein: 4g

Ingredients: Whole grain wheat, Sugar, Raisins, Rice, Wheat Bran, Whole Grain Oats, Brown Sugar Syrup, Glycerin, Corn Syrup, contains 2% or less of salt, malt flavor, modified corn starch, molasses, palm oil, cinnamon, honey, natural and artificial flavor, BHT for freshness.

The verdict: The one positive in this cereal is that the first ingredient is whole grain wheat. There are 45 grams of carbohydrates, but only 4 grams of fiber make up the carbohydrates. There are also 19 grams of sugar. A lot of them must be added sugars considering that sugar is the second ingredient and there are 2 other types of sugars listed. There is some protein but it’s only 4 grams, which isn’t a whole lot. A bariatric patient should get 80-100 grams of protein per day for a man and 60-80 grams for a woman. Sure the milk will add some additional protein, but this cereal won’t get you very far toward your goal.

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In short, if you must have cereal for breakfast, there are better choices out there. One is Kashi GOLEAN Original, which gives you more fiber and protein and less sugar in a larger portion size (see image for nutrition facts). Pouring a half-cup of milk into your bowl will add another 4 grams of protein.

Keep in mind though that a nutritious breakfast should include should include a lean protein, such as an egg white or a fat-free dairy product, a vegetable and a small amount of fruit or a whole grain. An ideal breakfast might include a omelet with veggies and a slice of whole grain toast.