Healthy Breakfast Alternatives to Boxed Cereal

Cereal. I have to tell you cereal is one of my favorite foods. I think it is my favorite food. I could live off of cereal, all day, every day. I can go on and on with the reasons why I love cereal. But here’s the thing, it’s not the healthiest breakfast option. For you or your children. I know it’s easy and it tastes good, but one of the first steps in changing your diet is to change your breakfast options. As much as my heart loves cereal (and maybe yours too) it is time to ditch the cereal and opt for a more nutrient dense breakfast.

I do have to let you know something. When I was pregnant I had some pretty strong food aversions. They went on far into the second trimester. At about 13 weeks I needed to get more calories in my diet and I had been so good at avoiding grains. Then one day I had this craving for cereal. I told you my heart literally loves cereal. We went to the co-op and got a GMO-free corn cereal that had 4 ingredients, one of them being salt and sweetened with fruit juice. It was totally magical and solved a lot of my aversions to food. As long as I could have something as good as cereal for breakfast I could eat the rest of the day. When in Rome was my motto. Or as I learned, when pregnant sometime a few food restrictions go out the window for sanity’s sake. Oh, and calorie’s sake too because the baby needed to eat more. But now, it’s a cereal free zone in our home.

Let’s take a look at a common breakfast cereal nutrition label: Lucky Charms!

Look at those ingredients… Can you believe it? This is in a highly advertised children’s cereal. And this cereal is promoting its health benefits. “Nourishing Lives” “Whole grains first ingredient”. Based on the ingredients, do you think that these are NOURISHING? That is not what I consider a nourishing food, especially a food that is meant to feed growing and developing children.

I want to point out more claims that this cereal makes.

It says “More Whole Grain” and they are a “Good Source of Calcium and Vitamin D”. Can you seriously say that a processed powdered and marshmallow cereal be a good source of calcium + vitamin D? What about raw, grass-fed, fermented dairy? (Example: Kefir). That is an amazing source of  Vitamin D and Vitamin K2 which help your body absorb calcium. It also comes from a whole food source (naturally occurring) versus being created cheaply in a laboratory and shoved into a cheap cereal. I feel these claims are pretty lofty, don’t you?

Let’s dig into some of the ingredients listed above:

1. Sugars: Corn Syrup, Dextrose, Sugar. There are 3 types of sugar in this cereal. There are 10 grams of sugar per 3/4 cup serving. I know that not many people eat just 3/4 cup. So if you have 1.5 cup, that’s 20 grams of sugar. WAY too much for anyone to start their day off with. This is going to increase blood sugar and insulin levels a ton. And then the kids are going to have a crash mid-morning because of the sugar. The crash is most likely going to make a kid crabby, decrease their focus, and make them feel really hungry. They probably won’t be able to make it to lunch without a snack because their breakfast didn’t have good fats and protein to keep them full and focused. Now, not all cereals have the same serving size, some are more and some are less. Some cereals have more sugar and some less. If you are going to choose a cereal, make sure the sugar content is very low (less than 4g of sugar). They are definitely the plain cereals, but you can always sprinkle on a little stevia for added sweetness. 

2. Artificial Colors: Yellow 5&6, blue 1, yellow 40. There are 4 different artificial colors in this cereal. The artificial colors are known excitotoxins. They excite your neurons to the point of death, and all excitotoxins are addicting. So you are feeding kids something their brain will crave more of. They will be addicted to this colorful and sugary cereal. Colors have also been traced to hypersensitivity, tumors, decreased focus, and most likely many more issues.

Just take a look at these colors in the marshmallows: 

3. Plethora of added Vitamins and Minerals: I am all for nutrients, vitamins and minerals. But not a huge fan of these added vitamins that are made in a laboratory or factory. They are added just to make the cereal sound better. Naturally, Lucky Charms aren’t a good source of vitamins! But if you add them into the cereal, you can make the claims it is a good source of vitamins and minerals.

What are some breakfast alternatives for kids?

1. Smoothies: I love smoothies for breakfast. Both for adults and kids. You can make almost any flavor of smoothie. My favorite is with a coconut milk base with frozen strawberries and whey protein. To add more nutrients, add in a handful or two of fresh spinach. You can’t taste it, so it’s a secret added healthy ingredient. Try my recipes here and here.

2. Eggs with cheese: Make eggs any way you want with melted cheese on top. Throw a little fruit on the side of the plate and you have a perfect meal. Oh, and add some more fat by a few slices of avocado.

3. Yogurt with Fruit and Granola: Buy (or make) grass-fed, full-fat, plain cow’s milk yogurt or full fat goat’s milk plain yogurt with some fresh or frozen fruit. Top with a little bit of granola for some extra crunch. Try my grain free granola here OR my ancient grains granola.

4. Baked breakfast Quinoa: This is a healthier alternative to oatmeal and uses quinoa, which is an ancient grain. (I’ve even read some call it a seed). Mixed prepared quinoa with cinnamon, stevia, and some organic cream or coconut milk.

Breakfast is a hard one for some mom’s to know what to prepare for kids. Honestly, it can be a hard meal for anyone. Breakfast time tends to be more of a rushed meal of the day, so the easier you can make it, the better. You can do hard-boiled eggs and have them ready for the morning. Pre-make the baked quinoa and just heat it up. Or make 1 extra large smoothie for everyone in the family and you have a one-dish wonder for breakfast. You can get as creative as you want or as simple as you want. I tend to go really simple for breakfast and spend more time and energy on my healthy desserts. But that’s just me.

What are some of your favorite breakfasts?

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