The Best Lower-Sugar Cereals

by Dana Angelo White

Breakfast is supposed to get your day off to a healthy start, not fill you up on sugar. While breakfast cereals are convenient, many popular options are filled with empty calories. Shake some of the sugar out of your morning by reaching for these cereals instead.

Smarter Ways to Sweetness
Many popular cereals contain nearly 10 grams of sugar per serving — that’s nearly a tablespoon! Check food labels for cereals with less than 5 grams of sugar per serving for a better start to your morning.

Let’s be honest: Sugar tastes good. But cereal can still taste delicious without it. Start with a good base cereal (such as the six examples below), then add natural sweetness with fresh fruit like sliced bananas or berries, or add in chopped peaches or pears. For only a few extra calories, you’ll add great flavor, plus a morning dose of fiber and antioxidants.

Kashi 7 Whole Grain Puffs

This tasty blend of whole grains and seeds has zero grams of sugar, zero grams of sodium and a great crunch.

Barbara’s Classic Brown Rice Crisps

This simple (three-ingredient) cereal variety is sweetened with organic fruit juice concentrate and comes in at 1 gram of sugar per cup. Puffins cereal is another popular lower-sugar choice from the same brand.

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Corn Chex

There’s only 3 grams of sugar per cup for this gluten-free delight — and for only 120 calories per serving.

Nature’s Path Organic Flax Plus Multibran Flakes

A three-quarter-cup serving of this whole-grain cereal boasts 5 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein, making it a super-satisfying choice — and with only 4 grams of sugar.

Cheerios

This oldie but goodie breakfast staple contains only 1 gram of sugar per three-quarter cup. Make sure you stick to the plain variety — the others are much higher in sugar.

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Back to the Roots

This three-ingredient cereal is sweetened with organic cane sugar and has only 5 grams of sugar per one-cup serving.

Dana Angelo White, MS, RD, ATC, is a registered dietitian, certified athletic trainer and owner of Dana White Nutrition, Inc., which specializes in culinary and sports nutrition.

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