According to the NHS, a cereal low in sugar should be 5g of sugars or less per 100g. 5 grams of sugar equates to approximately 1 teaspoon of sugar.
A cereal high in sugar would be 22.5g (4 teaspoonfuls!) of total sugars per 100g or more.
So is your cereal as healthy as you think?
Here are some of the UK favourites
* Nestle Shredded Wheat
0.7g of sugar per 100g
*Ready Break
1g of sugar per 100g
* Kelloggs Rice Krispies
7.9g of sugar per 100 g
Nestle Shreddies
13g of sugar per 100g
Jordan’s Super Nutty Granola
16.4g of sugar per 100g
Kelloggs All Bran
16.7g of sugar per 100grams
Good for fibre, filling you up and low in calories, not so great for sugar
Kelloggs Coco Pops
17g of sugar per 100grams
Nestle Cheerios (multigrain)
18g per 100g serving
Honey Monster Puffs
22g of sugar per 100 g
Kelloggs Frosties
37g of sugar per 100 g
There is quite a range there! So if I want a healthy breakfast cereal, what should I be looking for?
For a healthier option, make your own granola or muesli. Or, look at cereals that contain wholegrains and that are lower in fat, sugar and salt e.g. wholewheat cereals and porridge oats.
Cereals with lower sugar content are naturally better for people with diabetes so it can be a good idea to check the packaging of your favourite cereal just to see the sugar content. It might surprise you.
Wholegrains contain fibre and B vitamins and fibre helps keep our digestive systems healthy.
Consider adding milk or yoghurt to your cereal for calcium or add fruit or fruit juice to your breakfast for part of your daily fruit intake.
What do you have for breakfast?
