Personally, I've never given a damn about "eating healthy"
I mean, I'm not going to try to live on a diet of entirely pizza and chocolate cake, but a lot of "unhealthy" foods... aren't that unhealthy, from what I can tell.
And "healthy" cereal food tastes like shit, anyway.
I eat multi grain cheerios a lot. Not because they're healthy, but because I think they taste amazing. Same with other healthy cereals I eat: I don't care about the healthiness, I just think they taste good.
Then again, I'm just a huge fan of the bread food group overall.
And I also eat Cinnamon Toast Crunch a lot, so I guess it evens out.
And to say I was nervous... it wouldn't be quite enough.Something that also gets overlooked in cereal is not only its high sugar content, but also it has a high sodium content. So it is a double whammy. If you really want to eat a cereal stick to something like Special K and put some fruit on it.
Devypu's~ Big Pony :3I shall cite my ramblings in an attempt look smart. Also, I used Wikipedia and Google as a basic way to find my sources.
The difference between sugary cereals and normal cereals is the fact that there is too much sugar. When there is too much sugar, it leads to obesity — our favorite epidemic. What is more fascinating is that we love high fructose corn syrup, which is everywhere from sugary cereals to Coke http://www.aces.edu/dept/extcomm/newspaper/mar12a03.html
and http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2010/03/3222/ucsf-lecture-sugar-and-obesity-goes-viral-experts-confront-health-cri
.
Basically, we are dying from sugar overdose. What Nat the Writer write is exactly right: sugary cereals are pretty much dessert. And they've, you said, only a small difference from normal cereals — they're still bad, but at least they have class.
Now, let's talk about nutrients. There are two types of nutrients: natural and synthetic. Natural comes along with the product. This means you should eat cereal at a farm; it is the most unprocessed and natural product: a true organic food for consumption. On the other hand, the synthetic nutrients, sporting fantastic labels like "fortified" and "added with Vitamin C!", are not; they are meant to replaced the natural nutrients. Fun fact: they aren't as good! http://www.organicconsumers.org/nutricon/qa.cfm
That's why I stopped eating cereal. I might as well go to KFC and eat some chicken skins.
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I like to talk about how the FDA is a complete nutcase when it comes to organic foods. It is misleading that "healthy" or "organic" cereals are apparently edible. The FDA has the following labels: 100% Organic (for 100% organic), organic (at least 95%), and made with organic ingredients (for 75% organic). http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=45053972c4e93c824ef520cece5d661e&rgn=div8&view=text&node=7:3.1.1.9.32.2.354.3&idno=7
and http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/organic.html
The former is of course linking to the actual thing while the latter talks about how fascinating the organic food industry really is, from a guy who has his own Wikipedia page.
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Nevertheless, food education needs to be taught more. The only Michael Pollan's only good book that isn't talking about how vegetarianism is awesome — aka The Omnivore's Dilemma — is a fascinating read if you are interested in food.
edited 21st Feb '12 2:28:30 PM by Trollkastel
Tea is best served with fellow monsters. | MALFun fact: you are still eating dessert once every morning.
Tea is best served with fellow monsters. | MALBreakfast is definitely essential unless you're jetlagged and woke up at noon.
For starters, you need some bits of calories to awaken yourself. People who feel groggy and have lesser ability to concentrate usually don't eat breakfast. It is a hassle, yes, but if you want to function properly, grab a toast.
Cereal is bad anyway. Eggs are better since they are a source of protein.
edited 21st Feb '12 2:37:31 PM by Trollkastel
Tea is best served with fellow monsters. | MALEh, eggs I can only eat when the mood strikes me. Most of the time they make me feel sick, and often they don't want to stay down for me. I love eggs, but they sure hate me.
Also, I love cereal. Even if it kills me, I'll keep eating it. Not that it really matters, since I rarely ever have time for breakfast anymore anyway. No, my real problem is that I'm a Coke addict.
edited 21st Feb '12 3:34:50 PM by 0dd1
Insert witty and clever quip here. My page, as the database hates my handle.With the exception of Lucky Charms (which don't even really count because it's the marshmallows that are good, and the cereal sucks, so it's in its own category) and Kix I like "healthy" cereal way more than regular stuff. Bran flakes, crispix, and plain ol' cheerios are plenty tasty, so I don't need frosted flakes or honey nut cheerios or anything.
Oatmeal...ick. When I eat it, I feel like I'm eating vomit. *shudder*
Insert witty and clever quip here. My page, as the database hates my handle.When I do have breakfast in the morning, I have cereal, because I cannot stand any bacon, eggs, sausage, toast. It is always greasy and always stays with me, I feel heavy and leaden most of the day.
The only food I'd have for breakfast normally is Honey-roasted peanuts.
Very big Daydream Believer. "That's not knowledge, that's a crapshoot!" -Al Murray "Welcome to QI" -Stephen FryWhen I was small, I was addicted to Dinosaur Egg Oatmeal
◊. They were boxes of oatmeal with sugary bits that went from looking like eggs to looking like dinosaurs. Gosh, I've gotta get my hands on one of those boxes again...

Why do sugary cereals get such a bad rap? If you actually look at the Nutritional Facts on say, Cocoa Puffs, they have just as much nutrients as other "healthy" cereals, and not that much more sugar. There's also the fact that other cereals that claim to be healthy, aren't really. For example, Raisin Bran has almost three times as much sugar as Cocoa Puffs.
So why the bad wrap for being "pure sugar", when they have plenty of nutrients.