FitSugar

Make Your Own Cereal With MojaMix

FitSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:00:56 -0800

Bored with Breakfast? MojaMix allows you to choose from an array of nutritious nibbles, so you can make your own personally customized cereal. It's really simple to do. Just choose your cereal base (granola, flakes, Os, etc.) that costs $4.99. Then choose as many dried fruits as you want including mango and goji berries, and you pay between $.40 and $1.30 for each, depending on what you choose. Then add nuts and seeds (they even have chia seeds), which cost between $.30 and $.90 for each. Then if you want, throw in some extras like raw cacao nibs. You get to name the cereal made especially by you, and when it arrives in the mail, it comes with the nutritional info on the bag.

See what my bowl of Good Morning Medley looks like when you read more.

Here's the cereal I made with these ingredients: Three Brothers (Wheat Flakes, Rye Flakes, Oat Flakes), Mango, Raisins, Almonds, Cashew Nuts, Cranberries, Blueberries, Cherries, Sunflower Seeds, and Walnuts. This hearty cereal is delicious with milk, yogurt, or heated up like oatmeal.

Studies Have Confirmed: Sugar, Models, and Clowns

FitSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:00:34 -0700

Some health studies make headlines and they seem quite shocking and sad, like this one from CNN: Tweens Challenged by Grown-Up Malady: Breast Cancer. Others bring out my inner fourth grader, and my response to them is sophisticated "no duh." But stories are often more complicated than their headlines, and it is nice to have scientific studies confirm a few assumptions.

Kids' Cereals Pour on the Sugar and Sodium - USA Today
A new study illustrates what we have long since learned by reading nutrition labels: cereals aimed at children have 85 percent more sugar, 65 percent less fiber, and 60 percent more sodium than cereal marketed to adults.

Models Strike a Chord in Self-Esteem - New York Times
A study to soon appear in the Journal of Consumer Research found that when women look at photos of models they think about their weight and their self-esteem is affected.

Talk on Your Cell, Risk Missing the Unicycling Clown - CNET
Pedestrians talking on their cell phones were considerably less likely to notice the conspicuously dressed clown riding a unicycle compared with other pedestrians. If you have ever ridden a bike on a city street, chances are high you probably already know this. Extrapolate this data to drivers and realize you need to bike, run, and walk defensively.

10 Cereals With 8 or More Grams of Fiber

FitSugar — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 05:50:54 -0700

We all could use a little extra fiber in our diets, since it's recommended that women eat between 25 and 30 grams a day. Not only does fiber keep you regular, but it can also help lower your cholesterol and prevent heart disease and certain cancers. Breakfast is a wonderful time to fill up on fiber-rich foods, so check out which cereals contain eight or more grams of fiber per serving.

View Slideshow ›

Food Review: Bear Naked Cereals

FitSugar — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:00:00 -0700

Bear Naked Fit Granola is a staple in my house, along with other cereals, since I like to mix cereals to reap the nutritional benefits of them all. So when I heard this company was making two new varieties of cereal - Banana Nut and Cranberry Raisin- I had to try them.

To find out what I thought and see how much fiber each serving contains read more.

Both flavors have satisfyingly thick flakes made from wheat and rice that taste hearty with a hint of sweetness. You see those little oat clusters? They add a nice crunchy texture that compliments the soft dried fruit. The Banana Nut cereal contains tons of sweetened banana chips, dried apples, and walnuts. The Cranberry Raisin cereal is full of raisins, sunflower seeds, cranberries, pepitas, and also has dried apples.

I can't really say which is my favorite, since they're both so full of bold flavor and texture. I was surprised that they both have eight grams or less of sugar per serving because the flakes taste so very sweet. I love how this cereal is high in fiber and protein, but low in calories and sodium. It's set to hit stores in mid to late June, so definitely look for it. Each 12.5 ounce bag costs $4.49. Since the ingredients are 100 percent natural, and the taste is 100 percent delicious, it's definitely worth it.

	3/4 cup Banana Nut	3/4 cup Cranberry Raisin
Calories	220	210
Total Fat	5 g	4.5 g
Saturated Fat	2.5 g	1 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	210 mg	140 mg
Carbs	43 g	41 g
Fiber	7 g	4 g
Sugar	13 g	15 g
Protein	5 g	5 g

Food Review: Organic Flax Plus - Red Berry Crunch

FitSugar — Mon, 11 May 2009 12:00:00 -0700

You can up your intake of omega-3 fatty acids at breakfast. Nature's Path, makers of Organic Flax Plus cereal, just came out with a new flavor: Red Berry Crunch. The recommended daily intake of omega-3s is 1.1 grams, and this cereal offers .5 grams per 3/4 cup serving. Not too shabby. How does this cereal taste though? To find out read more.

This cereal has satisfyingly thick flakes that taste hearty with a hint of sweet berry. The freeze-dried strawberries and raspberries scattered throughout have an airy texture (as you'd expect), but a strong flavor. I also found clusters of oats and puffed rice that were touched with a hint of cinnamon. Overall, when you enjoy all three together, it is subtly sweet and wholesome, and I enjoyed the crispy crunch. The only thing I missed were nuts. As you can see from the nutritional info, this cereal is a good source of fiber and protein. I have to be honest though, I prefer the flavor of Organic Flax Plus - Pumpkin Raisin Crunch.

Serving Size	3/4 cup
Calories	210
Total Fat	3.5 g
Saturated Fat	.5 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Sodium	160 mg
Carbs	39 g
Fiber	5 g
Sugar	10 g
Protein	6 g

Food Review: Dorset Cereals

FitSugar — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:00:00 -0700

I was tired of my usual cereals for breakfast, so I perused the shelves for a new one and found Super Cranberry, Cherry & Almond Dorset Cereals (about $5).

The creative packaging definitely caught my eye. I loved that you could see the dried cherries and cranberries floating around with flakes of cereal and seeds. I knew it looked good, but how did it taste? To find out read more.

With all those natural ingredients - 50 percent being fruit and seeds - this cereal was delicious. It reminded me of my homemade muesli recipe, but was even better because it was already made! It's great on its own, in yogurt, in milk, and was especially delicious with almond milk. I love the combination of the sweet chewy dried fruit and the crispy crunchy flakes. This is seriously my new favorite cereal because it's so wholesome and satisfying. It's also high in fiber and protein, and low in sodium and cholesterol. It seems high in fat, but it's mostly healthy fat from the almonds and sunflower seeds. I am definitely going to buy this cereal again, and am excited to try the other flavors including Berries and Cherries and Organic Fruit, Nuts & Seeds.

Serving Size	1/2 cup
Calories	200
Total Fat	4.5 g
Saturated Fat	.5 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Sodium	90 mg
Carbs	39 g
Fiber	4 g
Sugar	17 g
Protein	5 g

Food Review: Me & Goji Customized Cereal

FitSugar — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 04:30:00 -0800

I start every day with breakfast - it's the most important meal of the day - so cereal is a staple at my house. We mix types of cereals here to create personalized blends, so when I read about customized, artisanal cereal blends from Me & Goji, I was more than intrigued. The cereal makers were kind enough to indulge my curiosity and sent me a couple of their favorite creations, plus one of my own - FitSugar's Berry Trifecta featuring raspberries, blueberries, and mulberries.

You begin the process of customizing your blend by selecting a cereal base (about $5), from granola and museli to several types of whole grain flakes. Then you can choose from over 30 add-ins, like more grains, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, spices, even chocolate or cacao nibs.

To see what I thought of the cereal and some nutritional information read more.

I really like the "flaxed and flaked" cereal base (corn flakes fortified with sesame, flax, and amaranth seeds) used in Wintry Wake Up and pictured above. This cereal flavor includes goji berries, dried cranberries, dried apples, golden raisins, pumpkin seeds, and cinnamon, and these add-ins are plentiful. I never took a bite of plain flakes, and the cereal is tasty from flake to fruit. Mixed with plain yogurt, a 3/4-cup serving kept me full until about 10:30, my morning snack time. One serving of this cereal is 184 calories, with 4.8 grams of protein and 4.7 grams of fiber. The sugar content is 9 grams, due to sugar used to sweeten the cranberries and apples, as well as the natural sugars in the raisins. But the cereal doesn't taste sweet.

Each ingredient you add to your customized mix increases the price of the cereal, and a tube of Wintry Wake Up is $13. This seems pricey, but the stylish tube the cereal arrives in holds 15 servings of cereal, which is almost twice that of a normal box of cereal.

If you've ever had a hankering to design your own cereal, you should head on over to the Me & Goji website and play around. I might not be able to afford this cereal all the time, but it is a healthy indulgence I believe in. Have you ever ordered cereal from Me & Goji? If yes, describe your custom cereal below.

Cereal Wars: Mainstream Vs. Healthy Version

FitSugar — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 03:30:00 -0800

I grew up on mainstream cereals like Cocoa Puffs and Lucky Charms. I'm amazed I learned anything in school on a breakfast like that. As a label reader, I know they're made with tons of sugar, corn syrup, and enriched flour, so now I only buy healthy cereals made with whole grains.

Kashi and Barbara's are wonderful brands, and they make healthier versions of popular mainstream cereals. I wanted to see how they compared nutritionally. If you're curious too then read more.

3/4 cup of cereal	Calories	Fat (g)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Sugars (g)	Protein (g)
Cap'n Crunch	109	1.6	202	22.9	.7	11.8	1.2
Kashi Honey Sunshine	100	1.5	135	25	6	6	2

3/4 cup of cereal	Calories	Fat (g)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Sugars (g)	Protein (g)
Apple Cinnamon Cheerios	120	1.5	120	25	1	13	2
Barbara's Organic Apple Cinnamon O's	120	1.5	85	24	2	11	3

3/4 cup of cereal	Calories	Fat (g)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Sugars (g)	Protein (g)
Cocoa Puffs	120	1.5	150	23	1	12	1
Barbara's Organic Wild Puffs - Crunchy Cocoa	120	1	80	25	3	7	2

3/4 cup of cereal	Calories	Fat (g)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Sugars (g)	Protein (g)
Reese's Puffs	120	3	180	22	1	12	2
EnviroKidz Leapin' Lemurs	120	1.5	115	25	2	8	2

1 cup of cereal	Calories	Fat (g)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Sugars (g)	Protein (g)
Alpha-Bits	110	1	160	23	2	10	2
Kashi Mighty Bites	110	1.5	160	23	3	5	5

3/4 cup of cereal	Calories	Fat (g)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Sugars (g)	Protein (g)
Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch	110	2.5	200	21	1	9	2
Peanut Butter Panda Puffs	130	2.5	140	24	2	7	3

As you can see, the healthier versions really are better for you, containing less sodium and sugars, and more fiber and protein. Now I know they're worth the extra dough.

Healthy Recipe: Make Your Own Muesli

FitSugar — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 03:00:00 -0800

Muesli is a traditional breakfast cereal made from rolled oats, fruit, and nuts. Since it's full of such wholesome ingredients, it's really healthy. You can buy it prepackaged, but I prefer to make my own so I can add in extra tasty ingredients that not only add more vitamins and fiber, but enhance the flavor as well.

To see how I make mine, read more.

All you need is a big bowl and ingredients such as these:

Rolled oats
Corn flakes
Spelt flakes
Bran flakes
Puffed rice
Dried cranberries
Dried blueberries
Dried apples
Raisins
Almond slivers
Sunflower seeds
Flax seeds
Walnuts
Cashews
Cinnamon

Mix a cup each of three different grains, one cup of dried fruit, a half cup of nuts/seeds, and two tablespoons cinnamon. It makes about four 3/4-cup servings. Enjoy with milk or vanilla soymilk. It's a delicious, hearty breakfast that will keep you full until lunch.

Diet Tip: Mix Your Cereals

FitSugar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:00:00 -0700

I'm a fan of cereal for breakfast because it's quick, inexpensive, and a great way to add whole grains to my diet. The combination of the good carbs and fiber from the cereal, plus the calcium and protein from the milk make it a healthy breakfast choice. If you look at the nutritional info of cereals, they're all so different. Some are high in fiber but low on flavor. Some are high in protein but high in calories. So I like to mix my cereals to reap the benefits of them all.

Don't just eyeball your cereal parfait because you'll most likely end up with a 500-calorie bowl of breakfast. I take a measuring cup and mix three to five different cereals in it. Choose from cereals that contain at least three grams of fiber and three grams of protein per serving. Each cereal should be around 100 to 200 calories per serving and contain no more than 15 grams of sugar. You'll end up with a custom-made cereal that has a variety of textures and tastes, and it will also be full of fiber and protein.