There’s nothing better than tucking into a delicious bowl of cereal in the morning. Even though cereal is super tasty, it’s not always the healthiest breakfast snack. Luckily for us, there are plenty of healthy cereal options on the market that are wholesome, nutritious, and great tasting.
Sections
Cheerios Whole-Grains Oats
Cheerios is one of the most famous cereal brands in the world. Manufactured by General Mills, Cheerios have been on the shelves since 1941. Over the years, there have been many different variations and flavors released, with Whole-Grains Oats being one of the brand’s most nutritious offerings.
With just 1g of sugar per serving and high levels of iron, fiber, and calcium in every bowl, Cheerios Whole-Grains Oats is a great way to kickstart your day.
Nutrition Facts
Each serving of Cheerios Whole-Grains Oats contains the following:
- Total Fat 2.5g
- Saturated Fat 0.5g
- Trans Fat 0g
- Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
- Monounsaturated Fat 1g
- Cholesterol 0g
- Sodium 190mg
- Total Carbohydrate 29g
- Dietary Fiber 4g
- Soluble Fiber 1g
- Total Sugars 2g
- Incl. Added Sugars 2g
- Protein 5g
Ingredients
As you might expect, this healthy cereal is primarily made up of whole-grain oats, with other ingredients added for binding and flavor.
- Whole Grain Oats
- Corn Starch
- Sugar
- Salt
- Tripotassium Phosphate
- Vitamin E
Is Cheerios Oats Cereal Healthy?
Cheerios Whole-Grains Oats is the brand’s healthiest breakfast cereal. It remains a healthy option when compared to other cereals on the market too. Cheerios Oats has a low sugar content with a very limited amount of saturated fat.
Is Cheerios Oats Cereal Gluten-Free?
Oats are naturally gluten-free, and there are no other gluten-containing ingredients in the Cheerios recipe. However, General Mills is keen to note that there’s a chance other gluten-containing grains could get into their oats accidentally during farming practices.
Is Cheerios Oats Cereal Vegan?
Cheerios Oats doesn’t contain any animal-derived products, meaning the cereal is suitable for vegans. Some other Cheerios products, such as the Honey Nut variety, contain vitamin D derived from sheep’s wool.
Is Cheerios Oats Cereal Keto?
Cheerios Oats contains 29g of carbohydrate in every serving. Since a Keto diet focuses on low-carb, high-fat eating, Cheerios do not fit the requirements.
Is Cheerios Oats Cereal High in Protein?
Cheerios Oats contain 5g of protein per serving, which is equivalent to around 10% of most people’s recommended daily intake. For a breakfast cereal, Cheerios Oats is relatively high in protein.
Is Cheerios Oats Cereal High in Fiber?
Each bowl of Cheerios Oats contains 4 grams of fiber. In terms of the recommended intake value, this covers around 18% of an adult’s daily requirement.
This isn’t as high as some of the other cereals on this list, but you’re still getting almost a fifth of your daily intake with a single bowl of Cheerios.
Cheerios Oats Cereal Store Brand Alternatives
Since Cheerios are so popular, it makes sense that big stores would want to produce their own, more affordable alternatives. One of your best options is Walmart’s Toasted O’s. Toasted O’s has a similar nutritional breakdown to Cheerios Oats and even contains less added sugar!
Where You Can Buy Cheerios Oats Cereal
Many of the major grocery store chains, such as Walmart and Costco, stock a variety of Cheerios flavors. You can also find Cheerios Oats on Amazon and other online retailers.
Famous Cheerios Oats Cereal Commercials
There have been a few famous Cheerios adverts over the years. Perhaps the most iconic is the Cheerios “jingle ad” from 1979. The commercial features a family out on the ski slopes, with the Cheerios song playing in the background.
Barbara’s Puffins
Puffins Cereal is Barbara’s best-selling breakfast product. Marketed toward health-conscious families, the cereal aims to balance good nutrition with a taste that kids will absolutely adore. Puffins come in a range of flavors, so there’s bound to be something that your family will love.
Nutrition Facts
A standard serving (40g) of Puffins Original Cereal contains the following:
- Calories 13o
- Total Fat 1g
- Saturated Fat 0g
- Trans Fat 0g
- Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5g
- Monounsaturated Fat 0.5g
- Cholesterol 0mg
- Sodium 210mg
- Total Carbohydrate 32g
- Dietary Fiber 6g
- Total Sugars 6g
- Incl. Added Sugar 6g
- Protein 3g
Ingredients
- Corn Flour
- Whole Grain Oat Flour
- Cane Sugar
- Oat Fiber
- Unsulfured Molasses
- Corn Bran
- Sea Salt
- Baking Soda
- Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)
- Tocopherols
Is Barbara’s Puffins Cereal Healthy?
Puffins Cereal keeps unhealthy ingredients such as saturated fats to a minimum. Each bowl contains 6g of added sugar, which is more than you might expect for a healthy-branded cereal. However, this is still much lower than many other kids’ breakfast cereals.
Is Barbara’s Puffins Cereal Gluten-Free?
Puffins Original Cereal is wheat-free but not gluten-free. There are two gluten-free varieties in the Puffins line-up, though – Multigrain and Honey Rice.
Is Barbara’s Puffins Cereal Vegan?
Puffins Original is completely free of any animal products, meaning it is a vegan cereal. The only Puffins flavors that aren’t vegan are Honey Rice and Peanut Butter & Chocolate.
Is Barbara’s Puffins Cereal Keto?
Barbara’s Puffins contain a high amount of carbohydrates and a low amount of fat. If you’re following a keto diet, then Puffins cereal isn’t the way to go.
Is Barbara’s Puffins Cereal High in Protein?
Each bowl of original Puffins contains 3g of protein, which is pretty much standard for a healthy cereal. We wouldn’t say Puffins is high in protein, but it definitely isn’t lacking it either.
Is Barbara’s Puffins Cereal High in Fiber?
Yes, Barbara’s Puffins contains 6g of dietary fiber in every serving. This represents around 21% of an adult’s recommended daily intake. Many healthy cereals don’t offer this amount of fiber per serving.
Barbara’s Puffins Cereal Varieties
Puffins cereal comes in six different varieties:
- Original
- Peanut Butter
- Cinnamon
- Multigrain
- Honey Rice
- Peanut Butter & Chocolate
Be aware that the nutritional values and ingredients we highlighted were for the Puffins Original Cereal. Head over to the Barbara’s website to read accurate values for other flavors.
Where You Can Buy Barbara’s Puffins Cereal
Barbara’s Puffins is available at a range of grocery stores across America, including Walmart and Kroger. You can also order Puffins online via Amazon or directly from the Barbara’s website.
Famous Barbara’s Puffins Cereal Commercials
This animated commercial is probably the most famous Puffins advert that’s been on TV. The commercial features two puffins chatting about the benefits of healthy eating, yoga, and getting plenty of fiber.
Bear Naked Granola
When it comes to granola, there aren’t many brands that can compete with Bear Naked. With a great variety of delicious varieties available and a commitment from the brand to use high-quality ingredients, you’ll struggle to find a better bowl of granola anywhere else.
Nutrition Facts
The Granola Fruit & Nut variety of Bear Naked contains the following in a single serving (60g):
- Calories 270
- Total Fat 12g
- Saturated Fat 3g
- Trans Fat 0g
- Cholesterol 0mg
- Sodium 0mg
- Total Carbohydrates 39g
- Dietary Fiber 5g
- Sugars 13g
- Incl. 10g Added Sugars
- Protein 6g
Ingredients
Bear Naked mainly contains a mixture of whole grains and nuts.
- Whole grain oats
- Honey
- Almonds
- Expeller pressed canola oil
- Coconut
- Raisins (raisins, glycerin)
- Dried cranberries (cranberries, cane sugar, vegetable glycerin)
- Oat bran
- Maple syrup
- Pecans
- Walnuts
- Whole oat flour
- Ground flax seeds
- Toasted sesame seeds
Is Bear Naked Granola Healthy?
Bear Naked Granola contains a range of healthy ingredients, including oats, nuts, fruit, and seeds. All of these ingredients combine to provide a cereal that is super nutritious and wholesome.
With that said, it’s important to point out that Naked Granola contains quite a high amount of sugar per serving. Some of this sugar comes from healthy sources such as fruits and honey, but there is some added sugar included too.
Is Bear Naked Granola Gluten-Free?
Bear Naked’s Fruit and Nut Granola is not certified as a gluten-free cereal since there is likely to be some cross-contamination in the production line. However, other varieties of Bear Naked are gluten-free, such as Maple Cinnamon and Dark Chocolate Almond.
Is Bear Naked Granola Vegan?
Bear Naked Granola contains honey, meaning the cereal isn’t suitable for vegans or those following a plant-based diet.
Is Bear Naked Granola Keto?
Bear Naked contains almost 40g of carbohydrates in every bowl. Although this is great if you’re looking for an energy boost in the morning, it won’t fit in with a Keto diet.
Is Bear Naked Granola High in Protein?
Bear Naked contains 6g of protein, which is high for a breakfast cereal.
Is Bear Naked Granola High in Fiber?
Each serving of Bear Naked Granola contains 5g of dietary fiber. This is a good amount of fiber and will give you around a fifth of your recommended daily intake.
Bear Naked Granola Varieties
- Banana Nut
- Cacao & Cashew Butter
- Fruit & Nut
- Maple Pecan
- Peanut Butter
- V’Nilla Almond (low sugar)
- Triple Berry (low sugar)
- Maple Cinnamon Grain-Free
- Dark Chocolate Almond Grain-Free
- Protein Original Cinnamon (added protein)
- Peanut Butter Crunch (added protein)
- Protein Honey Almond (added protein)
Bear Naked Granola Store Brand Alternatives
Nearly all grocery stores will sell their own granola products, but many of them don’t come close to the taste of Bear Naked. Some of our favorites include Walmart’s Great Value Granola and Kroger’s Oat & Honey Granola.
Where You Can Buy Bear Naked Granola
Bear Naked Granola is widely available at places such as Walmart, Target, CVS, Kroger, and Amazon.
Famous Bear Naked Granola Commercials
Bear Naked’s Watching The Wildlife commercial is probably the brand’s most recognizable TV slot. “Satisfying enough for a bear. Clean enough to be naked”.
Total
Total Whole-Grain Cereal is General Mills’ flagship “healthy cereal” product. Total was launched back in 1961 and was made up of simple whole-grain wheat bran flakes. To this day, Total is still one of the best healthy cereals on the market.
The base recipe has barely changed over the years, but General Mills has released a number of interesting flavors to make the cereal more appealing to kids and families.
Nutrition Facts
Each serving (40g) of original Total Whole-Grain cereal features the following nutritional values:
- Calories 140
- Total Fat 1g
- Saturated Fat 0g
- Trans Fat 0g
- Cholesterol 0mg
- Sodium 190mg
- Total Carbohydrate 33g
- Dietary Fiber 4g
- Total Sugars 6g
- Incl. Added Sugars 5g
- Protein 3g
Ingredients
- Whole Wheat
- Sugar
- Corn Syrup
- Salt
- Vitamin E
Is Total Cereal Healthy?
General Mills Total cereal is definitely one of the healthiest cereals that you can buy today. Not only is the cereal low in fat and sugar, but it’s packed with nutritional elements for an amazingly healthy morning boost.
Total cereal has been fortified with vitamins and minerals since it hit the shelves in the 60s. In fact, you get 100% of your daily recommended intake for many different vitamins with a single bowl of Total.
Is Total Cereal Gluten-Free?
The main ingredient in Total is whole wheat, so the cereal is definitely not gluten-free.
Is Total Cereal Vegan?
Although Total cereal doesn’t appear to contain any animal-derived products, it’s not actually vegan. This is because the flakes are fortified with vitamin D, which the manufacturers sourced from sheep’s wool.
Is Total Cereal Keto?
Like most standard breakfast cereals, Total wouldn’t work well in a Keto diet. This is because it is high in carbs and low in fat.
Is Total Cereal High in Protein?
Total cereal contains 3g of protein in each serving. This is not a high amount of protein and is a standard value across many similar breakfast cereals.
Is Total Cereal High in Fiber?
You get 4 grams of fiber with each serving of Total cereal, which is definitely a decent amount. However, this is nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to breakfast cereals, and many other products will offer more fiber in a bowl.
Total Cereal Varieties
There are a few different Total cereal flavors currently being manufactured by General Mills:
- Total
- Total Cinnamon Crunch
- Total Whole Grain
- Total Cranberry Crunch
- Total Blueberry Pomegranate
Where You Can Buy Total Cereal
Total cereal is widely available at Walmart and Target locations across the country. If you prefer to shop online, then Amazon and Instacart also have the product in stock.
Famous Total Cereal Commercials
Our favorite Total cereal commercial has to be the How Many Bowls?! advert from 1977. The commercial shows off how many bowls of regular cereal it would take to match the nutritional content of a single serving of Total.
Great Grains Crunchy Pecan
The final healthy cereal on our list of the best healthy cereals is Great Grains Crunchy Pecan. Consisting of a mixture of whole-grain wheat bran and pecans, Great Grains offers one of the best starts to a healthy and active day.
Nutrition Facts
- Calories 210
- Total Fat 5g
- Saturated Fat 0.5g
- Trans Fat 0g
- Polyunsaturated Fat 1.5g
- Monounsaturated Fat 2.5g
- Cholesterol 0mg
- Sodium 160mg
- Total Carbohydrate 39g
- Dietary Fiber 5g
- Total Sugars 8g
- Incl. Added Sugars 5g
- Protein 5g
Ingredients
- Whole grain wheat
- Cane sugar
- Whole grain rolled oats
- Pecans
- Wheat flour
- Malted barley flour
- Rice flour
- Expeller pressed canola oil
- Salt
- Rice syrup
- Molasses
Is Crunchy Pecan Cereal Healthy?
Crunchy Pecan is super low in saturated fats and cholesterol. Although the 5g of total fat might sound high at first, the majority of this fat comes directly from the pecan nuts. Nuts contain a lot of healthy fats that work to reduce cholesterol and improve heart health.
Is Crunchy Pecan Cereal Gluten-Free?
Since Crunchy Pecan cereal is a whole-grain cereal, it’s not free from gluten.
Is Crunchy Pecan Cereal Vegan?
If you follow a plant-based diet, then you’re in luck! Great Grains Crunchy Pecan doesn’t contain any animal products and is totally vegan.
Is Crunchy Pecan Cereal Keto?
Crunchy Pecan contains around 40g of carbohydrates in every single bowl. This is great if you’re looking for a cereal to energize you in the morning. It’s not so great if you’re following a Keto diet (high fat, low carb).
Is Crunchy Pecan Cereal High in Protein?
Crunchy Pecan contains 5 grams of protein in each serving, which is more than most other products in the cereal aisle.
Is Crunchy Pecan Cereal High in Fiber?
With 5 grams of fiber in every bowl of Crunchy Pecan, you’ll be starting off your day with over 20% of the recommended fiber intake.
Where You Can Buy Crunchy Pecan Cereal
Great Grains Crunchy Pecan cereal is available at all major grocery stores in America. You can also order it from a number of online sources, including Amazon, CVS, and Instacart.
Famous Crunchy Pecan Cereal Commercials
Great Grains’ iconic 1994 advert doesn’t feature the Crunchy Pecan variety directly, but you get a great overview of what the brand is all about. The unforgettable jingle is also a highlight.