Last week’s poll asked which cereal from our fitness fair booth had the most sugar. Many of you that stopped by our booth last week were shocked that Raisin Bran Crunch had almost double the sugar of Froot Loops and Cap n’ Crunch per serving. While Raisin Bran Crunch is perceived as a healthy choice, coating on the flakes, raisins, and honey clusters adds extra sugar.
Even though the sugar content of Raisin Bran Crunch is high, when you take a closer look at the serving size the sugar content is not as alarming. As shown in the table below, the serving sizes of the cereals are similar but the weights of those serving sizes are very different. One cup of Raisin Bran Crunch weighs 53g, while one cup of Froot Loops weighs 29g. Cap n’ Crunch, Froot Loops, and Smacks are “puffed” up with air, so there is less cereal in a cup compared to the denser Raisin Bran. The percent of the total calories that comes from sugar is actually lowest in Raisin Bran. While Raisin Bran is still not the best cereal choice for watching limiting sugar intake, it is a better choice than Smacks were 60% of the calories are from sugar.
When watching your sugar intake take a close look at the nutrition label. Pay careful attention to the serving size (and the weight of the serving size). And remember to watch your portion sizes and see how it compares to the package’s serving size.
| Cereal | Serving Size | Calories | Carbohydrates | Sugar | Fat | Protein | Poll Result (%) |
| Cap n’ Crunch | 3/4c (27g) | 110 | 23g | 12g (43.6%) | 1.5g | 1g | 12 |
| Froot Loops | 1c (29g) | 110 | 25g | 12g (43.6%) | 1g | 1g | 12 |
| Raisin Bran Crunch | 1c (53g) | 190 | 45g | 20g (42.1%) | 1g | 3g | 62 |
| Smacks | 3/4c (27g) | 100 | 24g | 15g (60%) | 0.5g | 2g | 12 |
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