Cereal, Yogurt, and Sugar...Oh My!

Do you like cereal? What about yogurt? Sure, these can be great breakfast choices - they can be eaten on the go and taste delicious. But have you ever looked at the nutrition facts label on any of your favorite breakfast treats - specifically, looking at the amount of sugar listed? And even if you do read your nutrition facts labels, what the heck do the number of grams of sugar actually mean?

Enter math. There is an easy way to visualize the amount of sugar in food and all it requires is a simple calculation. First, you need to know that 4 grams of sugar = 1 teaspoon = 1 sugar packet. So, look at any nutrition facts label and take the number of grams of sugar (per serving), then divide by 4...the resulting number is equal to the number of sugar packets in that food. Let's do an example: 


A Dunkin' Donuts Blueberry Muffin has 44 grams of sugar per muffin. So, 44 grams ÷ 4 = 11 sugar packets... in one muffin.



Remember: always look at the serving size before you start calculating. If a cereal's serving size is only 3/4 cup and you know you're going to eat twice that amount, then you need to double the number of grams of sugar before you start calculating the number of sugar packets you'll be eating.


The math is not hard. The visual of sugar packets is quite easy. And with this newfound skill, you're going to be shocked by the amount of sugar that secretly exists in many foods. But why should we even care about calculating the amount of sugar we eat? Well, not only can consuming too much sugar eventually lead to awful health problems (such as Type II diabetes), but on a daily basis the consumption of too much sugar can leave you with little energy and an inability to focus (not to mention the damage it will do to your teeth...). As we all know, from year's of experience on Halloween night, when you eat a lot of sugar you get a sugar high. You bounce off the walls and can't seem to focus on anything because you are too "energized". But just as quickly as your energy shoots up, you suddenly get a sugar crash. Your energy is wiped. You may even get a headache. So what do you do - eat more sugar and start the cycle all over again? A little sugar in moderation is fine, but given how much sugar is hidden in the foods we eat, we want to be careful about the amount of sugar going into our bodies.


Let's go back to cereals and yogurt. Yes, there are some choices that are obviously abundant in sugar. If you think that Frosted Flakes, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, or Lucky Charms are low-sugar, healthy breakfast options then you are kidding yourself. But there are quite a number of surprisingly sugar-filled foods that you probably thought were "healthy" options (see list below). So what are the healthy cereal and yogurt choices? Cereals with fewer than 5 grams of sugar per serving and yogurts (6oz. containers) with fewer than 8 grams of sugar - milk naturally has sugar in it (lactose is sugar), so even plain yogurt will have some sugar in it. As you may have guessed, most cereals and all flavored yogurt do not fit that criteria. So how can we reduce sugar intake without completely eliminating favorite breakfast items? Here are my suggestions:


CEREAL: mix sugary cereals (cereals with >5g sugar) with low-sugar cereals (Cheerios, Shredded Wheat, Kix, Special K, Grape Nuts, Crispix, Rice and Corn Chex). 
Example: combine 1/2 cup of regular Cheerios with 1/2 cup of Honey Nut Cheerios.


YOGURT: Ideally, the best option is to add your own fruit to plain yogurt...if that is not sweet enough for you, then add a teaspoon of honey (guaranteed, you won't add nearly as much sugar to plain yogurt as yogurt companies add). 
Example: combine 1 cup of blueberries with 1 container (6oz) of Chobani Plain Yogurt. However, if you're hooked on sweets, you may want to start your sugar reduction process by mixing flavored yogurt with plain yogurt. Example: mix half of a 6oz container of strawberry flavored yogurt with 1/2 cup of plain yogurt. Once your taste buds are used to a less sweet flavor, try eating plain yogurt with fruit. 


Remember to look at serving size first, then calculate: # grams of sugar ÷ 4 = # sugar packets. You can use this equation with all foods, not just cereal and yogurt. Go take a look at your food supply and see how much sugar is hidden in your pantry...oh my!  

SURPRISINGLY SUGARY CEREALS AND YOGURT:

--Honey Nut Cheerios - 3/4 cups - 9g sugar = 2 sugar packets

Compare to Original Cheerios - 1 cup - 1g sugar = less than 1 sugar packet

--Raisin Bran Cereal - 1 cup - 18g sugar = 4.5 sugar packets

Compare to regular Bran Flakes - 3/4 cup - 5g sugar = 1 sugar packet

--Mini Wheats - 24 biscuits - 12g sugar = 3 sugar packets

Compare to Post Shredded Wheat - 1 cup - 0g sugar = 0 sugar packets

--Yoplait Original Strawberry 99% Fat Free Yogurt- 6oz (1 container) - 27g sugar = 6.5 sugar packets

Compare to Stonyfield Plain Fat Free Yogurt - 1 cup - 15g sugar = 4 sugar packets

--Chobani Strawberry Yogurt - 6 oz. (1 container) - 19g sugar = 5 sugar packets

Compare to Chobani Plain Yogurt - 6 oz. (1 container) - 7g sugar = 2 sugar packets