Top 10 Healthiest Cereals [UPDATED]
5. Rice Krispies
Coming in fifth in the countdown is another kids cereal, Rice Krispies. I like Rice Krispies because you get tons of stuff packed into its 1.25 cup serving size. Per serving, it has 128 calories, 0g of fat and 28g of carbohydrates.
4. Grape Nuts
Unlike the other top contenders, this healthy cereal has a very small serving size. But while the serving size of Grape Nuts is only 1/2 a cup, it is EXTREMELY dense, making 1/2 a cup seem like a feast.While Grape Nuts have very few ingredients, which is a definite plus, their slightly unimpressive nutritional info keeps them from ranking any higher. Per serving, it has 208 calories, 1g of fat and 46g of carbohydrates (5g from fiber).
3. Total Corn Flakes
Unlike many of the other cereals on this list, Total Corn Flakes is jam-packed with vitamins and minerals.In addition, it only has 112 calories, 0g of fat and 26g of carbs. And that’s with a massive serving size of 1.33 cups! If you are looking for a great cereal and happen to like the taste of corn flakes, this isn’t a bad choice at all.
2. Kashi Puffs
For anyone on a low carb diet, this cereal is a fantastic choice. While its serving size is only 1 cup, it only has 70 calories, 0.5g of fat and 15g of carbs per serving! And since this cereal is made by Kashi, you can trust that it is made of quality ingredients. But there is one more cereal left in this countdown that is even healthier than Kashi Puffs!
1. Quaker Puffed Wheat
So here you have it, the best of the best, the cream of the crop, numero uno, Quaker Puffed Wheat. While this cereal is extremely similar to Kashi Puffs, it edges them out with a serving size of 1.25 cups. In that large serving, there are only 50 calories, 0g of fat and 11g of carbs. WOW! As far as your diet goes, this cereal is absolutely amazing and almost dietarily insignificant (but not quite). Unfortunately, like all good things, Quaker Puffed Wheat is extremely hard to find 
. But it can be bought at a reasonable price here
UPDATE
The Real Number 1: Fiber One Original
When I originally wrote this article, I missed out on an awesome cereal that should definitely be considered the healthiest of all. Fiber One has only 60 calories, 1g of fat, 25g of carbs(14g of which are fiber),and 2g of protein per serving. The serving size if only 1/2 cup, but you will definitely feel very satisfied with a 1 or at most 2 serving bowl. Two servings would still only be 120 calories, and it also has an excellent amount of fiber that would basically be enough for the whole day. It also tastes a whole lot better than puffed wheat, at least in my opinion!
With this information, you should now be able to make intelligent choices about your breakfast cereal. While many of these cereals have few vitamins and minerals, they are awesome for your diet and therefore your weight and physique.
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I like this list and I agree with most of it, but I’m confused– I thought a lot of these cereals serving size was 3/4 a cup! I’m going to have to try Kix though. Looks yummy…!
Thanks for this very informative post and I look forward to reading your blog.
Rose.
Generally a very healthful cereal includes protein and fibre without much fat, two components overlooked in this analysis. Kashi and Post both produce cereals that meet this criteria (the GoLean line in particular).
This is definitely a list of high quality cereals, but I’d disagree with asserting that a few of them are for people trying to be fit or are particularly healthy… let alone top 10. For example, Rice Krispies may not do harm to someone on a diet, but they are empty calories, meaning they do more or less nothing for you.
Is Honey Nut Cheerios the same?
honey nut cheerios are different in that they are loaded with sugar. I know, they taste absolutely fantastic, but they unfortunately aren’t very good for you.
I highly recommend Kellog’s Product 19 – 1 cup serving has 100 calories, zero fat, 2g protein. While it has 25g of carbs (incl 4g from sugars), it has 100% daily value of vitamins C & E, B6 and B12, Iron, and Zinc (as well as other nutrients – a few of the cereals on this list come up short in that department). And it doesn’t taste bad, either.
well the chex is also a great savory snack. Throw some taco seasoning on, or just mix red pepper, chili seasoning, garlic, onion and cumin powers. Just an idea.
WOW, I can’t believe you did not consider Kashi Go lean its a low fat source of protein and carbs.
Arrowhead Mills produces “Kamut” which is the healthiest cerereal I’ve been able to find with 50 calories per serving, 11 grams of carbs, and 3 grams of protein. Uncle Sam is also healthy as it has Omega-3 Fatty acids, lots of fiber, and 7 grams of protein.
Dude, you’re crazy. Rice Chex tastes amazing and is the only cereal I can fully enjoy sugarless.
What about Honey Bunches Of Oaks? Would they be considered a healthy cereal?
I tried many kinds of Chex, from wheat, rice, corn, cinnamon and honey. And I could say that rice Chex and any rice cereal may be filling for some and not for others. I found that I had to eat at least three 1 cup servings of rice Chex with milk in order to be satisfied (not extremely fully, but enough to stop wanting to eat or think about food.) For wheat Chex, it is quite calorie dense (160 calories per 3/4 cup), and I personally do not eat cereals that has a 3/4 cup serving because those NEVER make me full. Despite wheat Chex being wheat, and tastes like cardboard, I actually have to overeat this one in order to be satisfied also.
The only cereals I found satisfying and eat the actual one serving has been Shredded Wheat, Multigrain Cheerios, Raisin Bran, FiberOne Honey Clusters, FiberOne Caramel Delight, Kashi GoLean Crunch!, Special K red Berries and regular Cheerios.
I find 3/4 cup serving cereals like Honey Nut Cheerios, require much more than just a tiny 3/4 cup to satisfy me.
Give Chex a good check for me! And now, they have gluten-free products! I never really liked them at first, but with low calories I can;t help but love them! Sometimes I incorporate them in my glazed almond nut recipe.
Sugary yet so yummy!
While these may be the best choices, I still recommend you limite the amout of cereals you eat because gains are not as healthy as the makers of these food product would have you think.
This is a great resource, however you left out a major point in your criteria. You make no mention of the Sodium level of any of these.
I recently compared a number of cereals for sugar and salt levels. These two surprised me:
Rice Krispies (my childhood fav)had only 4g of sugar but 190 mg of Sodium another that shocked me was Kellogs Corn Flakes (not frosted) 11g sugar and 200mg of Sodium!
For those like myself with blood pressure to consider, sodium levels can be of more concern than 1 or 2 grams of sugar which is ‘easier’ (not easy) to burn off.
Thanks again for the info.
I am a male who is trying to stay healthy, fit, and keep exercising daily regardless of weather conditions. I used to have two fried eggs every morning for breakfast, then I changed it to other types of foods, i.e. Eggo waffles, pancakes, a slice of pie or a couple doughnuts and an iced coffee from Dunkies and I mean it was satisfying my morning appetite but that was about all that would be one. Lately, about the last three years, I have set a strict eating diet that I must stick to every single day. I begin my morning by running, 4 miles then once I return to the house I make my own breakfast every single morning, I have a bowl of Special K cereal topped with pineapples, strawberries, bananas, and blueberries, then I have my bagel + cream cheese, and finally I have a piece of flat bread with a little cream cheese all while I drink my homemade iced coffee.
Here is my question though, I eat Special K, but I’ve read that Cheerios are better for your health, is that true, should I switch over to Cheeerios?
I think the cheerios would be slightly better, but honestly I think you would be splitting hairs worrying about that. Instead, if you want to improve that breakfast, I would instead focus on the bagel and cream cheese, neither of which are particularly great for fitness. I think you could justify the bagel because you have just run 4 miles, but the cream cheese is a bit harder to justify if you are trying to eat PERFECTLY. If what you are doing seems to be working, I would just say stick to it, that seems like a reasonable breakfast considering how much you are running. My advice for improving it, however, would be to replace the bagel and cream cheese with a source of lean protein like an egg white omelet or scrambled eggs.
Quick question,
What about “Multi Grain Cheerios”? I used to eat Cheerios until I saw that new flavor, I switched immediately. They taste great and they are packed with five different grains, in addition to their already healthy cereal.
What about Special K cinnamin
Where would you place raisin bran or raisin bran crunch?