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Healthy Kids' Cereal

With so many sugar-loaded, fiber-devoid cereals in brightly colored boxes vying for kids' attention, finding a cereal that appeals to children and still has enough nutritional value to get them through the day can be tough. We asked Sarah Krieger, national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, what parents should be looking for in a breakfast cereal for their kids, and then we went shopping to see what we could find. Finally, we asked for ratings on a scale of 1 to 5 from the real arbiters of taste: kids.

By Erin Renzas

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The Guidelines

When selecting a healthier cereal for kids, parents should check labels for five things:

Whole grains: The ingredients list should read, "whole oats, whole grain, whole corn, etc." If it doesn't, steer clear.

Fiber: Look for cereals with 3 grams of fiber or more per serving. Kids need at least their age plus 5 grams as a minimum amount of fiber per day. For example, a 5-year-old should eat at least 10 grams fiber daily. A breakfast cereal with lots of fiber is a great start for the day.

Sugar: Cereal should max out at 10 grams per serving. Aim for cereals where sugar is not the first ingredient on the list. This includes all added sugars, including corn syrup, brown sugar, and evaporated cane juice. As a general rule, the sugar-to-total-carbohydrate ratio should be about 1 to 4, though the ratio for cereals with fruit or raisins may be slightly higher.

Protein: The milk you pour over the cereal has more protein than the cereal. So encourage kids to drink the milk left in the bowl, but added protein in the cereal is helpful. Whole grains naturally have some protein, and nuts and seeds in cereal will add even more. For a sampling of even healthier cereals, we looked for cereals with 2 or more grams of protein.

Ingredients list: Whole grains should be listed as the primary ingredient. The lower the down the list sugars or corn syrups are, the better. Generally speaking, if you stick with whole grain, low sugar, moderate- to high-fiber cereals, they will lack bright colors and artificial flavorings, but keep an eye out. If you're concerned about corn syrup, you'll want to keep an eye out—we found it in even the healthier-looking cereals.