Sugar! It's what's lacking in your cereal...

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I’m not a big cereal eater; however the girls and hubby are HUGE fans! I try to purchase the healthier cereals but let’s face it; kids don’t really do so well with them, but it’s important to me that the most important meal of the day (breakfast) isn’t full of sugar and empty calories. That’s why when I heard that General Mills had reduced the sugar content in their cereals I was a pretty happy mama!

For all cereals that are advertised to kids 12 and under, General Mills made a commitment to further reduce sugar in their cereals to single digit grams of sugar per serving. They’ve also increased key nutrients like calcium, vitamin D and made sure that their cereals are providing whole grains as well.

We’re big fans of Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios in my house, and I’m thankful that those cereals are pretty healthy compared to a lot of others, and that my girls will eat them with no questions asked, but I know of some other kids who are pretty picky and only want the ‘character’ kids cereals, so hopefully the reduction in sugar and addition to other key ingredients will help some other parents and kids out in feeling better with their morning breakfast.

Some benefits according to General Mills about cereal are:

• Ready-to-eat cereal eaters consume less fat, less cholesterol and more fiber than non-cereal eaters

• Cereals also deliver important vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients, making cereal a top source of key nutrients in children´s diets.

• Ready-to-eat cereals, including presweetened cereals, account for only 5% of sugar in children´s diets.

• Ready-to-eat cereal is the No. 1 source of whole grains in a child´s diet today.

More frequent cereal eaters tend to have healthier body weights and lower Body Mass Index measures. Studies also demonstrate the benefits of eating breakfast. A 1998 study showed that children who eat breakfast tend to perform better at school. Compared to children who skip breakfast, children who eat breakfast score higher on tests, are less likely to miss class or be tardy, have fewer reported discipline problems, and make fewer trips to the office.

For more information about kids and cereals, please visit Cereal Health and Wellness.

Right now if you visit here you will find a $1 off coupon for one of four General Mills cereals.

I was provide information and free cereal coupons by General Mills and MyBlogSpark for this post. Opinions are strictly those of the author of A Wrestling Addicted Mommy; please see my disclosure policy for more information.