Many of the UK’s best-selling breakfast cereals have recently become embroiled in controversy for their high sugar and low nutrient content – prompting manufacturers to launch ‘healthy’ versions of our favourites.
But are they better than the originals? Mandy Francis asked dietitian Ruth Kander, of Fleet Street Clinic in London, to rate a selection. We then reviewed and tasted them.
Nutrient rich
Strp’d Tigernut Flakes, 400g, £6.99, strpd.com
Per 100 g: calories, 461; saturated fat, 5.1 g; protein, 4.2 g; fiber, 12 g; sugar, 18 g; salt, 0.05 g
Claim: ‘Nutritious, high fiber and a great prebiotic.’
Expert Judgment: A healthy alternative to cornflakes, these are made with only tiger nuts, which aren’t actually nuts, but tropical, edible tubers.
Naturally sweet tiger nuts are a source of polyphenols – plant compounds with antioxidant benefits – and minerals such as phosphorus and calcium for strong bones.
These don’t have the added B vitamins and iron you get in regular cereal, but they’re rich in heart-friendly monounsaturated fats and have 75 percent more fiber than comparable grains.
Health rating: 9/10
Taste: Chewy with a subtle coconut sweetness; best sprinkled on porridge. 5/10
high fiber
Beer Cocoa Alphabites, 350g, £2.80, sainsburys.co.uk
Per 100 g: calories, 387; saturated fat, 0.8 g; protein, 10 g; fiber, 6.7 g; sugar, 12 g; salt, 0.13 g
Claim: ‘High-fiber cereals with coconut blossom nectar — a source of potassium.’
Expert verdict: ‘It’s nice to see that there are so few processed ingredients and that this has 40 percent less sugar (barely a teaspoon) in a 30 g serving than a major brand of cocoa-flavored breakfast cereals.
There’s also twice as much fiber (about 10 percent of a five- to 11-year-old’s daily requirement in one serving and 6 percent of an adult’s). But like other products here, this one isn’t fortified with the vitamins and minerals we find in mainstream brands. Also, coconut blossom nectar – a key ingredient – is actually a type of added sugar, so should be eaten in moderation.
Health rating: 6/10
Taste: A bit dry and bland. Little chocolate taste. 6/10
Bear Cocoa Alphabets
Reduces cholesterol
OatWell Crispy Hearts With Oats Beta-Glucan, Seven 30g Sachets, £5.35, hollandandbarrett.com
Per 100 g: calories, 338; saturated fat, 0.5 g; protein, 12 g; fiber, 22.9 g; sugar, 9.8 g; salt, 0.7 g
Claim: ‘3g oat beta-glucan per serving. Reduces cholesterol. High fiber. Source of proteins.’
Expert verdict: ‘Some credible studies suggest that eating 3 g of the soluble fiber beta-glucan per day can lower cholesterol levels. So this can be a heart-friendly addition to a balanced diet.
The prepackaged sachets are a convenient way to control portion size if you are watching your weight.
One serving also provides 23 percent of your daily fiber requirement (almost three times as much as a comparable cereal) — making it filling and good for gut health. But again, there are no added vitamins and minerals.
Health rating: 7/10
Taste: Surprisingly hard crunch and powdery aftertaste. 6/10
Less sugar
Whole Earth Maple Frosted Organic Flakes, 375g, £3.85, planetorganic.com
Per 100 g: calories, 376; saturated fat, 0.2 g; protein, 6.9 g; fiber, 4.3 g; sugar, 14 g; salt, 1 g
Claim: ‘Gluten-free. Low in sugar. Source of fibers.’
Expert verdict: ‘This contains less than half the sugar found in standard frosted flakes, but still doesn’t meet the official criteria for ‘low sugar’. That calls for no more than 5 grams of sugar per 100 grams of product; there is 14g per 100g here.
It also contains maple syrup and organic raw cane sugar, both of which count as added sugars, but not enough to be a problem if you have a single 30g serving.
And while these contain twice as much fiber as regular frosted flakes, one serving still provides just 4 percent of the daily recommendation. Here too, added B vitamins and minerals such as iron are missing.
Health rating: 4/10
Taste: Soggy very quickly. Can’t taste the maple syrup. 5/10
Good for gut health
Kellogg’s All Bran Prebiotic Oat Clusters Almond and Pumpkin Seeds, 380g, £2 sainsburys.co.uk
Per 100 g: calories, 414; saturated fat, 1.8 g; protein, 15 g; fiber, 21 g; sugar, 4.7 g; salt, 0.28 g
Claim: ‘Prebiotic goodness to nourish your gut flora.’
Expert Judgment: This is a blend of original All Bran, oat bran and puffed barley, with chicory root fiber, almonds, pumpkin seeds, and brown rice syrup.
You get nearly a third of your daily fiber needs in a 45g serving – part of that comes from chicory root, a prebiotic that feeds the good bacteria in our gut (but can also cause bloating).
The almonds and pumpkin seeds provide small amounts of ‘good’ fats and minerals such as copper, which are necessary for energy production. Again, no added vitamins and minerals.
Health rating: 8/10
Taste: Good, robust texture with a hint of vanilla. Few nuts and seeds. 7/10
Kellogg’s All Bran Prebiotic Oaty Clusters Almond and Pumpkin Seeds
High protein content
Surreal Cinnamon Cereal, four boxes of 240g, £24, eatsurreal.co.uk
Per 100 g: calories, 468; saturated fat, 3.2 g; protein, 44 g; fiber, 7 g; sugar, 1.5 g; salt, 1.3 g
Claim: ‘High protein, low carb, no sugar.’
Expert verdict: The recommended 32g serving of these gluten-free breakfast cereals provides you with 14g of protein. That’s about a third of a woman’s daily needs and a quarter of a man’s — and about seven times the amount you get from the same serving of a “grocery store” cinnamon-flavored cereal. There’s also some fiber (just under 7 percent of your daily requirement in one serving), mostly from added inulin, a plant fiber that can help feed the good bacteria in your gut, and medium-chain triglyceride oil — usually extracted from coconut oil.
Studies suggest this may help us burn fat more efficiently, but more research is needed.
There’s no added sugar here — it’s sweetened with sweeteners called erythritol and stevia (regular cinnamon cereals have nearly two teaspoons of sugar in a bowl).
But it costs almost five times as much as comparable grains. It also has several processed ingredients and, unlike many common grains, is not fortified vitamins or iron.
Health rating: 6/10
Taste: Sweet and crunchy, but with a slightly strange, oily aftertaste. 6/10
Gluten free
Deliciously Ella Fiber Flakes, 300g, £3, ocado.com
Per 100 g: calories, 456; saturated fat, 2.5 g; protein, 8.8 g; fiber, 4.3 g; sugar, 19.5 g; salt, 0.26 g
Claim: ‘Source of fiber, gluten-free.’
Expert verdict: Made with corn and brown rice, amaranth (a gluten-free seed), and millet flour, these flakes provide just 4.3 g of fiber per 100 g — about half the amount you get from a bowl of Kellogg’s Fruit’ n Fiber .
The grains and almonds will provide useful amounts of calcium (necessary for strong bones), but the coconut sugar and raisins mean quite a high sugar level, with a 45g serving containing about two teaspoons (although that’s still about 19 percent less than found). same portion of Fruit ‘n’ Fiber). Like others here, it is not fortified with vitamins and minerals.
Health rating: 6/10
Taste: Crispy to start, but the texture softens quickly. Generous nuts and raisins. 8/10
Delicious Ella Fiber Flakes
High in B vitamins
Nutri-Brex Gluten Free, 375g, £3.70, tesco.com
Per 100g: Calories, 370; saturated fat, 0.6 g; protein, 11 g; fiber, 8.1 g; sugar, 2.5 g; salt, 0.57g
Claim: ‘Fortified whole grains made with sorghum. Rich in vitamin B and fiber. Low in sugar.’
Expert verdict: These breakfast biscuits, which are eaten with milk, are 96 percent sorghum, a gluten-free ancient grain.
Two biscuits provide 2.4 g of fiber — 8 percent of your daily requirement for gut-friendly fiber. Useful, yet 37 percent less than a comparable serving of Weetabix – these cookies also contain less protein.
On the plus side, they have half the sugar; one serving has less than a fifth of a teaspoon.
Plus, these cookies are fortified with the same added B vitamins as Weetabix—one serving provides nearly 50 percent of your daily thiamine (necessary for healthy cell function) and 40 percent of your folate (important for red blood cell formation).
Health rating: 8/10
Taste: Pleasant, toasty taste quickly becomes soggy when milk is added.