Are cheerios healthy? The “healthiness” of a cereal is often relative. If you are prone to skip breakfast and in midmorning look for that bagel, then Cheerios with skim milk is a better option. However, it is not a better option than a whole food breakfast like steel cut oats or eggs. The main disadvantage of Cheerios is that they are still a processed grain.
The carbohydrates in processed cereals are digested more quickly, which increases their glycemic index rating – a way of measuring how much a food raises blood sugar. For example, cheerios has a glycemic index (GI) rating of 74 versus old fashioned rolled oats, which have a GI of 46. Lower GI ratings indicate that a food has less impact on blood sugar levels.
Cheerios come in a variety of flavors, including original, multi-grain, banana nut, honey nut, frosted, chocolate, berry, fruit, apple cinnamon and yogurt. All Cheerios varieties contain some dietary fiber but some Cheerios varieties, however, contain a significant amount of added sugar, which can be unhealthy.
The amount of sugar in Cheerios varies, depending on the variety you select. Original Cheerios are low in sugar, with 1 g per cup. Multi-grain Cheerios contain 6 g of sugar per cup. The flavored varieties of Cheerios contain 9 to 16 g of sugar per 1-cup serving.
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/373408-are-cheerios-healthy/#ixzz2Y8AurKVF
