Our favorite healthy hot cereals with little or no added sugar, including oatmeal with more protein and gluten-free grains like teff, quinoa, and millet.
IHOP’s limited-time Coffee Cake Pancakes, released in September, have a shocking 102 grams of sugar and 1,310 calories. Here’s how to order a better stack.
Finding a healthy hot cereal starts out simple: Look for whole grains. Most hot cereals are. (Exceptions: grits, Cream of Rice, and Cream of Wheat typically are refined.)
“Protein from real food,” “20+ superfoods,” “No B.S.,“ promise some bars. Fact: No bar can replace real superfoods like crunchy vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fresh or frozen fruit.
The healthiest standbys don’t change much. They’re mostly unsweetened shredded wheat, whole wheat or bran flakes, and fruit-and-nut muesli. All have little or no added sugar and plenty of whole grains. Pretty simple stuff.
It’s hot, whole grain, and sticks to your ribs. It’s cheap and less processed than most cereals. It starts out free of added sugars and plays well with nuts, spices, and fruit.
Can’t find a grab-and-go breakfast that's not virtually all carbs? Kashi GO Protein Waffles to the rescue.
Companies are tossing protein into everything from chips to ice cream. That doesn’t turn junk food into health food, of course. But Kashi’s frozen waffles look good even before you get to protein.
It takes an avid label reader—and maybe a magnifying glass—to find an honest-to-goodness whole-grain cereal and sidestep most of the added sugar. That’s all in our guide to the best cereals.
