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Make Your Own Cereal With MojaMix

FitSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:00:56 -0800

Bored with Breakfast? MojaMix allows you to choose from an array of nutritious nibbles, so you can make your own personally customized cereal. It's really simple to do. Just choose your cereal base (granola, flakes, Os, etc.) that costs $4.99. Then choose as many dried fruits as you want including mango and goji berries, and you pay between $.40 and $1.30 for each, depending on what you choose. Then add nuts and seeds (they even have chia seeds), which cost between $.30 and $.90 for each. Then if you want, throw in some extras like raw cacao nibs. You get to name the cereal made especially by you, and when it arrives in the mail, it comes with the nutritional info on the bag.

See what my bowl of Good Morning Medley looks like when you read more.

Here's the cereal I made with these ingredients: Three Brothers (Wheat Flakes, Rye Flakes, Oat Flakes), Mango, Raisins, Almonds, Cashew Nuts, Cranberries, Blueberries, Cherries, Sunflower Seeds, and Walnuts. This hearty cereal is delicious with milk, yogurt, or heated up like oatmeal.

Studies Have Confirmed: Sugar, Models, and Clowns

FitSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:00:34 -0700

Some health studies make headlines and they seem quite shocking and sad, like this one from CNN: Tweens Challenged by Grown-Up Malady: Breast Cancer. Others bring out my inner fourth grader, and my response to them is sophisticated "no duh." But stories are often more complicated than their headlines, and it is nice to have scientific studies confirm a few assumptions.

Kids' Cereals Pour on the Sugar and Sodium - USA Today
A new study illustrates what we have long since learned by reading nutrition labels: cereals aimed at children have 85 percent more sugar, 65 percent less fiber, and 60 percent more sodium than cereal marketed to adults.

Models Strike a Chord in Self-Esteem - New York Times
A study to soon appear in the Journal of Consumer Research found that when women look at photos of models they think about their weight and their self-esteem is affected.

Talk on Your Cell, Risk Missing the Unicycling Clown - CNET
Pedestrians talking on their cell phones were considerably less likely to notice the conspicuously dressed clown riding a unicycle compared with other pedestrians. If you have ever ridden a bike on a city street, chances are high you probably already know this. Extrapolate this data to drivers and realize you need to bike, run, and walk defensively.

Kellogg's Testing Logo Corn Flakes in the UK

YumSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:20:07 -0700

From Chanel suckers to LV-inspired cupcakes, fashion labels and food have been teaming up in unusual ways. But this trend may be headed in a direction that even the most brand-beset consumers couldn't have comprehended.

In an effort to quash imitators, cereal brand Kellogg's is developing laser technology in the UK to burn its logo onto individual Corn Flakes. "Now you'll always be able to tell your Corn Flakes from your corn fakes!" Kellogg's UK tweeted yesterday.
The company intends to use concentrated beams of light to print a toasted trademark logo without altering the cereal's taste, and is going to test batches before deciding whether or not to put branded flakes in all Corn Flakes boxes. If successful, the logos could be put on other brands, such as Special K and Bran Flakes.

Helen Lyons, lead food technologist for Kellogg, said, "We want shoppers to be under absolutely no illusion that Kellogg's does not make cereal for anyone else. We're constantly looking at new ways to reaffirm this, and giving our golden flakes of corn an official stamp of approval could be the answer."

Source: Twitpic User KelloggsUK

10 Cereals With 8 or More Grams of Fiber

FitSugar — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 05:50:54 -0700

We all could use a little extra fiber in our diets, since it's recommended that women eat between 25 and 30 grams a day. Not only does fiber keep you regular, but it can also help lower your cholesterol and prevent heart disease and certain cancers. Breakfast is a wonderful time to fill up on fiber-rich foods, so check out which cereals contain eight or more grams of fiber per serving.

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Food Review: Bear Naked Cereals

FitSugar — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:00:00 -0700

Bear Naked Fit Granola is a staple in my house, along with other cereals, since I like to mix cereals to reap the nutritional benefits of them all. So when I heard this company was making two new varieties of cereal - Banana Nut and Cranberry Raisin- I had to try them.

To find out what I thought and see how much fiber each serving contains read more.

Both flavors have satisfyingly thick flakes made from wheat and rice that taste hearty with a hint of sweetness. You see those little oat clusters? They add a nice crunchy texture that compliments the soft dried fruit. The Banana Nut cereal contains tons of sweetened banana chips, dried apples, and walnuts. The Cranberry Raisin cereal is full of raisins, sunflower seeds, cranberries, pepitas, and also has dried apples.

I can't really say which is my favorite, since they're both so full of bold flavor and texture. I was surprised that they both have eight grams or less of sugar per serving because the flakes taste so very sweet. I love how this cereal is high in fiber and protein, but low in calories and sodium. It's set to hit stores in mid to late June, so definitely look for it. Each 12.5 ounce bag costs $4.49. Since the ingredients are 100 percent natural, and the taste is 100 percent delicious, it's definitely worth it.

	3/4 cup Banana Nut	3/4 cup Cranberry Raisin
Calories	220	210
Total Fat	5 g	4.5 g
Saturated Fat	2.5 g	1 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	210 mg	140 mg
Carbs	43 g	41 g
Fiber	7 g	4 g
Sugar	13 g	15 g
Protein	5 g	5 g

Food Review: Organic Flax Plus - Red Berry Crunch

FitSugar — Mon, 11 May 2009 12:00:00 -0700

You can up your intake of omega-3 fatty acids at breakfast. Nature's Path, makers of Organic Flax Plus cereal, just came out with a new flavor: Red Berry Crunch. The recommended daily intake of omega-3s is 1.1 grams, and this cereal offers .5 grams per 3/4 cup serving. Not too shabby. How does this cereal taste though? To find out read more.

This cereal has satisfyingly thick flakes that taste hearty with a hint of sweet berry. The freeze-dried strawberries and raspberries scattered throughout have an airy texture (as you'd expect), but a strong flavor. I also found clusters of oats and puffed rice that were touched with a hint of cinnamon. Overall, when you enjoy all three together, it is subtly sweet and wholesome, and I enjoyed the crispy crunch. The only thing I missed were nuts. As you can see from the nutritional info, this cereal is a good source of fiber and protein. I have to be honest though, I prefer the flavor of Organic Flax Plus - Pumpkin Raisin Crunch.

Serving Size	3/4 cup
Calories	210
Total Fat	3.5 g
Saturated Fat	.5 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Sodium	160 mg
Carbs	39 g
Fiber	5 g
Sugar	10 g
Protein	6 g

Food Review: Dorset Cereals

FitSugar — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:00:00 -0700

I was tired of my usual cereals for breakfast, so I perused the shelves for a new one and found Super Cranberry, Cherry & Almond Dorset Cereals (about $5).

The creative packaging definitely caught my eye. I loved that you could see the dried cherries and cranberries floating around with flakes of cereal and seeds. I knew it looked good, but how did it taste? To find out read more.

With all those natural ingredients - 50 percent being fruit and seeds - this cereal was delicious. It reminded me of my homemade muesli recipe, but was even better because it was already made! It's great on its own, in yogurt, in milk, and was especially delicious with almond milk. I love the combination of the sweet chewy dried fruit and the crispy crunchy flakes. This is seriously my new favorite cereal because it's so wholesome and satisfying. It's also high in fiber and protein, and low in sodium and cholesterol. It seems high in fat, but it's mostly healthy fat from the almonds and sunflower seeds. I am definitely going to buy this cereal again, and am excited to try the other flavors including Berries and Cherries and Organic Fruit, Nuts & Seeds.

Serving Size	1/2 cup
Calories	200
Total Fat	4.5 g
Saturated Fat	.5 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Sodium	90 mg
Carbs	39 g
Fiber	4 g
Sugar	17 g
Protein	5 g

Kellogg's Donates Michael Phelps Cereal Boxes to Food Bank

YumSugar — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:00:22 -0700

Unwanted publicity from former spokesperson Michael Phelps has forced cereal giant Kellogg's to think outside the box.

Last August, Kellogg's debuted its limited-edition Corn Flakes cereal boxes with the gold medalist on the cover. But when a photo of the Olympian smoking marijuana out of a bong surfaced, Phelps - and, some say, in turn, Kellogg's - were swimming in controversy. Ultimately, the cereal maker decided not to renew a contract with Phelps. One question remained, however. What would be done with all the cereal boxes graced by the champion?

As it should happen, one company's trash is another organization's treasure: Roughly 3,800 pounds of the the boxes were donated to the San Francisco Food Bank two weeks ago.

With the economy in shambles and more people in need than ever, the Food Bank was all too happy to take the boxes off the company's hands. As for cereal, says San Francisco Food Bank executive director Paul Ash: "It's become very hard to get ahold of."

Now that the boxes are no longer on supermarket shelves, they'll probably be collector's items - ones that can only be found at the food bank. Even if I do think the so-called scandal was blown out of proportion, I'm happy to hear that the leftover cereal will further a good cause. Are you surprised to hear of the outcome?

Source

Let's Dish: What Was Your Favorite Cereal as a Child?

partysugar — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 12:50:06 -0700

In a special ad campaign that gears towards a consumers need for comfort, General Mills has brought back its old cereal box designs. Target shoppers may have noticed that Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Cocoa Puffs, Lucky Charms, and Trix are sporting retro boxes taken directly from the company's archives.

The promotion has made me nostalgic and I can't help but think of the cereal I enjoyed as a child. While I consumed Cheerios on a regular basis, my absolute favorite was Lucky Charms. How about you reader? What cereal did you devour as a child? Do you still eat it today?

Food Review: Me & Goji Customized Cereal

FitSugar — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 04:30:00 -0800

I start every day with breakfast - it's the most important meal of the day - so cereal is a staple at my house. We mix types of cereals here to create personalized blends, so when I read about customized, artisanal cereal blends from Me & Goji, I was more than intrigued. The cereal makers were kind enough to indulge my curiosity and sent me a couple of their favorite creations, plus one of my own - FitSugar's Berry Trifecta featuring raspberries, blueberries, and mulberries.

You begin the process of customizing your blend by selecting a cereal base (about $5), from granola and museli to several types of whole grain flakes. Then you can choose from over 30 add-ins, like more grains, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, spices, even chocolate or cacao nibs.

To see what I thought of the cereal and some nutritional information read more.

I really like the "flaxed and flaked" cereal base (corn flakes fortified with sesame, flax, and amaranth seeds) used in Wintry Wake Up and pictured above. This cereal flavor includes goji berries, dried cranberries, dried apples, golden raisins, pumpkin seeds, and cinnamon, and these add-ins are plentiful. I never took a bite of plain flakes, and the cereal is tasty from flake to fruit. Mixed with plain yogurt, a 3/4-cup serving kept me full until about 10:30, my morning snack time. One serving of this cereal is 184 calories, with 4.8 grams of protein and 4.7 grams of fiber. The sugar content is 9 grams, due to sugar used to sweeten the cranberries and apples, as well as the natural sugars in the raisins. But the cereal doesn't taste sweet.

Each ingredient you add to your customized mix increases the price of the cereal, and a tube of Wintry Wake Up is $13. This seems pricey, but the stylish tube the cereal arrives in holds 15 servings of cereal, which is almost twice that of a normal box of cereal.

If you've ever had a hankering to design your own cereal, you should head on over to the Me & Goji website and play around. I might not be able to afford this cereal all the time, but it is a healthy indulgence I believe in. Have you ever ordered cereal from Me & Goji? If yes, describe your custom cereal below.