Thoughts on really sugary cereals?

[EliKoehn]

So I see a lot of you guys on this board praise Cinnamon Toast Crunch in particular, and usually it's the only cereal that actually gets named, with "cereal" itself having a positive approval in general.

I love cereal and have trouble not eating the entire box in one setting if I'm hungry, but I do not typically like "sugar" cereals... CTC is tasty and nice (and I wouldn't group it as an especially sugary choice), but I like the ones that tend to be only somewhat sweet like Honey Bunches of Oats or Frosted Shredded Mini Wheats, Chex, and I even like bran flakes/corn flakes.

No thank you to stuff like Fruity Pebbles, though.. where the milk turns into a discolored sludge at the bottom and a disgusting glaze of sugar coats your mouth after you eat it.

That's the only one I can think of that I've had recently like that, although there's a whole lineup like that of course.

Thoughts and preferences?

[SuffolkPunch]

They are a low fat dessert. I would avoid like the plague if I was dieting - would make me feel ravenously hungry.

[AdamWW]

CTC not a sugary cereal??

It’s like one of the highest out there.

[1MANU]

CTC is the cereal that only gets named cause it's the GOAT.

No thoughts on this really. If I want a "sugary"cereal, I have it. I have it a couple times a week on average. No biggie.

Do I make it a staple in my diet? No. That is stupid.

[desslok]

CTC is the cereal that only gets named cause it's the GOAT.

No thoughts on this really. If I want a "sugary"cereal, I have it. I have it a couple times a week on average. No biggie.

Do I make it a staple in my diet? No. That is stupid.

Same here, all of the above. If you have trouble with portion control and moderation , and can only eat a whole box, than probably best to stay away.

[air2fakie]

Fruit loops this morning, cocoa krispies yesterday morning, Corn Pops morning before that. Still alive.

[AdamWW]

In general, I favor cinnamon, honey, caramel, or nut-focused cereals... or vanilla..graham... that kind of thing.

I tend not to buy chocolate or fruity ones very much.

Things like Lucky Charms are decent sometimes, but they're not really my go-to as I find it rests entirely on the marshmallows where the actual grain component of the cereal is just flavorless pretty much.



SOME fruity cereals are good tho... like apple cinnamon chex. But then, it has cinnamon

[paulinkansas]

I've eaten cereal maybe a dozen times in the last 30 years. My typical breakfast is a Gironda shake or leftovers from dinner the night before (left out overnight at room temperature).

[EliKoehn]

Hmm, CTC apparently has 9g of added sugar per 3/4 cup, dry.

Lucky Charms shows 18 per cup, and Cocoa Puffs shows 12 per cup, so it's more than the former but the same there.

Maybe it's just the "toast" imagery that makes me associate it as less sugary, even if it's not? For instance, the others are overtly chocolate, marshmallow, or fruity, so they seem sweeter by default I suppose.

Same here, all of the above. If you have trouble with portion control and moderation , and can only eat a whole box, than probably best to stay away.

Yeah, unless it's the "diety" grain cereal, it pretty much feels like inhaling nothing so I typically avoid unless I'm intent on indulging already.

[MrCarrot]

Cereal brands in the UK are a little different to the USA I think.

I'm bulking at the moment so I eat a couple of bowls of Rice Krispies (basically puffed rice and sugar) each day to get my calories and carbs up.

I eat granola a couple of times a week as a kind of treat.

Early on I was a bit paranoid about sugar, but as long as I get a decent amount.of complex carbs I don't worry as much about it now.

[AdamWW]

Cereal brands in the UK are a little different to the USA I think.

I'm bulking at the moment so I eat a couple of bowls of Rice Krispies (basically puffed rice and sugar) each day to get my calories and carbs up.

I eat granola a couple of times a week as a kind of treat.

Early on I was a bit paranoid about sugar, but as long as I get a decent amount.of complex carbs I don't worry as much about it now.

it's funny, I used to imagine sugar would mean my actual blood sugar on average would be high... but as you said, it's a balance.

Day to day, I probably consume something like 20-40g of refined sugar, but my blood sugar measurements and hba1c have always been excellent...

Even right now as I am bulking and have been for months, my hba1c was like 4.8 the last time I checked.

[MrCarrot]

it's funny, I used to imagine sugar would mean my actual blood sugar on average would be high... but as you said, it's a balance.

Day to day, I probably consume something like 20-40g of refined sugar, but my blood sugar measurements and hba1c have always been excellent...

Even right now as I am bulking and have been for months, my hba1c was like 4.8 the last time I checked.

I haven't measured my blood sugar, but I used to avoid cereals, and would buy zero calorie syrups and eat protein bars instead of real chocolate (I still do sometimes).

But now I can't be bothered to go shopping for special syrups and just buy the real thing instead - the number of calories is still neglible in the grand scheme of things. When I go from 2,500 calories to 3,000, then to 3,500 and now I'm shooting for 4,000 I just think, chit I need to eat a lot of everything, why am I worried about a bowl of cereal or a spoon of syrup?

[AdamWW]

I haven't measured my blood sugar, but I used to avoid cereals, and would buy zero calorie syrups and eat protein bars instead of real chocolate (I still do sometimes).

But now I can't be bothered to go shopping for special syrups and just buy the real thing instead - the number of calories is still neglible in the grand scheme of things. When I go from 2,500 calories to 3,000, then to 3,500 and now I'm shooting for 4,000 I just think, chit I need to eat a lot of everything, why am I worried about a bowl of cereal or a spoon of syrup?

Yup, exactly... the bigger the budget, the less you have to worry about the small things

[Strawng]

In general, I favor cinnamon, honey, caramel, or nut-focused cereals... or vanilla..graham... that kind of thing.

I tend not to buy chocolate or fruity ones very much.

Things like Lucky Charms are decent sometimes, but they're not really my go-to as I find it rests entirely on the marshmallows where the actual grain component of the cereal is just flavorless pretty much.



SOME fruity cereals are good tho... like apple cinnamon chex. But then, it has cinnamon

Same

Cinnamon & honey are king when it comes to cereals

it's funny, I used to imagine sugar would mean my actual blood sugar on average would be high... but as you said, it's a balance.

Day to day, I probably consume something like 20-40g of refined sugar, but my blood sugar measurements and hba1c have always been excellent...

Same, tho I eat more like 40-60g of refined sugar per day. I assume it's probly partially genetic, but sugar isn't quite the boogeyman it's made out to be.

Oh & FWIW, Honey Bunches of Oats & Chex are absolutely GOAT-tier cereals, OP. I'm also a big fan of mini-wheats. This is coming from a guy who also loves CTC. Adam basically summed it up best with what flavors are best in cereals to me.

[AdamWW]

Same

Cinnamon & honey are king when it comes to cereals


Same, tho I eat more like 40-60g of refined sugar per day. I assume it's probly partially genetic, but sugar isn't quite the boogeyman it's made out to be.

Oh & FWIW, Honey Bunches of Oats & Chex are absolutely GOAT-tier cereals, OP. I'm also a big fan of mini-wheats. This is coming from a guy who also loves CTC. Adam basically summed it up best with what flavors are best in cereals to me.

Oh for sure, mini wheats are awesome, especially the small-bites versions.

I'm also partial to raisin bran, cracklin' oat bran (massively underrated), and many different granolas. Especially if you add sliced banana to them.

[Strawng]

Oh for sure, mini wheats are awesome, especially the small-bites versions.

I'm also partial to raisin bran, cracklin' oat bran (massively underrated), and many different granolas. Especially if you add sliced banana to them.

Agreed on all counts. Raisin bran & cob are indeed criminally underrated. I also have granola with a sliced banana at least 3x a week

[AdamWW]

Agreed on all counts. Raisin bran & cob are indeed criminally underrated. I also have granola with a sliced banana at least 3x a week

Shoot I forgot Raisin Bran Crunch! RBC is freaking amazing... perhaps the best texture in the cereal game.

[desslok]

Shoot I forgot Raisin Bran Crunch! RBC is freaking amazing... perhaps the best texture in the cereal game.

Worst texture, grape nuts?

[AdamWW]

Worst texture, grape nuts?

haha Grape Nuts might be THE WORST cereal i've ever had... i remember my parents ate it when I was a kid, and I tried some once... I was only able to enjoy it after adding raisins, banana, heating it, and then adding more sugar on top ;o)

I haven't had it since then and I kind of wonder if it's as bad as I remember it being.

[Strawng]

Shoot I forgot Raisin Bran Crunch! RBC is freaking amazing... perhaps the best texture in the cereal game.

Yup 100% RBC is hands-down is the GOAT cereal texture

Worst texture, grape nuts?

haha Grape Nuts might be THE WORST cereal i've ever had... i remember my parents ate it when I was a kid, and I tried some once... I was only able to enjoy it after adding raisins, banana, heating it, and then adding more sugar on top ;o)

I haven't had it since then and I kind of wonder if it's as bad as I remember it being.

Fuking A! Forget cereal...Grape Nuts might just actually have the worst texture of any food I've ever eaten. The only thing that I think could even step to it might be something really slimy & putrid like balut, but I ain't tying that anytime soon.

[TolerantLactose]

Grape nuts was so nasty, the only way they could market it was to say it's so bad that it must be healthy.

[Strawng]

Grape nuts was so nasty, the only way they could market it was to say it's so bad that it must be healthy.

Right, but now that there's the whole "carbs are bad" bandwagon & grains are generally demonized, who in the ever-loving fuk is still buying Grape Nuts in the year 2022?! Srs question...

[illriginalized]

Cinnamon Chex is all I’ll fux with. Never difficult to fit into my day.

[desslok]

haha Grape Nuts might be THE WORST cereal i've ever had... i remember my parents ate it when I was a kid, and I tried some once... I was only able to enjoy it after adding raisins, banana, heating it, and then adding more sugar on top ;o)

I haven't had it since then and I kind of wonder if it's as bad as I remember it being.

Its pretty bad. The only way you can avoid chipped teeth and a worn out roof of your mouth is basically make “overnight oats” with it. Put that in a bowl, cover with milk by an inch or so, and leave in fridge overnight. This ways its just a really bad cereal, but at least edible. If you plan on eating it fresh just make sure you have a really good dental plan with low deductible

[paulinkansas]

Grape Nuts is neither grapes nor nuts. When I was a kid, we called it Twigs and Bark.

[EliKoehn]

Right, but now that there's the whole "carbs are bad" bandwagon ...

Hasn't this been a popular idea since maybe the mid 2000s? I have wispy memories of "low fat" diets from the late 90s/early 2000s, and growing up my mother had low-fat cookbooks and stuff on the shelf from that time, as well.

It seems like it was the late 2000s when carbs got vilified, though this may be a longstanding cyclical pattern and I'm simply ignorant of the last time the pendulum swung that way per lack of exposure by way of not being alive. I do consciously remember a Tom Noughton documentary called "Fat Head" from that time which overtly promoted this idea, that as humans carbohydrates are somehow "foreign" to our metabolism, and it's only when settled societies emerged and hunter-gathering stopped that our reliance on agriculture "forced it upon us," resulting in otherwise non-issue diseases such as tooth-decay, diabetes, etc.

I bought it at the time because I didn't know any better (and like many documentaries, it's persuasive from artful presentation and selection), but I wonder to what extent it's media like that which convinces people of the "carbs are bad" thing, rather than any kind of meaningful experience of their own, as ironically, the people getting on that bandwagon do tend to be overweight themselves.

[MrCarrot]

Could we please talk about Pop Tarts because technically they are for breakfast and I'm craving them right now

[AdamWW]

Could we please talk about Pop Tarts because technically they are for breakfast and I'm craving them right now

It's just big breakfast ravioli


best flavors:

- Cinnamon brown Sugar
- Smores
- Frosted Strawberry


I haven't had them in ages... but now that you brought it up... I kind of want one.

[Strawng]

Hasn't this been a popular idea since maybe the mid 2000s? I have wispy memories of "low fat" diets from the late 90s/early 2000s, and growing up my mother had low-fat cookbooks and stuff on the shelf from that time, as well.

It seems like it was the late 2000s when carbs got vilified, though this may be a longstanding cyclical pattern and I'm simply ignorant of the last time the pendulum swung that way per lack of exposure by way of not being alive. I do consciously remember a Tom Noughton documentary called "Fat Head" from that time which overtly promoted this idea, that as humans carbohydrates are somehow "foreign" to our metabolism, and it's only when settled societies emerged and hunter-gathering stopped that our reliance on agriculture "forced it upon us," resulting in otherwise non-issue diseases such as tooth-decay, diabetes, etc.

I bought it at the time because I didn't know any better (and like many documentaries, it's persuasive from artful presentation and selection), but I wonder to what extent it's media like that which convinces people of the "carbs are bad" thing, rather than any kind of meaningful experience of their own, as ironically, the people getting on that bandwagon do tend to be overweight themselves.

Low carb has been the trend since the Atkins diet around 2004. It's been sustained by paleo then keto then the stupid fuking carnivore chit that's trendy now. It's absolutely the media that perpetuates such drivel.

Oh, & FWIW, I unfortunately have seen 'Fat Head'. Matter of fact...I bought into it hook, line & sinker. I cut out carbs despite being a muscular, lean 19 year-old athlete. It was actually a key player in triggering the onset of my anorexia. Oddly enough, my body responded so bad to the low carb diet that I quit restricting carbs even tho I was restricting my calories. My body functions extremely poorly on low carb.

It's just big breakfast ravioli


best flavors:

- Cinnamon brown Sugar
- Smores
- Frosted Strawberry


I haven't had them in ages... but now that you brought it up... I kind of want one.

Aren't toaster strudels the true "breakfast ravioli" tho?

Also, I of course agree on your flavor picks. I'd also give a shout-out to Hot Fudge Sundae

[AdamWW]

Low carb has been the trend since the Atkins diet around 2004. It's been sustained by paleo then keto then the stupid fuking carnivore chit that's trendy now. It's absolutely the media that perpetuates such drivel.

Oh, & FWIW, I unfortunately have seen 'Fat Head'. Matter of fact...I bought into it hook, line & sinker. I cut out carbs despite being a muscular, lean 19 year-old athlete. It was actually a key player in triggering the onset of my anorexia. Oddly enough, my body responded so bad to the low carb diet that I quit restricting carbs even tho I was restricting my calories. My body functions extremely poorly on low cab.

Aren't toaster strudels the true "breakfast ravioli" tho?

Also, I of course agree on your flavor picks. I'd also give a shout-out to Hot Fudge Sundae

Never had hot fudge sundae! Is it lighter on the chocolate flavor? I could get down with that if it's not super super dark and rich.