A better breakfast: 'Even if your family likes a sugary cereal, eat it, just mix it with a healthier cereal'

GREENSBORO, N.C. — You already know that sugary cereal isn’t exactly a healthy food. Still, a recent study finds that breakfast cereals marketed to kids may be getting even worse: sweeter, saltier, and less nutritious.

The study took a close look at newly launched breakfast cereals between 2010 and 2023 that were geared to kids ages 5 to 12. Over that time, the fat, sodium, and sugar content trended higher, while some good stuff like protein and fiber dropped.

And when it comes to sugar, the numbers really jump out. On average, a single serving of cereal contains nearly three teaspoons of sugar. According to the study authors, that's about 45% of the maximum amount of added sugars the American Heart Association recommends a child have in an entire day.

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