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Cerealis the go-to breakfast option for many.
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It’s a quick, convenient way to start the day and doesn’t require cooking or much cleanup.
But not all cereals are created equal.
Slick marketing often fools people into thinking these cereals are good for you.
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Even worse, some popular cereal brands engage in dangerousfood quality practicesthat could put your health at risk.
Let’s take a closer look at the cereal brands you may want to avoid and why.
Highly processed foods arelinked to obesity, heart disease, and even depression.
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Nearly all popular breakfast cereals undergo some processing to improve flavor, shape, texture, and digestion.
Synthetic vitamins are artificial through industrial processing.
Gutierrez is also the inspired creator ofYhorlife, an online wellness and fashion platform.
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She believes it’s always best to get nutrients from whole food sources.
And she may be right.
Folic acid supplementation has beenlinked to prostate cancerandother health issues.
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However, others push back and say that processed cereals aren’t necessarily bad for you.
She also adds that many of the foods we eat are processed to some degree.
Manufacturers also add a bunch of sugar during processing to make their cereals highly palatable.
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Many times sugar is the second or third ingredient listed.
Added sugar can be dangerous and has beenlinked to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
Gutierrez adopts a more cautious approach.
“Any large consumption of sugar is a concern due to the effects of sugar on the body.
Some popular cereals may contain toxins
Could your breakfast cereal be poisoning you?
Well, it depends on who you ask and what research you look at.
A leading FDA-registered food safety testing laboratoryfound high levels of glyphosate in Cheerios.
Glyphosate is a weed-killer found in Roundup.Growing researchsuggests it can disrupt the immune system and damage cells.
Amidor says trace amounts ofglyphosatecan be found in most food products due to its widespread use.
However, other organizations disagree.
Gutierrez says studies have found that chronically ill humans have higher glyphosate residue in their urine than healthy humans.
Clearly, the jury is still out on the harmful effects of the herbicide.
There’s also the issue of heavy metals like mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic.
Multiple congressional reportshave found high levels of arsenic in popular baby cereals, including Beech-Nut and Gerber.
This has led to mass recalls of the products.
The reports also found that these companies rarely test their products for heavy metals.
Even when they test, theystill allow products exceeding the limit to go to market.
These are troubling findings because heavy metals can be quite dangerous, especially for kids.
In addition, they can lead to lower IQs, behavior problems, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
The company performed a health investigation and claimed they found no evidence the cereals were related to the illnesses.
But this isn’t the first time a breakfast cereal has been linked to food poisoning.
In 2018, Kellogg’s Honey Smackscaused an outbreak of salmonella across 36 states that led to 34 hospitalizations.
More reasons to stay clear of these brands.
However, Amidor says no research has found BHT to cause cancer.
Since BHT and BHA are similar compounds, it stands to reason that BHA is safe as well.
But Gutierrez says that these preservatives can cause allergic reactions in babies and reaffirms that they are carcinogens.
It’s probably best to avoid BHA and BHT if you canat least until more research comes out.
Of course, these are intentional.
Cereal companies have long marketed their productsoften their most unhealthy onestowards kids.
They know that kids are highly impressionable and are susceptible to clever marketing and advertising.
Total media spending on cereals advertised to kids increased 34% from 2008 to 2011.
General Mills and Kellog are the worst offenders, with a combined marketing budget of $250 million.
“The most concerning thing about this marketing angle is that this is the beginning of addiction to convenience.
We are setting our kids up to be predisposed for the health risks of highly processed foods.
Some companies do provide healthier, lower-sugar alternatives.
However, these are marketed towards parents, not kids.
But Amidor isn’t worried.
She believes standards for responsible marketing have changed in recent years.
So don’t be fooled by pretty packaging or advertising that highlightsmore fiber.
Often, these are just tricks to cover up the sugar-laden product underneath.
So what can you do to protect yourself?
If you’re worried about glyphosate, choose organic cereals.
Gutierrez says organic is a better choice since it’s free from artificial additives and colors.
And check that to check the nutrition profile before you buy your cereal as well.
you’re free to also checkConsumer Reportsto see which cereals are the healthiestand unhealthiest.
That’s good advice.
