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The Diet Cereal Killer - Healthy, nutritious and delicious - cereal can add pounds to the old rusty weight scales.  

Is that morning robe fitting a bit more snuggly these days? If your morning starts with a bowl of cereal, it may be the culprit of weight gain.  Here's how to ensure that healthy nutrition doesn't explode into your pants, thighs and that morning robe:

All cereal bowls are not created equal.  Tomorrow morning, fill your cereal bowl as you would normally, then grab the 1-cup measuring cup.  Next, check the cereal box label to determine the recommended serving size which can be as little as 1/4 cup for granola-type cereals and as much as 1 1/3 cup for some varieties of cornflakes and puffy cereals. Using your measuring cup, measure how much cereal you deposited into your bowl.  

With some cereals containing 200 or more calories per serving, an accidental double-serving can turn those breakfast calories into a T-bone steak meal or even a pack of Hostess Ding Dongs weighing in at 368 calories per serving.

If you discover that your bowl holds more than you thought, try switching to a smaller cereal bowl.  Better yet, stick the measuring cup into the box and you'll always know exactly how much cereal you are eating.

All cow juice is not created equal.  The grade of milk that you drown the cereal with can also pack on unwanted pounds - particularly if you're using more milk than the cereal box label recommends.  Whole milk weighs in at 160 calories per cup vs skimmed milk which contains 1/2 the calories.  If you can't cozy up to skim, try 2% then after a week graduate to 1% and then try the skimmed OR stick with the 2% or 1% which is a healthier Diet Deal for your Calorie Buck. The recommended serving for milk on cereal labels is generally 1/2 cup.

Labels Provide Great Diet Guidance.  The cereal box Nutrition Facts:

- lists the calories in the serving of cereal

- recommends the type of milk to eat with the cereal plus the total calories

- lists other valuable nutrition information such as fiber content and fat grams

Sugar Ant Warning.  Another pound-adding technique involves sugar lovers who can't help but add more sugar onto their presweetened cereal.  If cereal is presweetened, try to refrain by slowing cutting back on the added sugar - a similar technique that we illustrated with the milk above.  For unsweetened cereal, a teaspoon or two of sugar will do.  Or, try adding a bit of no calorie sweetener.

Cereal & Snack Time.  A serving of dry cereal makes a nutritious snack and is all the rage where college students are concerned.  However, it's wise to grab that measuring cup rather than eating from the box as calories add up quickly when in comes to cereal.  How many calories in cereal?  Here are just a few:

Calories in Cold Cereals:

General Mills Whole Grain Total - 3/4 cup contains about 97 calories

General Mills Wheaties - 1 cup contains about 106 calories

General Mills Nature Valley Low Fat Fruit Granola - a little less that 3/4 cup contains about 200 calories

General Mills Honey Nut Shredded Wheat - 1 cup contains about 190 calories

General Mills Honey Nut Cheerios - 1 cup contains about 112 calories

General Mills Frosted Cheerios - 1 cup contains about 115 calories

General Mills Multi-Grain Cheerios - 1 cup contains about 108 calories

General Mills Berry Burst Cheerios, all flavors - 1 cup contains about 122 calories

General Mills Apple Cinnamon Cheerios - 3/4 cup contains about 118 calories

General Mills Trix - 1 cup contains about 117 calories

Post Spoon Size Shredded Wheat - 1 cup contains about 167 calories

Kellogg's Raisin Bran - 1 cup contains about 195 calories

Kellogg's Low Fat Granola with Raisins - a little less that 3/4 cup contains about 200 calories

Post Fruity Pebbles - 3/4 cup contains about 108 calories

Post Golden Crisp - 3/4 cup contains about 107 calories

Post Grape Nuts Cereal - 1/4 cup contains about 104 calories

Post Grape Nuts Flakes - 3/4 cup contains about 106 calories

Post Honeycomb - 1 1/3 cup contains about 115 calories

Post Alpha-bits - 1 cup contains about 130 calories

Post Toasties Corn Flakes - 1 cup contains about 101 calories

Post Honey Bunches of Oats - 1 cup contains about 118 calories

Post 100% Bran Cereal - 1/3 cup contains about 83 calories

Kellogg's Healthy Choice, Almonds with Raisins - 1 cup contains about 198 calories

Kellogg's Honey Puffed Kashi - 1 cup contains about 120 calories

Kellogg's Kashi GoLEAN - 3/4 cup contains about 114 calories

Kellogg's Fruit Loops- 1 cup contains about 118 calories

Kellogg's Rice Krispies- 1 cup contains about 108 calories

Kellogg's Frosted Flakes- 3/4 cup contains about 114 calories

Kellogg's Smacks- 3/4 cup contains about 104 calories

Kellogg's Cocoa Krispies- 3/4 cup contains about 118 calories

Kellogg's Corn Pops - 1 cup contains about 117 calories

Kellogg's Apple Jacks - 1 cup contains about 117 calories

Quaker Oat Cap'n Crunch - 3/4 cup contains about 108 calories

Quaker Oat Life - 3/4 cup contains about 120 calories

Quaker Low Fat 100% Natural Granola with Raisins - 1/2 cup contains about 195 calories

 

Calories in Hot Cereals (cooked with water, without milk or butter added):

Cream of Rice -1 cup contains about 127 calories

Cream of Wheat - 1 cup contains about 131 calories

Oatmeal - 1 cup contains about 147 calories

Wheatena - 1 cup contains about 143 calories

In Summary -  Don't become a victim of the Cereal Diet Killer.  Ensure recommended serving size, use low fat, skim or fat free milk and when eating presweetened cereal, don't become a sugar ant by adding more.

*calories based on USDA information

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