Kids May Not Necessarily Want Sugary Cereals, Suggests Study

I can’t imagine childhood without a plethora of sugary cereals.  Lucky charms were my favorite.  I would pick out the marshmellows and eat them separately…actually, I did this almost into adulthood.

What my parents didn’t know is that they didn’t need Lucky Charms to shut me up – at least according to a new study.

A British study showed that kids can be satisfied with lower sugar cereals, provided they are offered a choice in cereals and other options such as fruit and fruit juice.  The study had two groups of children: one were offered a choice of lower-sugar cereals, and the other were offered a choice of higher-sugar cereals.  Both were offered fruit and fruit juice choices as well.

The children in the lower-sugar group were able to find a cereal that they ‘liked’ or ‘loved’ and reported as much satisfaction as children who are offered higher-sugar cereals.  Also, the children who ate the lower-sugar cereal chose to eat more fruit and fruit juice.

Interestingly enough, children in both groups consumed approximately the same amount of calories; however, the children in the group with the high-sugar cereals ended up consuming almost twice as many empty sugar calories.

Source: http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/647313.html

Photo credit: Flickr Creative Commons by laffy4k