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