Look for cereals that have at least 3 grams of fiber per 100 calories. (Note: to get the most fiber, look for whole wheat, wheat bran, whole barley, brown rice, oats and corn).

Choose cereals with less than 10 grams of sugar per serving. Remember, 1 teaspoon of sugar equals 4 grams.

Avoid high fat cereals (such as granola) and trans fats from the partially hydrogenated soybean oil.

It is OK to choose vitamin fortified cereals, but watch the sodium in each case. For example, Kellogg’s Smart Start has more than 330 milligrams of sodium per serving!

Finally, you can buy organic cereals if you like, but in reality these cereals are more expensive and no more nutritious than the cereals we’ve discussed. (more…)