The Evil Cereal Industry

[yellowwoodII]

I am appalled when I read the ingredients in most breakfast cereals. Oh, I know, people should have the freedom to whatever cereal that they want. But I'm not talking about the cereal that adults eat. I'm talking about the cereals that are especially marketed to children.
Boo Berry, Lucky Charms, Cookie Crisp, Trix, etc.
Not only are these cereals loaded with too much sugar or high fructose (why not add your own sugar, if you want it?), but they are mostly "empty calories."
Even Cheerios "Multi-Grain" is mostly corn, one of the cheapest, least nutritious grains.
Not only that: They are expensive. Try pricing it by the pound.
Just read the label. It's enlightening.

[Laelth]

1. k&r for the truth, however depressing it may be. n/t

-Laelth

[Lint Head]

2. The Sugar Industry loves it. Sugar is a commodity worth 3 billion dollars globally.

There are millions of forms of sugar and sugar is in more things than just food. Candy and cookies are nothing more than shaped sugar.
Bread has sugar in it.

[Warpy]

4. Hey, hands off my Cheerios!

I can't eat wheat, so Cheerios are it for an out of hand snack these days. Corn Chex is also OK, but I prefer the Cheerios.

And yes, they're insanely expensive for what you actually get in that brightly colored box.

[Warpy]

14. I break out into a rash and wheeze

Wheat allergy in adults is extremely rare. I loved to bake so I was completely disgusted to find out the rash was coming from wheat.

That the wheezing also stopped when I stopped eating wheat was something I hadn't been looking for.

The itching and wheezing are just enough of a pain in the butt that I avoid wheat. I don't even eat Cheerios that often, most of the time it's a puffed rice cereal from the health food store.

The wheat starch is listed pretty far down and is likely an excipient for the vitamins or the tripotassium phosphate.

I can tolerate very low amounts of a lot of things I'm allergic to, although if it's one of the life threatening ones, I don't push it. The wheat allergy is merely annoying.

[LiberalEsto]

5. Even the granola is loaded with sugar

12 to 19 grams per serving may not seem like that much, but tell that to anyone who is pre-diabetic. Almost all the cereal at Whole Foods is sugar-loaded.

[progressoid]

10. Some granola is really bad.

I make my own because of their sugar content (not to mention cost).

I saw a supposedly "healthy" granola company making their granola on a TV show. Buckets of corn syrup. That's fine if I'm going rock climbing but not for everyday consumption.

[TBF]

6. That is the one nice thing about computer games vs. tv

my kids watch very little tv these days and see few commercials. I will sometimes buy them rice krispie treats, but we've cut way down on cereal. It is usually my husband who will bring a few boxes home from time to time. Mostly we like fruit or some eggs and bacon on the weekend.

[BrotherIvan]

7. If you've read The Jungle you know why

If you take a second to think about the latest improvement in big bold letters screaming on the box and the supposed health benefits, 9 times out of 10, it's a marketing ploy to sell you something harmful in order to make more profit. Cereal is notorious for its high profit margin, but the big corps can't even stop selling you cheap grains for lots of $$. The preservatives they must put on them in order for them to have an almost infinite shelf life are where they keep putting their efforts to cut costs. Often you will have an ingredient such as high fructose corn syrup or canola oil that was a by-product of industry and the food companies repurpose it because it is so cheap. Sugar, like salt is a food preservative and is actually far more expensive because it must be grown for that purpose. HFCS is far more cost effective. The other flavor enhancers they put on there is so you can't taste the rancid grains and oils you are ingesting. They literally have to fool your tastebuds into eating something you would spit out in nature because your body is designed to detect it. That's why you have that gut reaction to smelling spoiled milk.

Processed food is not made for people, it's made for corporations. In The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, the meat packers centralized and now had to ship meat all over the country. And they had to sell it to consumers who were used to getting fresh meat from their butcher. So they came up with "aged beef". It's been going on ever since. Our high grain, high corn, high soy diet is because it is easy to pack and ship, not because it is actually a healthy diet as you can see just by walking down the street. It's all for profit and it's killing us.

[woo me with science]

12. Great post,

and great book. Thanks for mentioning it.


"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it."
--Upton Sinclair

[BrotherIvan]

16. Thanks, it's a tough read but enlightening on so many levels

Since we've entered a second industrial age, it might need a reread. I wonder what will be as remarkable and game-changing for today since media is so scattered.

I remember hearing anecdotally on a forum, I believe it might have been DU, where Carson was interviewing a nurse or nutritionist and asked her one tip for health. They cut off her answer so it did not air, but it was, "Don't eat anything that's advertised." Her rationale being the company will put far more money and effort into the ads, even the design of the box than the food that's inside. Cereal seems to be a shining example of this. See also frozen foods and prepackaged mixes.

Apparently Michael Pollan has taken up that theme and said it on Democracy Now. I haven't watched the full interview but it is a compelling thought. I would add rule #2, don't eat anything that won't spoil.

As a small manufacturer, my eyes have been truly opened to how much value there is in buying from small companies. Because we don't have huge budgets to advertise, we put all our effort into making a great product with the hope that satisfied customers will spread the word and come back to buy again. If the product must stand on its own, then chances are it will be so much better than what a big company, using all its resources to squeeze every penny of profit out of it.

[grahamhgreen]

8. You'll be even more appalled when you find out that Kellogg was a sicko who advocated sewing

Penis's closed... Google it!

[Blue Owl]

9. I'm a victim of Count Chocula

n/t

[NRaleighLiberal]

13. we buy a few at Trader Joe that have really good fiber to total carb ratios

Uncle Sam, Raisin bran clusters, and/or this one



and put our own granola on it, and a handful of frozen blueberries, and almond milk...that's our breakfast most mornings.

[edhopper]

17. Love Trader Joe's

half the price and twice the nutrition. No HFCS in anything.

[NRaleighLiberal]

20. agreed - pretty nutritionally reliable stuff as a rule....

we try to keep the baked cheese crunchies and dark chocolate covered raisins to a reasonable minimum!

[yellowwoodII]

15. Here's Another Joke:

Cheerios Multigrain is recommended by the American Heart Association and Weight Watchers. A little collusion there, wouldn't you say?

Walmart's price is $3.98 for 1 pound, 2 ounce package.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Multigrain-Cheerios-Cereal-16.2-oz/14869855

I assume that parents buy it, thinking they are doing something good for their children. Raising kids isn't cheap. It's not nice to fool parents.

[Kurovski]

18. Why does Betty Crocker hate Jesus?

[Jesus Malverde]

19. I heard most cereal companies spend much more on advertising,

than what goes into the product.