Did you know sometimes (majority of the time) supermarket own brands contain almost half the amount of sugar and salt to branded cereals
When choosing a cereal for your little one we recommend choosing a low salt and sugar cereal, avoiding sweeteners and ensuring its fortified with the nutrients they require. We also recommend not serving cereal every single day and to alternate breakfasts so you are serving cereal 1-2 times a week. We have a post on why here.
Although the branded cereal such as the shredded wheat, ready brek, weetabix etc are all great healthier options for your little one sometimes it's a good idea to compare in your supermarket to their own brand. If we can cut down on these ingredients where we can it's a small win and all contributes to a healthier diet but also they are far cheaper.
See below some examples of own brand cereals beating the big brands health wise
What cereals do we recommend
There are SO many breakfast cereals out there! The aisle is packed with so many different options, fun boxes and confusing information. We have put together a list of the cereals we recommend sticking to for the first 2 years of your little ones life (and longer if you can).
One thing to look for when purchasing cereal is the word FORTIFIED. Cereals with the word fortified mean they have added nutrients such as calcium, B vitamins, Vitamin D, Iron and more. These are essential nutrients your little one requires during this stage of their lives.
However although these cereals are fortified with these nutrients we still recommend adding more to your little ones cereal. Such as yogurts, milk, fruits, ground nuts and nut butters. These all help boost the nutritional value and is recommended with cereal/oat products.
List of our recommended cereals
In our list with listed the big well known brands so our readers can recognise the cereals, but we recommend looking at the supermarket own brand of these versions and purchasing those if they beat them health wise (which they usually do).
Plain Ready Brek
Plain Weetabix
Plain Puffed Wheat
Oats
Plain Shredded Wheat
Kallo rice cereal
Comments