Healthiest Cereal Available through Coles, Woolies, etc

FlatulentFrank on 17/06/2016 - 13:19
Last edited 20/06/2016 - 09:17 by 2 other users

Hundreds of choices all with effective packaging and health claims…which one wins?

I am not focusing on anything specific like low sugar or GI…just an overall healthy cereal. (personally I don't care about taste I'm more interested sustenance)

Being ozbargain I would also like to know the most cost effective HEALTHY cereal option. MY personal top three are:

All Bran (I add banana)
Carman’s Original Fruit Free Muesli
Kellogg’s Five Whole Grain Muesli

What's your thoughts? I know that I can make my own and make it SUPER healthy… but I'm lazy, yet health conscious

Food & Grocery Cereal

Comments

    • scrimshaw on 19/06/2016 - 23:43

      You can sneak some Stevia in if you want added sweetness. It's a powerful sweetener, but tastes terrible if you use too much. No calories either.

    • FlatulentFrank on 20/06/2016 - 14:46

      Thanks for your comment! can I ask why you avoid blueberries? Have a whole heap frozen

      • Zoosh on 20/06/2016 - 22:53

        Blueberries contain approx double the sugar (~10g/100g) compared to raspberries/strawberries (~4-5g/100g). Ultimately comes down to personal preference that I am trying to reduce sugar/sweetness in my diet. If you have heaps of bluebs then they'd be a suitable substitute :)

  • pennae on 18/06/2016 - 23:50
    +1

    Uncle Toby's Swiss Muesli is super yum but rarely on special.

    • Triple J on 14/07/2016 - 19:06
      +2

      Old post i know but thought you might like to know Uncle Tobys swiss blend muesli 1kg is currently on sale at woolworths online for $4.00 save $3.21 not sure about instore & you are right rarely goes onsale.

  • Hunry on 19/06/2016 - 01:55

    Fruit Loops - can't go wrong with Toucan Sam!

    • nismo on 16/07/2016 - 18:18

      Except there's no fruit in them, only Froot.

      Cereals (60%)(cornmeal, wheat flour, oat flour), sugar, vegetable oil, salt, colours (carmine, paprika, caramel I, turmeric, copper chlorophyll, vegetable carbon), dextrose, vitamins (vitamin C, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, folate), minerals (iron, zinc oxide), natural flavours (orange, lemon, raspberry, lime).

      A bit of a stretch of the imagination if you want to call those Flavours, Fruits!

      They are 38% sugar though, which is great, for no one.

  • tonester on 19/06/2016 - 01:58
    +4

    for nutrition, flavour and texture, start with:

    then add one of:

    and top them off with:

    • fresh fruit (eg. banana, berries, kiwi)
    • (optional) greek-style/natural yoghurt^

    otherwise, bircher muesli or porridge

    ^best value greek-style/natural dairy yoghurts:

    • Farmers Union
    • Jalna
    • Margaret River
    • Mundella

    healthiest kids/chocolate cereal:

    else try mixing:

    with something like:

    • mmd on 20/06/2016 - 14:15

      +1
      To make any of the more expensive cereals last longer, add crumbled weetbix to the bowl just before you pour milk.

      I'm on the weetbix bandwagon as it is quick and is one of the healthiest cereal in the supermarket aisle.
      Vita-brits is even healthier, but I don't like the taste as it is too bland.

      On weekdays, I eat weetbix, but during the weekends I add a handful of Be natural/Table of plenty cereal to make it more interesting.

      You still need to heat up the oats, but I guess u can prepare the fruits while this is happening.

  • MrBillions on 19/06/2016 - 07:38
    +2

    Watch the movie that sugar film.

    There is an outrageous amount of sugar in prepacked cereal.

    Beat to make your own oatmeal (don buy the prepacked flavored one).

  • MessyG on 19/06/2016 - 09:35

    My picks would be:

    Bran Plus (Uncle Toby's) - much higher fibre than All Bran
    Plain oats - not really fussed over processing method
    Weet Bix
    Untoasted muesli

    There's a lot of handwringing over carbs and other nutrients but I urge you to keep it as simple as possible. Superfoods is a marketing word. Food is either low GI or it's not. Carbohydrates, fat, and protein are all necessary for life and my approach to them is to see how much processing they've undergone - the less the better. Don't exclude entire food groups, exclude highly processed foods. Bran, oats etc are all pretty good if they don't have stuff added to them - it's the 'maple and yoghurt coated oat clusters' or 'banana honey bran breakfast bars' that you should run screaming from.

    • hammershammered on 19/06/2016 - 13:16

      Carbs are the one macronutrient that is not necessary. Fat and protein are essential.

      • scrimshaw on 19/06/2016 - 23:59

        Well, in the modern world where much of your food has been processed, it's not possible to avoid carbs entirely. Carbs is also a very broad term, because there a few things under the 'carbohydrate' category: sugar, starch and fibre.

        Under the 'sugar' category still, we can break it down into two types, normal sugars and free sugars. Free sugars is the stuff that we tend to eat too much of.

        Starch is naturally present in foods like rice and potato and wheat, but these aren't too bad for you because they provide a slow release of energy over time, and won't cause a massive glycemic response (but you need to expend that energy or it will get stored, causing a spare tire).
        Also, I recommend reading this article about the typical Japanese person's diet which explains that even a grain-rich diet can be OK too, so long as 1) the quality of the food is high and there is little processed food eaten and 2) fat intake is low and 3) the person engages in enough physical activity.

        Fiber is present in all plant matter, and it is also regarded as a type of carbohydrate (oddly enough). Your body however can't turn fiber into energy but it still needs fiber, because without it you'd have some serious constipation issues.

        • hammershammered on 20/06/2016 - 07:31

          Ok. My point was that they are not essential and they are the one macronutrient that you absolutely do not have to eat. Whereas you must eat fat and you must eat protein.

        • mmd on 20/06/2016 - 14:23

          @hammershammered:

          Must eat fat.

          Just want to be clear you mean non saturated/trans fat otherwise someone might misinterpret KFC as a essential fat/protein?

        • aerona on 21/06/2016 - 18:39

          @mmd:

          You definitely need saturated fats for normal hormonal function.

        • NotAMoodle on 03/07/2016 - 03:19
          +2

          @mmd: Nothing wrong with Satty Fats in moderation. Trans on the other hand, it's a big no no.

        • mmd on 03/07/2016 - 13:41
          +2

          @dazzywazzy:
          "in moderation" is the key word.
          However there are groups of ppl who believe fats are safe and eat it in every meal.
          https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/254301#comment-3802296

  • rapoot6 on 19/06/2016 - 10:21

    Goodness superfoods protein clusters has been the best I have found so far. Still high in carbs and sugar but the best of the bunch :)

  • spy on 19/06/2016 - 10:48

    Crunchy Nut

    • fastnbulbous on 19/06/2016 - 17:38

      This is good for dessert. I am not sure how anyone could have just this for breakfast. The sugar crash would be horrific.

      • RocketSwitch on 20/06/2016 - 09:18

        lol, yep, best dessert ever.

  • uggugg on 19/06/2016 - 12:35
    +1

    Woolies brand muesli $2.55 for 900grams

  • hammershammered on 19/06/2016 - 13:14
    +3

    Healthy Cereal is an oxymoron

    • FlatulentFrank on 20/06/2016 - 14:42

      You know what I mean - just trying to find an alternative.

      Looks like I've got it with Oats!

  • His_Holiness on 19/06/2016 - 16:22
    +1

    No such thing as healthy cereal. Go for a three egg omelette and a side of bacon. High protein keeps you fuller for longer.

    • NotAMoodle on 03/07/2016 - 03:20

      Can't believe it took till the second page to get the correct answer/comment and you didn't even have an upvote? Here's a +1 good sir.

  • fastnbulbous on 19/06/2016 - 17:37
    +1

    anyone else just have cereal as a dessert?

    • omniX32 on 20/06/2016 - 01:04

      No, but I usually put a layer of custard on top of my cereal every morning. Does that count?

    • RocketSwitch on 20/06/2016 - 09:19

      Crunchy Nut is my cereal dessert. Small portions.

  • JayM on 20/06/2016 - 09:26

    My go to at the moment is Aldi rice bubbles. I find that they don't need sugar as they taste ok already. Pretty boring really but can add a sprinkle of sugar if required. Demerara sugar tastes nice but is expensive.

    I find that milk is the thing that adds the most sugar content. ~11+ gms per 250ml. As hard as it may be, you could try looking at almond or coconut as an alternative as some of these have between 0.5 to 6gms of sugar only. The taste is what you need to get used to.

  • Hikey on 20/06/2016 - 10:16
    +1

    Oats. I have a big bowl of oats in hot water and a bit of milk in the office every morning. Keeps me full until lunch despite cycling to work.

  • yoonibear on 20/06/2016 - 10:28
    +1

    Crunchy Nut -then I discovered the sugar crashes.
    Oats was on sale and I bought a pack to see what it was like. Loved it ever since. I usually put bit of honey, banana or blueberries in mine and I'll be good till lunch.

  • neonlight on 20/06/2016 - 13:57
    +1

    I used to eat cereal often but now its just oats with milk. Because there's too much sugar in most cereal

  • [Deactivated] on 20/06/2016 - 17:40
    -2

    cocopops - just like a chocolate milkshake only crunchy. I'm sure there is some health in the crunch

  • plasmoske on 20/06/2016 - 18:02

    A protein shake and with a piece of fruit. Cereal is too full of carbs.

  • ichatting on 20/06/2016 - 19:12

    No cereal is health, yep I've done extensive research ;)

  • Lucky13 on 21/06/2016 - 08:15
    +1

    Carmans Fruit & Nut Muesli, etc (Coles, Woolworths & IGA)

    Food For Health - Fruit Free Clusters (Coles, maybe W & I)

    Brookfarm - Macadamia Nut Muesli (IGA)

    or make your own bircher muesli which is yummy… rolled oats, chopped nuts/dried fruit (fyi dried sour cherries are yum). Put in a bowl in fridge overnight with OJ and have it in the morning (or just do in morn is fine too just softer if do overnight) and bellisimo!

  • [Deactivated] on 21/06/2016 - 08:38
    +1

    1 cup of oats + half water, half milk. Microwave for 2min, add some protein powder or cinnamon for taste.

  • surethang on 21/06/2016 - 14:29
    +2

    If you are interested in health and sustenance as you say, then the cereal I recommend is: none

    Science has shown us that grains are a crappy food source for humans. They are relatively low in nutrients. That's why manufacturers have to fortify them. And they contain really dodgy stuff like phytic acid and lectins, which inhibit nutrient absorption and mess up peoples digestives systems. (Some phytic acid is fine, just not in excess like eating a cereal daily - "the dose makes the poison" as the saying goes)

    If you've got any sort of autoimmune symptoms (joint pain, rashes, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, etc), try giving up grains for a few weeks.

    So will eating cereals kill you? No, of course not. Will they cause health issues? For some people, yes, but for most of us problems just accumulate over decades. Are cereals convenient? Hell yes!

    There are just far better alternatives.

  • rabid_monkey on 21/06/2016 - 17:00
    +3

    I'll probably get shot down for this, but the cheapest healthiest option is to not even bother with breakfast. As mentioned above, most cereals are essential just carbs/sugar which is like mainlining insulin, leaving you crashing around morning tea and hungry again (porridge being the general exception). Give intermittent-fasting a go. Just make lunch your first meal of the day, with an 8pm dinner you end up with a solid 16hr fasting window. This works especially well if you're not active until the evening. I love big filling meals, and fasting is the best for this. All the latest evidence shows some form of fasting is good for you, and all that "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" stuff has been debunked.

    • NotAMoodle on 03/07/2016 - 03:22

      I.F for the win!

  • WillKillfor5Cents on 22/06/2016 - 00:13

    I see a lot of oats suggestions! Do you guys soak them first? I used to take them right away and apparently this could cause digestion problems!

    Can anyone share their oats activation tips?

    • ihbh on 22/06/2016 - 07:00

      I just eat the oats straight up.

      • Nugs on 22/06/2016 - 07:02

        dry?

        • ihbh on 22/06/2016 - 08:19

          With soy milk. I mean I don't soak them first.

    • dbun1 on 22/06/2016 - 11:22

      Have them with activated almonds

  • pantsparty on 22/06/2016 - 09:12

    For health you can't beat plain old rolled oats. Minimally processed unlike the majority of other science lab cereal on the shelves. I pour 100 grams into a bowl with milk and eat. No soaking. no cooking. Easy.

  • fusion17 on 22/06/2016 - 11:03

    vogels soy and linseed

    http://www.vogels.com.au/en_AU/products/vogel-s-ultra-bran-s…

  • Carpe Diem on 23/06/2016 - 13:18
    +1

    I lookd into this a while ago & found most cereals are just of full of sugar & other nasties.

    Surprised no one has mentioned Macro's untoasted museli, which I is the healthiest one around imo. A mere 1.6g sugar per 100g. I then jazz it up with some chia seeds, flaxmeal & passionfruit.

  • Peck on 15/07/2016 - 09:59

    Vitabrits better nutrition details than Weetbix. Plus Abundant Earth Puffed Rice 1.1% sugars Abundant Earth Puffed Corn 1.0% sugars

  • Speckled Jim on 11/05/2020 - 10:04

    I've switched from Jordan's blueberry granola to Coles untoasted muesli. Main reason was price, as we'd only get the former when half price, $3.50.
    The home brand muesli is $2.10 for the same 750g.

    Approx 86% oats, 15% fruit and 5% wheat bran.

    • Speckled Jim on 11/05/2020 - 12:49

      …which is 106% of itself. I now have a bag in front of me. 100% of it.

      Oats (83%), Fruit (12%), Wheat bran straws.

      Forgot to write that Woolworths has what appears to be a very similar product, at the same 28c/100g unit price. Woolies is 900g vs Coles 750g, and has 78% oats, 15% fruit and 7% wheat bran.

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