Trouble Controlling Your Intake of Cereal?

You pour yourself a bowl of cereal. One bowl seems not to be enough, so you pour yourself another bowl  – and perhaps another. Or maybe you are able to limit to one bowl, but the bowl is large enough to feed a family of 4.  Does this sound familiar? If so, you aren’t alone! Why is it that some people have such a difficult time controlling their intake of cereal?

Why is it so difficult to control your portion of cereal?
Here are some of my thoughts on this subject:
1. The large box is not portion controlled. It can be tempting to some people to have more than one portion.

2. You may rationalize that cereal is a healthy meal or snack. While it is true that some cereals are healthy, this does not give you the green light to have several portions if you are trying to watch your weight.

3. Cereal can be a way for “sugar addicts” to feed their addiction. If you tend to go for a sweet cereal or add several packets of sugar or other sweetener to your cereal, it is possible that you are using the sweetened cereal as way get a sugar fix. Would a bowl of plain Cheerios be as appealing as a bowl of Cheerios to which you have added something sweet? Or even better … a large bowl of granola? Granola seems to be especially troublesome for many people.

Calories in cereal really add up!
When was the last time you looked at the nutritional content of your favorite cereal and figured if you were really having the recommended “portion”? Most people have significantly more than one portion.

Here are the calories in some common cereals:
Granola (exact content will vary depending upon the brand): 2/3 cup = 253 cal
Raisin Bran: 1 cup = 178 cal
Cheerios: 1 cup = 118 cal
Just Right (with crunchy nuggets): 1 cup = 204 cal
Smart Start: 1 cup = 183 cal
Special K: 1 cup = 115 cal
Fiber One: 1/2 cup = 62 cal
All Bran with Extra Fiber: 1/2 cup = 52

Suggestions to control your intake of cereal:
1. Buy a low sugar healthy whole grain cereal that has at least 4 grams of fiber. Avoid those cereals that are processed and loaded with sugar.

2. If you are a “sugar seeker”, don’t allow yourself to add sugar or any artificial sweetener to your bowl of sugar. If you must add a sweetener, consider an all natural 0 calorie sweetener such as Purevia*.

3. Use smaller bowls!

4. Get a measuring cup and measure out your cereal.

5. If you have trouble controlling your intake of a certain cereal, try buying really high fiber cereal such as All Bran or Fiber One. Eating too much of this cereal can wreak gastro-intestinal havoc! You will soon learn your lesson not to overeat this cereal.

6. It is possible that cereal does not satisfy you for a meal or snack. Some people feel more satiated with a higher protein breakfast such as eggs, cottage cheese or peanut butter and whole wheat toast. Higher protein snacks include nuts, yogurt,  cheese or nut butter on a small apple or whole grain cracker. Pay attention to how your body feels after eating cereal for breakfast.

7. If you have tried all the above tricks and still can’t control your portion of cereal, you would be best off not keeping it in the house.

Bottom line, cereal can be a healthy and satisfying breakfast or snack if you stick to the portion size … and of course, buy a healthy cereal!