It's just sugar I'm filling the bowl 3/4's of the way to the brim, and that's more than a listed serving. I gave up on counting the calories long ago. Most cereals make me feel like garbage...
It's just sugar
I'm filling the bowl 3/4's of the way to the brim, and that's more than a listed serving. I gave up on counting the calories long ago. Most cereals make me feel like garbage anyhow, whereas a taco of papas con huevo with salsa verde gives me carbs and protein. Also, I don't get bloated because there's no milk.
Maybe if the nutrition facts standardized serving sizes befitting the average american bowl size (whatever that is) plus the amount of milk that goes in it, and if they make it filling, I'll know what I'm eating without devoting too much early morning brain power and guilt to it.
That, and its crazy expensive anymore. Like $5 a box if it's not on some sale. For that price, I can get a dozen eggs, some bell peppers, and cheese. Have double the number of small omlettes for...
That, and its crazy expensive anymore. Like $5 a box if it's not on some sale.
For that price, I can get a dozen eggs, some bell peppers, and cheese. Have double the number of small omlettes for breakfast that fills me up better.
At my local chain grocery store a dozen eggs cost $3, bell pepper is $1, bag of shredded cheese is $2.50. $6.50 for a week of real food for breakfast vs. $5 for a box of sugared corn. Factor in...
At my local chain grocery store a dozen eggs cost $3, bell pepper is $1, bag of shredded cheese is $2.50. $6.50 for a week of real food for breakfast vs. $5 for a box of sugared corn. Factor in the cost of milk for the cereal and you're looking at $8/week just to eat shitty cereal for breakfast.
Here's what I usually pay: Dozen Eggs: $2.50 or less, Shoprite. This stabilized finally. Bell Peppers: Produce Junction typically has a bag of 4lb for like $3. I only ever use like a 1/2pepper per...
Here's what I usually pay:
Dozen Eggs: $2.50 or less, Shoprite. This stabilized finally.
Bell Peppers: Produce Junction typically has a bag of 4lb for like $3. I only ever use like a 1/2pepper per omlette, and half the bag is used for other stuff, so I prorated. I'll admit Produce Junction is what got my family through the inflation surge.
Cheese: 8oz blocks go on sale at Shoprite for $2 or less quite frequently. But for omlettes I'll typically get a 1/4 lb of the cheapest American deli slices, and this is rarely more than $2.
Those prices are very similar to the US prices you saw. CAD 5.86 for 18 eggs comes out to USD 2.85 for a dozen. That's USD 1.22 per pepper, and you're comparing a full price to a sale price for...
Those prices are very similar to the US prices you saw. CAD 5.86 for 18 eggs comes out to USD 2.85 for a dozen. That's USD 1.22 per pepper, and you're comparing a full price to a sale price for cheese.
4.33/18 ≠ 3.91/12 Those produce junction prices are highly atypical. The other user said $1/pepper and I'm seeing 89¢ for 1 or maybe as good as $2.50 for 4 near where I live.
4.33/18 ≠ 3.91/12
Those produce junction prices are highly atypical. The other user said $1/pepper and I'm seeing 89¢ for 1 or maybe as good as $2.50 for 4 near where I live.
I won't deny it. Produce Junction has been a lifesaver when tightening the belt. I was getting produce I would have paid $150 for elsewhere for like $50.
I won't deny it. Produce Junction has been a lifesaver when tightening the belt.
I was getting produce I would have paid $150 for elsewhere for like $50.
The wonderful world of wholesalers. They exist primarily a tier before the normal grocers. For another retail comparison: 5lb bag of King Author Flour: $7 55lb bag of King Author Flour: $27 The...
The wonderful world of wholesalers. They exist primarily a tier before the normal grocers.
For another retail comparison:
5lb bag of King Author Flour: $7
55lb bag of King Author Flour: $27
The grocer that sells you a green pepper for $1 probably paid less than half of that.
Eh small family owned and operated business. They gotta have an edge over the megacorp chains somehow. They don't carry really anything other than fresh produce and eggs, so they're highly...
Eh small family owned and operated business. They gotta have an edge over the megacorp chains somehow.
They don't carry really anything other than fresh produce and eggs, so they're highly optimized to do so. But also means people looking for a 1-stop shop often pass them by. No freezers or package goods. Capturing local restaurant business helps them move mass quantities though.
I'm not sure if you're based in the US, but I recommend Costco for cheese. You can get 2.5lbs of quality Tillamook cheddar for ~10 dollars. It lasts us about a month eating cheese pretty regularly.
I'm not sure if you're based in the US, but I recommend Costco for cheese. You can get 2.5lbs of quality Tillamook cheddar for ~10 dollars. It lasts us about a month eating cheese pretty regularly.
I could probably pull that off where I live (NC). A dozen eggs at our grocery store has come down to $1.29. A pepper is maybe $1.50, sometimes $1 on sale. Cheese for $2-$2.50.
I could probably pull that off where I live (NC). A dozen eggs at our grocery store has come down to $1.29. A pepper is maybe $1.50, sometimes $1 on sale. Cheese for $2-$2.50.
When you say cheese - what exactly do you think of? I remember that when I was at the US east coast a few years ago for a few weeks, the three things I missed most were quality-cheese, non-squishy...
For that price, I can get a dozen eggs, some bell peppers, and cheese.
When you say cheese - what exactly do you think of? I remember that when I was at the US east coast a few years ago for a few weeks, the three things I missed most were quality-cheese, non-squishy bread, and tasty tapwater.
Oh in eggs I'll just slap in some American deli slices for gooy goodness, maybe some cheddar if I'm feeling it. But not sure what cheese you couldn't find, there's plenty around, if not in the...
Oh in eggs I'll just slap in some American deli slices for gooy goodness, maybe some cheddar if I'm feeling it. But not sure what cheese you couldn't find, there's plenty around, if not in the major grocers. There's a sheep farm near me that makes their own cheeses.
Yea tapwater sucks. Then I've never found good tap, just varying degrees of bad.
Nonsquishy bread you find at the bakery sections, not the aisles.
The tap water is an east coast problem. Having lived in three states out West, our tap water in all of them has tasted excellent, whereas everywhere east of about Nebraska I've been has just had...
The tap water is an east coast problem. Having lived in three states out West, our tap water in all of them has tasted excellent, whereas everywhere east of about Nebraska I've been has just had disgusting water, for whatever reason.
Midwest here (east of NE) and I can drink tapwater almost everywhere - occasionally a particular municipality will have bad tasting water/old pipes - and buy a wide variety of cheeses.
Midwest here (east of NE) and I can drink tapwater almost everywhere - occasionally a particular municipality will have bad tasting water/old pipes - and buy a wide variety of cheeses.
I mean, it's drinkable, but I found the water in Chicago, suburban Minneapolis, and northeastern Iowa to all taste pretty bad compared to the water in the Denver area or SW Montana, if we're...
I mean, it's drinkable, but I found the water in Chicago, suburban Minneapolis, and northeastern Iowa to all taste pretty bad compared to the water in the Denver area or SW Montana, if we're sticking to the Midwest specifically. Same with Boston, Providence, and DC for the coast.
I don't know if its due to fewer minerals in the water out there, older distribution lines relative to here, or something else, but eastern waters are just not that good, to my taste.
I can't speak to everywhere, but Central/Northern IL, St Louis, Kansas City, etc all taste fine. I drink tap water most places. Denver has tasted fine too. I wonder if people just get used to...
I can't speak to everywhere, but Central/Northern IL, St Louis, Kansas City, etc all taste fine. I drink tap water most places. Denver has tasted fine too. I wonder if people just get used to their mix of minerals and such. Only time I've had bad tasting tap water in IL was where it drew from a flavorful well or had particularly old municipal pipes. I don't use a Brita or any sort of filter 99 percent of the time.
By us, a regular sized box of branded cereal (ie. Special K or Rice Crispies) is now $9.50 a box.... for puffed wheat or rice. Even the off brands - trader joes or safeway select - are pushing...
By us, a regular sized box of branded cereal (ie. Special K or Rice Crispies) is now $9.50 a box.... for puffed wheat or rice. Even the off brands - trader joes or safeway select - are pushing $5-7 per box. It's absurd.
I actually conducted a little study and found that I was getting around 8 bowls of cereal per container. So it's over a dollar just for the cereal in a singular bowl of cereal. If we count in milk (~$0.50 per bowl) and fruit (~$1.50 per bowl), we have a meal cost of $3 per bowl. Meanwhile I can get free range, organic eggs for about $6 a dozen and a delicious country loaf made at my local bakery for $10. That means I can eat an egg on toast for $0.50 per egg and $1 a slice (a fairly large size that I slice in two). Two eggs and a slice of toast come out to $2 per meal.
In my mind cereal is supposed to be the cheap, easy option. It just isn't anymore.
Yeah, you're not wrong by any measure. I was trying to go apples to apples with my actual style of eating. I tend to spend a bit more on food with more spent at farmers markets/organics/locally...
Yeah, you're not wrong by any measure. I was trying to go apples to apples with my actual style of eating.
I tend to spend a bit more on food with more spent at farmers markets/organics/locally produced. When I eat cereal, I always eat it with fruit (berries or peaches depending on the season). With the eggs on toast, I could get a loaf of cheap super market bread for $2.50 and a dozen caged eggs for $2.50 and bring the whole things down to $0.25 (toast) + $0.41 (2 eggs) for a total of $0.66 cents per meal. But I don't do that. I think that if you're looking at apples to apples - cheap version or expensive version - cereal is the more expensive option. And in my mind unjustifiably so.
As for timing, I think that's why cereal has lost popularity. If I'm in a rush I just grab a cliff bar and run out the door. Or maybe an apple or just toast. Because cereal requires you to do minor prep/cleaning and requires you to eat it at your house before you leave. I think it falls more into the timeline of someone who has a little time in the morning. If you're really in a rush cereal isn't an option.
Total aside, if you are going to shower in the morning and want a soft boiled egg, you can do it during your normal routine. I usually wake up and turn on the kettle for tea and fill a small pot with water and set it at high. Then I go shave and brush my teeth. By now the water is boiling so I throw in 2 eggs, turn on the timer for 6 minutes, and hop in the shower. The timer usually goes off when I'm drying my hair. I run back out, lift out my eggs to cool, put the toast in the toaster, and get dressed. I'm usually finished getting dressed when the toast pops and then I'm about 2 minutes away from a great breakkie. I know it takes extra coordination but it means I can wake up and be out the door 20 minutes later having had a very nice breakfast. Not for everyone, and not trying to use that wacky schedule as a justification for it being fast, but a fun thing to try if it sounds like your cup of tea!
I never got why US-Americans were always so focused on 'servings' (that are usually unrealistic due to sneaky downplay marketing tactics anyway). In the EU you are free to put a 'per serving'...
Maybe if the nutrition facts standardized serving sizes
I never got why US-Americans were always so focused on 'servings' (that are usually unrealistic due to sneaky downplay marketing tactics anyway). In the EU you are free to put a 'per serving' table on any product as well, but everyone is forced to print the stats per 100g (or 100ml for fluids). That way products remain much more comparable.
It's just sugar
Not if you eat cornflakes. I ate those all my childhood and quite liked them.
That's a good topic. So the serving size helps people to visualize what amount of food is appropriate for their plate and how many calories are in that. I believe Michelle Obama made a push for...
That's a good topic. So the serving size helps people to visualize what amount of food is appropriate for their plate and how many calories are in that. I believe Michelle Obama made a push for expanding the usage of nutrition facts some years ago to address the american obesity crisis that would, at the minimum, show you how many calories you're consuming. It worked.
One problem therein is that cold cereal isn't filling enough for its calorie count. By the time you've had just a standard bowl's worth of cereal, you're approaching 500 calories or more. That's what they show in the commercials... the bowl-sized serving. They don't show parents carefully measuring your bowl of Cheerios by the cup (that's 8 fluid ounces of dry little rings of sweet fiber)... they showed a boy and a girl eating marshmallows by the fistful while a leprechaun danced on their table.
Maybe that amount of calories (if it's a nutritious meal) is fine for kids because they burn more than adults, but most of the calories in cereal is attributed to the sugar. Kids don't usually ask for cornflakes... my family didn't. I didn't. We asked for Cocoa Puffs and Fruity Pebbles, etc. Those are empty calories. So we were raised on garbage and now we're paying the price, be it in health or guilt.
Perhaps the death of the sugary cold cereal industry is the natural course of things for an educated demographic.
100 grams sounds very reasonable. If only we'd have a standard like that.
It's probably possible to find unsweetened corn flakes, but e.g. Kellogg's Corn Flakes (the ones that are trademarked as such, hence the ubiquitous and oft-parodied "®") have sugar as the second...
It's just sugar
Not if you eat cornflakes.
It's probably possible to find unsweetened corn flakes, but e.g. Kellogg's Corn Flakes (the ones that are trademarked as such, hence the ubiquitous and oft-parodied "®") have sugar as the second ingredient and contain 4g of sugar (presumably not all added, as corn itself is quite sweet) per 42g serving.
Cheerios also contain added sugar. Post seems to be somewhat better on this front (which may account for their healthier cereals' reputations for being "edible cardboard"): both Grape Nuts and Shredded Wheat have no added sugar (as long as you make sure to only get the "original" brand and not, e.g., the frosted version).
I think it's more about nutritional education and realistic expectations. I buy multi-grain flakes and add nuts, hemp seed and fruits. The fat in nuts helps, the dried fruits add variety, and the...
I think it's more about nutritional education and realistic expectations. I buy multi-grain flakes and add nuts, hemp seed and fruits. The fat in nuts helps, the dried fruits add variety, and the fiber and protein of the grains is filling. I feel like if you're expecting nutritionally devoid food to keep you energized without adding sugar, you're going to run up disappointed every time no matter the serving size.
Well, you're not talking about what I eat, that's for sure. I eat things in little fads, and this cereal mix has been my thing for a while, it's so good. I add whatever toppings to change it up...
Well, you're not talking about what I eat, that's for sure. I eat things in little fads, and this cereal mix has been my thing for a while, it's so good. I add whatever toppings to change it up for myself, and I love the variety that I can add with bulk store purchasing (also zero waste). I love the crunch, as well, specifically.
In terms of nutrition, it's got 7g of protein per cup, 14% DV of iron, 29% DV of fiber. That's big, for me, and I add nuts to balance it out, maybe banana, you know?
In terms of why, other than that, you'll find that answer in other comments: it takes like thirty seconds and has minimal clean up. It's all shelf stable, so there's no kitchen management. It's basically the only reason I eat breakfast some days, and keeps me going until lunch. 10/10, I love cereal.
I was more referring to the fact that you said it's about nutritional education and realistic expectations. I'm sure those are factors, but it seems to me like efficiency and preference is just as...
I was more referring to the fact that you said it's about nutritional education and realistic expectations. I'm sure those are factors, but it seems to me like efficiency and preference is just as reasonable an explanation.
I'm not sure exactly what you're referring to with both your posts, but I'll respond. They were short and did not have any supporting points out information about your ideas of efficiency and...
I'm not sure exactly what you're referring to with both your posts, but I'll respond. They were short and did not have any supporting points out information about your ideas of efficiency and preference.
I gave several examples as to why cereal is both efficient and preferable.
shelf stable
customizable
less dishes
less fridge space
less kitchen management (planning, buying, storage, waste) than alternative meals
I'll add
It feels like a real breakfast to me, which is preferable
It's a 0 brain food, which is preferable
Nuts are very nutritionally important, and when I can find simple ways to include them in my food, I do
I also said many points that you didn't address with your response.
If people can make educated choices about their nutrition, it's easier for individuals to cook, plan and make substitutes that fit with their lifestyle. Informed consumers are empowered. Not to change everything and the world, but at least to make the better choices for their health.
I really like cereal and have been eating grape nuts religiously for the past few years. I finally added Quaker Oat Squares - which aren't that healthy honestly - to the rotation to get some...
I really like cereal and have been eating grape nuts religiously for the past few years. I finally added Quaker Oat Squares - which aren't that healthy honestly - to the rotation to get some variety. I usually need carbs in the morning and preferably something that isn't difficult to make. So breakfast is a struggle.
I lived for half a year in the US a few years ago (am Dutch) and I'm actually rather happy to see the shift that started back then to be really growing. That is, realigning that all that sugar is...
I lived for half a year in the US a few years ago (am Dutch) and I'm actually rather happy to see the shift that started back then to be really growing. That is, realigning that all that sugar is really not good for them. When I got back to the Netherlands I had to get used to things not being as sweet. Even though we have more than enough processed food with too much salt and sugars, it really wasn't like in the US.
Here's too hoping you guys can get healthier. Being very fat in the US is in a different category than in Europe, and I don't mean to be insulting in that way. But if you've been in both places you know what I mean.
I'm in Canada*, and visit the US often. It's infuriating how difficult and expensive it can be to find healthy versions of staples when I visit (and Im not visiting rural small towns either). -In...
I'm in Canada*, and visit the US often. It's infuriating how difficult and expensive it can be to find healthy versions of staples when I visit (and Im not visiting rural small towns either).
-In Canada, every grocery store larger than a convenience store will have multiple brands of natural peanutbutter (no added sugar, salt, or oil). In the US, I often have to really search for the 1 not-crazy-expensive option.
-At home, I can easily find several options for soured, whole grain bread with little added sugar for a fairly good price. In the US, I often can't find any bread with little added sugar, and the good grainy stuff is SO expensive (even commercial brands).
I realize these are just 2 examples, but they are both very popular 'lightly' processed staples that arent treats/snacks/desserts.
*I won't pretend Canada doesn't have issues due to standard american diet, but imo not quite as bad as the US.
Coincidentally I was shopping for natural peanut butter yesterday at a different market than usual and I now don’t know what the term “natural” means. Every option in the store with that label...
Coincidentally I was shopping for natural peanut butter yesterday at a different market than usual and I now don’t know what the term “natural” means. Every option in the store with that label still had added sugar, salt, and palm oil, and I could not find a single option that was just peanuts or even one that simply didn’t have palm oil.
If you happen to have a food processor at home, I'd suggest simply buying roasted, unsalted whole nuts (or seeds, or peanuts) and processing into nut butter at home. It's dead simple and given all...
If you happen to have a food processor at home, I'd suggest simply buying roasted, unsalted whole nuts (or seeds, or peanuts) and processing into nut butter at home.
It's dead simple and given all the hassle of buying it premade, may not be more time consuming.
Though, now that I think of it, finding certain unsalted nuts and seeds can also sometimes be tricky.
There is a lot of markets that sell a degree of healthy products and have either raw peanuts or peanut butter without sugar and palm oil. But this shopping trip was to Walmart. I only went in...
There is a lot of markets that sell a degree of healthy products and have either raw peanuts or peanut butter without sugar and palm oil. But this shopping trip was to Walmart. I only went in because my credit card had an offer for 10% cash back. It wasn’t worth it.
Oddly enough, Costco's brand of peanut butter is just peanuts and salt. But I hear that people don't like it because it separates and you have to stir it. It's the only peanut butter I buy, though.
Oddly enough, Costco's brand of peanut butter is just peanuts and salt. But I hear that people don't like it because it separates and you have to stir it. It's the only peanut butter I buy, though.
I actually like that feature because I can pour out the oil and make it a little bit leaner. The remaining peanut butter won’t be as creamy but I’m a crunchy peanut butter heathen anyways.
I actually like that feature because I can pour out the oil and make it a little bit leaner. The remaining peanut butter won’t be as creamy but I’m a crunchy peanut butter heathen anyways.
It’s kind of terrifying to see an entire aisle of cereal at the market and all of them are sweetened. Even plain corn flakes have added sugar! The only cereal I have seen in the market that...
It’s kind of terrifying to see an entire aisle of cereal at the market and all of them are sweetened. Even plain corn flakes have added sugar! The only cereal I have seen in the market that doesn’t have any added sugar is grape nuts, which not every store carries.
Of course that stuff isn’t filling, either; it’s essentially all filler and sugar. Man is not meant to eat that way.
The prices really don’t make sense anymore. The boxed stuff was always a rip off and it only seems to be getting worse. Have you seen what they charge for Magic Spoon? And the stuff they sell is so puffed up the number one ingredient on the label aught to be air. Post bought Malt-O-Meal who was the only major brand doing good pricing and most stores seem to have dropped the stuff sold in bags anyways.
To me cereal is dessert. Always have been. They're not even cheap in my country. I still love it, but the idea that such super sweet foods should be part of our daily routines is insane. A lot of...
To me cereal is dessert. Always have been. They're not even cheap in my country. I still love it, but the idea that such super sweet foods should be part of our daily routines is insane. A lot of cereal is just candy with milk.
A hundred percent. If you were a kid in the US in the 90's, you'd have seen that there were so many commercials for breakfast cereals. Cocoa Puffs, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Fruity Pebbles, Cocoa...
A hundred percent. If you were a kid in the US in the 90's, you'd have seen that there were so many commercials for breakfast cereals. Cocoa Puffs, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Fruity Pebbles, Cocoa Pebbles, Corn Pops, Lucky Charms, Golden Crisps, Fruit Loops, I mean the list just goes on, and each one had its own cute little mascot to draw you in. And if you were from a lower to middle class income family such as me, that was probably your breakfast. You'd still see some of that these days I'm sure, but I really do attribute the improving national health in part to our access to the internet and the larger absence of cereal internet ads.
I wonder how much of this effect is because kids (and the parents nearby) aren't completely overwhelmed with cereal ads on television like they used to be. I remember, as a kid, having cereal ads...
I wonder how much of this effect is because kids (and the parents nearby) aren't completely overwhelmed with cereal ads on television like they used to be.
I remember, as a kid, having cereal ads all the time. The Trix rabbit, Lucky Charms and whatever new marshmallow they had, whatever Apple Jacks was supposed to be, and whatever else nonstop during every commercial break from shows.
As a parent of young kids, I find that the media consumption in most households with young kids is relatively commercial free. A decent chunk of parents are just hooked into a plex server somewhere with a bunch of kids shows, many just stick to public broadcasting (with few commercials), a lot have Netflix or whatever.
Not too many parents still have the cable strategy with toys and cereal ads every 8 minutes. When my kids go to the store with me, there is very little brand recognition beyond the Elmo applesauce packets.
I live in the US. It isn't a majority by any stretch, but it seems to be gaining momentum for people that don't like what the various streaming services have for kids. It seems that there is a...
I live in the US. It isn't a majority by any stretch, but it seems to be gaining momentum for people that don't like what the various streaming services have for kids. It seems that there is a common complaint that specifically Netflix kind of sucks for productive kids programming.
Cereal has gone down in quality and over the course of the pandemic gone through a serious bout of shrinkflation. I remember listening to NPR and Kellog saying it was better for the environment...
Cereal has gone down in quality and over the course of the pandemic gone through a serious bout of shrinkflation. I remember listening to NPR and Kellog saying it was better for the environment for them to sell smaller boxes at the same price.
Is cereal expensive? Yes, it is. But I can justify the cost in another way: I'm saving time. Get a box, fill up a bowl, pour in milk, and I have breakfast in less than a minute. The stuff that...
Is cereal expensive? Yes, it is. But I can justify the cost in another way: I'm saving time. Get a box, fill up a bowl, pour in milk, and I have breakfast in less than a minute. The stuff that takes the longest for my ritual is getting the coffee (though I do use instant coffee) and then toasting a bagel.
Oatmeal is the only possible competitor, and I usually eat that in winter... and then between heating up water and adding just enough milk to bring it to the perfect temperature takes slightly longer than cereal.
So I have to wonder, what is replacing cereal for breakfast? Because it sounds like you're doing actual cooking fro breakfast, and cooking in the morning is a no-go for me: too much time at an hour I hate.
There are plenty of alternatives, including cooking breakfasts ahead of time. You can make breakfast burritos in an hour on Sunday and store them in the fridge all week long. Warming on up is just...
There are plenty of alternatives, including cooking breakfasts ahead of time. You can make breakfast burritos in an hour on Sunday and store them in the fridge all week long. Warming on up is just as quick as pouring a bowl of cereal, and far better in terms of nutrition than almost every cereal on the market (and it will be cheaper than the exceptional cereals anyway).
Honestly, I'd keep eating cereals if they were back at 90's sizing and prices but considering how expensive it is, how much smaller the boxes are, and knowing how nutritionally empty they are, I just can't bring myself to even consider buying cereal anymore. A hit of breakfast sausage and cheese in those breakfast burritos fulfills more of my breakfast taste cravings than cereal ever did anyway.
You don't have to eat traditional breakfast foods for breakfast. You can have popcorn, pasta, a burger, or whatever else you want. As long as it's something you can pop into the microwave, it will...
You don't have to eat traditional breakfast foods for breakfast. You can have popcorn, pasta, a burger, or whatever else you want. As long as it's something you can pop into the microwave, it will take no more effort than pouring a bowl of cereal, and it's likely cheaper and more satisfying.
From the comments it seems to be way worse in the USA but here in EU i is also hard to find actual high quality cereal. The options are sugar-filled processed ones, not that they are particularly...
From the comments it seems to be way worse in the USA but here in EU i is also hard to find actual high quality cereal. The options are sugar-filled processed ones, not that they are particularly cheap. Specialty brands which are not cheap and mixing it yourself from what you can find.
I can't compare with the EU, but as someone who travels regularly between the US and Australia, the US has a far better selection of good cereal than Australia does. Cereal here is absurdly sweet....
I can't compare with the EU, but as someone who travels regularly between the US and Australia, the US has a far better selection of good cereal than Australia does. Cereal here is absurdly sweet. Even Australian Cheerios are extremely sweet, almost to the point of inedibility, compared to their American counterpart.
When you try to find cereal that is less cloying, you typically have to go all the way to the other end of the scale and buy something tasteless like bran. There is very little middle ground. (In the US, by comparison, there is a good selection of tasty-without-excess-sweetness granola cereals and the like.)
Does Oatmeal count? I've made my own overnight mix - oatmeal, bunch of mixed nuts, puffed quinoa and amaranth... tasty! I actually add a bit of maple syrup to it because it's not sweet at all,...
Does Oatmeal count? I've made my own overnight mix - oatmeal, bunch of mixed nuts, puffed quinoa and amaranth... tasty! I actually add a bit of maple syrup to it because it's not sweet at all, lol. And a small sized portion (100g) keeps going until lunch without any bloating or the sluggishness of a sweet, delicious chocolatey cereal
Oatmeal is my go-to as well. I can buy a 10lb box for like $12 at Costco and it lasts me months. I cook it with apples, unsweetened applesauce, cinnamon and nutmeg. No added sugar. Then eat it...
Oatmeal is my go-to as well. I can buy a 10lb box for like $12 at Costco and it lasts me months. I cook it with apples, unsweetened applesauce, cinnamon and nutmeg. No added sugar. Then eat it with blueberries, a banana, a tablespoon of peanut butter and some chia seeds.
I'm a fan of overnight oats as well! Mine has chia, pumpkin seeds, dried goji berries, and oat milk or soy milk :) so yummy. I prefer it over cooked oatmeal because overnight oats keep the chunky...
I'm a fan of overnight oats as well! Mine has chia, pumpkin seeds, dried goji berries, and oat milk or soy milk :) so yummy. I prefer it over cooked oatmeal because overnight oats keep the chunky texture of the oats + rehydrates the dried berries better.
I love overnight-soaked seeds because I swear chia and linseed just love diving into cracks between my teeth and hiding there the rest of the morning, it's infuriating. I also have a theory that...
I love overnight-soaked seeds because I swear chia and linseed just love diving into cracks between my teeth and hiding there the rest of the morning, it's infuriating. I also have a theory that dry/hard seeds can go straight through a body without releasing much of their nutrients, but when they're puffy from being soaked, I can chew them up.
The only cereal we ever buy anymore is honey bunches of oats because they sell them in big value packs at Costco for an actually decent price. Going to a regular grocery store, it almost costs the...
The only cereal we ever buy anymore is honey bunches of oats because they sell them in big value packs at Costco for an actually decent price. Going to a regular grocery store, it almost costs the same for like 1/3 of any other cereal. It's ungodly expensive now. Not paying $4-5 for a small box of your crappy cereal that you've been slowly making with worse ingredients and selling in smaller quantities over the years...
I think porridge is a really amazing breakfast (super easy to make in a pressure cooker, e.g. in my Instant Pot it takes ~2 minutes). Another problem with cerials is that a lot of them contain...
I think porridge is a really amazing breakfast (super easy to make in a pressure cooker, e.g. in my Instant Pot it takes ~2 minutes). Another problem with cerials is that a lot of them contain ultra-processed foods.
Not too long ago there was a post about the decline of ice cream. I'll be suprised if we don't see more and more of these types of articles about non-essential but convenient foods simply due to...
Not too long ago there was a post about the decline of ice cream. I'll be suprised if we don't see more and more of these types of articles about non-essential but convenient foods simply due to the prices of waves hands aroundeverything else.
Not only is the cereal really expensive now, so is the other ingredient: milk. If someone has $100 for a weeks groceries why would they spend $10 of it on just milk ($4.50) and cereal ($5+) when the same $10 can get a loaf of bread ($2), eggs ($3), green peppers ($1 each) and cheese ($2.50)? You can have scrambled eggs and toast, fried egg sandwich or an omelette at the minimum with those ingredients but with cereal and milk you can make.. a bowl of cereal with milk. They're also more flexible in other recipes as well throughout the week.
Maybe it's old age but in the last 4-5 years I feel like crap after eating a bowl of cereal after the initial 15 minutes of "full stomach" feeling . I've never felt that way with eggs, toast and cheese.
Aaron Back Americans have been out of love with cereal for a while. Now what? That is the question facing three giants of the industry that once dominated the American breakfast table: General...
Aaron Back
Americans have been out of love with cereal for a while. Now what?
That is the question facing three giants of the industry that once dominated the American breakfast table: General Mills, Kellogg and Post Holdings. There is still money to be made in a slowly declining market, but there are no easy paths ahead.
In the ’80s and ’90s American families gorged on cereals. Powered in part by a not-quite-right belief that eggs were dangerously high in cholesterol, carbs ruled the morning. But families stopped going cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs more than a decade ago. The pendulum has swung with a vengeance away from sugar and carbohydrates and back toward protein.
The pandemic briefly brought out the tiger in cereal sales. Families ate more breakfast at home and got less fussy about what they were eating.
Gradual shift
A general shift to frozen foods has increased the popularity and availability of alternative, high-protein options like frozen breakfast sandwiches and burritos. Meanwhile, on-the-go lifestyles have fueled demand for portable options like bars and shakes. Fast-food companies have expanded their portable breakfast offerings too. Each of those alternatives is better suited for a morning spent on the run: Just try eating a bowl of Frosted Mini Wheats while driving to work.
Stretched family budgets have also given new life to an old threat: private-label cereals started gaining share last year and jumped considerably in the first half of 2023, according to market-share data from research firm Numerator.
Kellogg
What is to be done? Kellogg, the home of faded but possibly still iconic cereal ambassadors Tony the Tiger and Toucan Sam, has the most radical solution: Make it somebody else’s problem. Next month, the company will spin off its North America cereal division into an entirely new company, to be named WK Kellogg after its founder who invented modern cereal over a century ago. This will leave Kellogg’s top management to focus on the more attractive snacking segment, with brands such as Pringles and Cheez-It, at a company renamed Kellanova.
General Mills
“General Mills has fared the best and has executed the best in this cereal category,” says Barclays’ Lazar. “If you look at who was supporting growth in the category, through marketing and innovation, it has been falling almost completely to General Mills.”
For one thing, the company has been relentless in pushing a heart-health message for the Cheerios family of brands. The claim comes with some caveats: “Three grams of soluble fiber daily from whole grain oat foods, like Cheerios cereal, in a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease,” the official Cheerios website states. But the subtleties of that message are somewhat lost in the marketing. Every box of Cheerios comes adorned with a prominent image of a heart. Television ads amplify the heart-healthy message, even for sweetened varieties like Honey Nut Cheerios. At times the company has even sold heart-shaped Cheerios.
Of course, not everyone eats healthy all the time. One of the industry’s dirty secrets is that a lot of so-called kids cereal is consumed by adults as an indulgence. The single biggest market-share gainer since 2019 has actually been Post’s Pebbles, which appears to have benefited from declines in Kellogg’s sweet cereals, rising from 2.9% in 2019 to 4.5% in the first half of 2023, according to Numerator.
Health-oriented cereals in particular, it seems, need constant investment to keep up with changing perceptions of just what is good for you.
Link to the archived version of this paywalled article
It's just sugar
I'm filling the bowl 3/4's of the way to the brim, and that's more than a listed serving. I gave up on counting the calories long ago. Most cereals make me feel like garbage anyhow, whereas a taco of papas con huevo with salsa verde gives me carbs and protein. Also, I don't get bloated because there's no milk.
Maybe if the nutrition facts standardized serving sizes befitting the average american bowl size (whatever that is) plus the amount of milk that goes in it, and if they make it filling, I'll know what I'm eating without devoting too much early morning brain power and guilt to it.
That, and its crazy expensive anymore. Like $5 a box if it's not on some sale.
For that price, I can get a dozen eggs, some bell peppers, and cheese. Have double the number of small omlettes for breakfast that fills me up better.
At my local chain grocery store a dozen eggs cost $3, bell pepper is $1, bag of shredded cheese is $2.50. $6.50 for a week of real food for breakfast vs. $5 for a box of sugared corn. Factor in the cost of milk for the cereal and you're looking at $8/week just to eat shitty cereal for breakfast.
Here's what I usually pay:
Dozen Eggs: $2.50 or less, Shoprite. This stabilized finally.
Bell Peppers: Produce Junction typically has a bag of 4lb for like $3. I only ever use like a 1/2pepper per omlette, and half the bag is used for other stuff, so I prorated. I'll admit Produce Junction is what got my family through the inflation surge.
Cheese: 8oz blocks go on sale at Shoprite for $2 or less quite frequently. But for omlettes I'll typically get a 1/4 lb of the cheapest American deli slices, and this is rarely more than $2.
Are those Canadian prices?
Those prices are very similar to the US prices you saw. CAD 5.86 for 18 eggs comes out to USD 2.85 for a dozen. That's USD 1.22 per pepper, and you're comparing a full price to a sale price for cheese.
4.33/18 ≠ 3.91/12
Those produce junction prices are highly atypical. The other user said $1/pepper and I'm seeing 89¢ for 1 or maybe as good as $2.50 for 4 near where I live.
I won't deny it. Produce Junction has been a lifesaver when tightening the belt.
I was getting produce I would have paid $150 for elsewhere for like $50.
How is it even possible for them to sell so cheaply? Do they just grow their own produce and not care about profit?
The wonderful world of wholesalers. They exist primarily a tier before the normal grocers.
For another retail comparison:
5lb bag of King Author Flour: $7
55lb bag of King Author Flour: $27
The grocer that sells you a green pepper for $1 probably paid less than half of that.
So they're just a wholesaler who decided to let people buy from them at the same prices?
Eh small family owned and operated business. They gotta have an edge over the megacorp chains somehow.
They don't carry really anything other than fresh produce and eggs, so they're highly optimized to do so. But also means people looking for a 1-stop shop often pass them by. No freezers or package goods. Capturing local restaurant business helps them move mass quantities though.
I'm not sure if you're based in the US, but I recommend Costco for cheese. You can get 2.5lbs of quality Tillamook cheddar for ~10 dollars. It lasts us about a month eating cheese pretty regularly.
I could probably pull that off where I live (NC). A dozen eggs at our grocery store has come down to $1.29. A pepper is maybe $1.50, sometimes $1 on sale. Cheese for $2-$2.50.
Damn. In California I'm happy to get a dozen eggs for $5.
When you say cheese - what exactly do you think of? I remember that when I was at the US east coast a few years ago for a few weeks, the three things I missed most were quality-cheese, non-squishy bread, and tasty tapwater.
Oh in eggs I'll just slap in some American deli slices for gooy goodness, maybe some cheddar if I'm feeling it. But not sure what cheese you couldn't find, there's plenty around, if not in the major grocers. There's a sheep farm near me that makes their own cheeses.
Yea tapwater sucks. Then I've never found good tap, just varying degrees of bad.
Nonsquishy bread you find at the bakery sections, not the aisles.
The tap water is an east coast problem. Having lived in three states out West, our tap water in all of them has tasted excellent, whereas everywhere east of about Nebraska I've been has just had disgusting water, for whatever reason.
Tap water in the great lakes region is great unless you're somewhere that has a private well, which isn't terribly uncommon.
The East Coast is a massive region... tap water in New England and the northeast more broadly is generally quite good.
Midwest here (east of NE) and I can drink tapwater almost everywhere - occasionally a particular municipality will have bad tasting water/old pipes - and buy a wide variety of cheeses.
I mean, it's drinkable, but I found the water in Chicago, suburban Minneapolis, and northeastern Iowa to all taste pretty bad compared to the water in the Denver area or SW Montana, if we're sticking to the Midwest specifically. Same with Boston, Providence, and DC for the coast.
I don't know if its due to fewer minerals in the water out there, older distribution lines relative to here, or something else, but eastern waters are just not that good, to my taste.
I can't speak to everywhere, but Central/Northern IL, St Louis, Kansas City, etc all taste fine. I drink tap water most places. Denver has tasted fine too. I wonder if people just get used to their mix of minerals and such. Only time I've had bad tasting tap water in IL was where it drew from a flavorful well or had particularly old municipal pipes. I don't use a Brita or any sort of filter 99 percent of the time.
Yeah, judging by the price, gold flakes must be the primary ingredient in Raisin Bran.
By us, a regular sized box of branded cereal (ie. Special K or Rice Crispies) is now $9.50 a box.... for puffed wheat or rice. Even the off brands - trader joes or safeway select - are pushing $5-7 per box. It's absurd.
I actually conducted a little study and found that I was getting around 8 bowls of cereal per container. So it's over a dollar just for the cereal in a singular bowl of cereal. If we count in milk (~$0.50 per bowl) and fruit (~$1.50 per bowl), we have a meal cost of $3 per bowl. Meanwhile I can get free range, organic eggs for about $6 a dozen and a delicious country loaf made at my local bakery for $10. That means I can eat an egg on toast for $0.50 per egg and $1 a slice (a fairly large size that I slice in two). Two eggs and a slice of toast come out to $2 per meal.
In my mind cereal is supposed to be the cheap, easy option. It just isn't anymore.
Yeah, you're not wrong by any measure. I was trying to go apples to apples with my actual style of eating.
I tend to spend a bit more on food with more spent at farmers markets/organics/locally produced. When I eat cereal, I always eat it with fruit (berries or peaches depending on the season). With the eggs on toast, I could get a loaf of cheap super market bread for $2.50 and a dozen caged eggs for $2.50 and bring the whole things down to $0.25 (toast) + $0.41 (2 eggs) for a total of $0.66 cents per meal. But I don't do that. I think that if you're looking at apples to apples - cheap version or expensive version - cereal is the more expensive option. And in my mind unjustifiably so.
As for timing, I think that's why cereal has lost popularity. If I'm in a rush I just grab a cliff bar and run out the door. Or maybe an apple or just toast. Because cereal requires you to do minor prep/cleaning and requires you to eat it at your house before you leave. I think it falls more into the timeline of someone who has a little time in the morning. If you're really in a rush cereal isn't an option.
Total aside, if you are going to shower in the morning and want a soft boiled egg, you can do it during your normal routine. I usually wake up and turn on the kettle for tea and fill a small pot with water and set it at high. Then I go shave and brush my teeth. By now the water is boiling so I throw in 2 eggs, turn on the timer for 6 minutes, and hop in the shower. The timer usually goes off when I'm drying my hair. I run back out, lift out my eggs to cool, put the toast in the toaster, and get dressed. I'm usually finished getting dressed when the toast pops and then I'm about 2 minutes away from a great breakkie. I know it takes extra coordination but it means I can wake up and be out the door 20 minutes later having had a very nice breakfast. Not for everyone, and not trying to use that wacky schedule as a justification for it being fast, but a fun thing to try if it sounds like your cup of tea!
I never got why US-Americans were always so focused on 'servings' (that are usually unrealistic due to sneaky downplay marketing tactics anyway). In the EU you are free to put a 'per serving' table on any product as well, but everyone is forced to print the stats per 100g (or 100ml for fluids). That way products remain much more comparable.
Not if you eat cornflakes. I ate those all my childhood and quite liked them.
That's a good topic. So the serving size helps people to visualize what amount of food is appropriate for their plate and how many calories are in that. I believe Michelle Obama made a push for expanding the usage of nutrition facts some years ago to address the american obesity crisis that would, at the minimum, show you how many calories you're consuming. It worked.
One problem therein is that cold cereal isn't filling enough for its calorie count. By the time you've had just a standard bowl's worth of cereal, you're approaching 500 calories or more. That's what they show in the commercials... the bowl-sized serving. They don't show parents carefully measuring your bowl of Cheerios by the cup (that's 8 fluid ounces of dry little rings of sweet fiber)... they showed a boy and a girl eating marshmallows by the fistful while a leprechaun danced on their table.
Maybe that amount of calories (if it's a nutritious meal) is fine for kids because they burn more than adults, but most of the calories in cereal is attributed to the sugar. Kids don't usually ask for cornflakes... my family didn't. I didn't. We asked for Cocoa Puffs and Fruity Pebbles, etc. Those are empty calories. So we were raised on garbage and now we're paying the price, be it in health or guilt.
Perhaps the death of the sugary cold cereal industry is the natural course of things for an educated demographic.
100 grams sounds very reasonable. If only we'd have a standard like that.
Even corn flakes have added sugar. And no, I am not talking about Frosted Flakes, I am talking about regular unadorned corn flakes.
It's probably possible to find unsweetened corn flakes, but e.g. Kellogg's Corn Flakes (the ones that are trademarked as such, hence the ubiquitous and oft-parodied "®") have sugar as the second ingredient and contain 4g of sugar (presumably not all added, as corn itself is quite sweet) per 42g serving.
Cheerios also contain added sugar. Post seems to be somewhat better on this front (which may account for their healthier cereals' reputations for being "edible cardboard"): both Grape Nuts and Shredded Wheat have no added sugar (as long as you make sure to only get the "original" brand and not, e.g., the frosted version).
I think it's more about nutritional education and realistic expectations. I buy multi-grain flakes and add nuts, hemp seed and fruits. The fat in nuts helps, the dried fruits add variety, and the fiber and protein of the grains is filling. I feel like if you're expecting nutritionally devoid food to keep you energized without adding sugar, you're going to run up disappointed every time no matter the serving size.
If it tastes bad and isn't all that healthy, why go to the effort of adding a bunch of stuff when you can just eat something else entirely?
Well, you're not talking about what I eat, that's for sure. I eat things in little fads, and this cereal mix has been my thing for a while, it's so good. I add whatever toppings to change it up for myself, and I love the variety that I can add with bulk store purchasing (also zero waste). I love the crunch, as well, specifically.
In terms of nutrition, it's got 7g of protein per cup, 14% DV of iron, 29% DV of fiber. That's big, for me, and I add nuts to balance it out, maybe banana, you know?
In terms of why, other than that, you'll find that answer in other comments: it takes like thirty seconds and has minimal clean up. It's all shelf stable, so there's no kitchen management. It's basically the only reason I eat breakfast some days, and keeps me going until lunch. 10/10, I love cereal.
I was more referring to the fact that you said it's about nutritional education and realistic expectations. I'm sure those are factors, but it seems to me like efficiency and preference is just as reasonable an explanation.
I'm not sure exactly what you're referring to with both your posts, but I'll respond. They were short and did not have any supporting points out information about your ideas of efficiency and preference.
I gave several examples as to why cereal is both efficient and preferable.
I'll add
I also said many points that you didn't address with your response.
If people can make educated choices about their nutrition, it's easier for individuals to cook, plan and make substitutes that fit with their lifestyle. Informed consumers are empowered. Not to change everything and the world, but at least to make the better choices for their health.
I really like cereal and have been eating grape nuts religiously for the past few years. I finally added Quaker Oat Squares - which aren't that healthy honestly - to the rotation to get some variety. I usually need carbs in the morning and preferably something that isn't difficult to make. So breakfast is a struggle.
I lived for half a year in the US a few years ago (am Dutch) and I'm actually rather happy to see the shift that started back then to be really growing. That is, realigning that all that sugar is really not good for them. When I got back to the Netherlands I had to get used to things not being as sweet. Even though we have more than enough processed food with too much salt and sugars, it really wasn't like in the US.
Here's too hoping you guys can get healthier. Being very fat in the US is in a different category than in Europe, and I don't mean to be insulting in that way. But if you've been in both places you know what I mean.
I'm in Canada*, and visit the US often. It's infuriating how difficult and expensive it can be to find healthy versions of staples when I visit (and Im not visiting rural small towns either).
-In Canada, every grocery store larger than a convenience store will have multiple brands of natural peanutbutter (no added sugar, salt, or oil). In the US, I often have to really search for the 1 not-crazy-expensive option.
-At home, I can easily find several options for soured, whole grain bread with little added sugar for a fairly good price. In the US, I often can't find any bread with little added sugar, and the good grainy stuff is SO expensive (even commercial brands).
I realize these are just 2 examples, but they are both very popular 'lightly' processed staples that arent treats/snacks/desserts.
*I won't pretend Canada doesn't have issues due to standard american diet, but imo not quite as bad as the US.
Coincidentally I was shopping for natural peanut butter yesterday at a different market than usual and I now don’t know what the term “natural” means. Every option in the store with that label still had added sugar, salt, and palm oil, and I could not find a single option that was just peanuts or even one that simply didn’t have palm oil.
If you happen to have a food processor at home, I'd suggest simply buying roasted, unsalted whole nuts (or seeds, or peanuts) and processing into nut butter at home.
It's dead simple and given all the hassle of buying it premade, may not be more time consuming.
Though, now that I think of it, finding certain unsalted nuts and seeds can also sometimes be tricky.
There is a lot of markets that sell a degree of healthy products and have either raw peanuts or peanut butter without sugar and palm oil. But this shopping trip was to Walmart. I only went in because my credit card had an offer for 10% cash back. It wasn’t worth it.
Oddly enough, Costco's brand of peanut butter is just peanuts and salt. But I hear that people don't like it because it separates and you have to stir it. It's the only peanut butter I buy, though.
I actually like that feature because I can pour out the oil and make it a little bit leaner. The remaining peanut butter won’t be as creamy but I’m a crunchy peanut butter heathen anyways.
It’s kind of terrifying to see an entire aisle of cereal at the market and all of them are sweetened. Even plain corn flakes have added sugar! The only cereal I have seen in the market that doesn’t have any added sugar is grape nuts, which not every store carries.
Of course that stuff isn’t filling, either; it’s essentially all filler and sugar. Man is not meant to eat that way.
The prices really don’t make sense anymore. The boxed stuff was always a rip off and it only seems to be getting worse. Have you seen what they charge for Magic Spoon? And the stuff they sell is so puffed up the number one ingredient on the label aught to be air. Post bought Malt-O-Meal who was the only major brand doing good pricing and most stores seem to have dropped the stuff sold in bags anyways.
To me cereal is dessert. Always have been. They're not even cheap in my country. I still love it, but the idea that such super sweet foods should be part of our daily routines is insane. A lot of cereal is just candy with milk.
A hundred percent. If you were a kid in the US in the 90's, you'd have seen that there were so many commercials for breakfast cereals. Cocoa Puffs, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Fruity Pebbles, Cocoa Pebbles, Corn Pops, Lucky Charms, Golden Crisps, Fruit Loops, I mean the list just goes on, and each one had its own cute little mascot to draw you in. And if you were from a lower to middle class income family such as me, that was probably your breakfast. You'd still see some of that these days I'm sure, but I really do attribute the improving national health in part to our access to the internet and the larger absence of cereal internet ads.
I eat cereal as dessert now. It's healthier than like, ice cream or cake, fortified, and I can mix in psyllium husk for fiber. Yes I'm old.
Or snack
I wonder how much of this effect is because kids (and the parents nearby) aren't completely overwhelmed with cereal ads on television like they used to be.
I remember, as a kid, having cereal ads all the time. The Trix rabbit, Lucky Charms and whatever new marshmallow they had, whatever Apple Jacks was supposed to be, and whatever else nonstop during every commercial break from shows.
As a parent of young kids, I find that the media consumption in most households with young kids is relatively commercial free. A decent chunk of parents are just hooked into a plex server somewhere with a bunch of kids shows, many just stick to public broadcasting (with few commercials), a lot have Netflix or whatever.
Not too many parents still have the cable strategy with toys and cereal ads every 8 minutes. When my kids go to the store with me, there is very little brand recognition beyond the Elmo applesauce packets.
I run a Plex server, but where do you live that a decent chunk of parents are hooked into Plex?
I live in the US. It isn't a majority by any stretch, but it seems to be gaining momentum for people that don't like what the various streaming services have for kids. It seems that there is a common complaint that specifically Netflix kind of sucks for productive kids programming.
Cereal has gone down in quality and over the course of the pandemic gone through a serious bout of shrinkflation. I remember listening to NPR and Kellog saying it was better for the environment for them to sell smaller boxes at the same price.
Yeah right!
The only cereal I bother buying anymore is Raisin Bran. It's the only one that doesn't feel like it ought to come packaged with insulin.
Even most raisin brans are packed with sugar now. I have to compare every brand to find the one with the least.
$7 USD for a box of sugar and flour that will make you feel lousy if you fill up on it.
It is not a wonder paying are saying "no thank you".
Is cereal expensive? Yes, it is. But I can justify the cost in another way: I'm saving time. Get a box, fill up a bowl, pour in milk, and I have breakfast in less than a minute. The stuff that takes the longest for my ritual is getting the coffee (though I do use instant coffee) and then toasting a bagel.
Oatmeal is the only possible competitor, and I usually eat that in winter... and then between heating up water and adding just enough milk to bring it to the perfect temperature takes slightly longer than cereal.
So I have to wonder, what is replacing cereal for breakfast? Because it sounds like you're doing actual cooking fro breakfast, and cooking in the morning is a no-go for me: too much time at an hour I hate.
There are plenty of alternatives, including cooking breakfasts ahead of time. You can make breakfast burritos in an hour on Sunday and store them in the fridge all week long. Warming on up is just as quick as pouring a bowl of cereal, and far better in terms of nutrition than almost every cereal on the market (and it will be cheaper than the exceptional cereals anyway).
Honestly, I'd keep eating cereals if they were back at 90's sizing and prices but considering how expensive it is, how much smaller the boxes are, and knowing how nutritionally empty they are, I just can't bring myself to even consider buying cereal anymore. A hit of breakfast sausage and cheese in those breakfast burritos fulfills more of my breakfast taste cravings than cereal ever did anyway.
You don't have to eat traditional breakfast foods for breakfast. You can have popcorn, pasta, a burger, or whatever else you want. As long as it's something you can pop into the microwave, it will take no more effort than pouring a bowl of cereal, and it's likely cheaper and more satisfying.
Have you tried overnight oats? You can make a big jar on the weekend, and there's no cooking required. All you do is pour it out in the morning.
From the comments it seems to be way worse in the USA but here in EU i is also hard to find actual high quality cereal. The options are sugar-filled processed ones, not that they are particularly cheap. Specialty brands which are not cheap and mixing it yourself from what you can find.
It is not really worth it often.
I can't compare with the EU, but as someone who travels regularly between the US and Australia, the US has a far better selection of good cereal than Australia does. Cereal here is absurdly sweet. Even Australian Cheerios are extremely sweet, almost to the point of inedibility, compared to their American counterpart.
When you try to find cereal that is less cloying, you typically have to go all the way to the other end of the scale and buy something tasteless like bran. There is very little middle ground. (In the US, by comparison, there is a good selection of tasty-without-excess-sweetness granola cereals and the like.)
Does Oatmeal count? I've made my own overnight mix - oatmeal, bunch of mixed nuts, puffed quinoa and amaranth... tasty! I actually add a bit of maple syrup to it because it's not sweet at all, lol. And a small sized portion (100g) keeps going until lunch without any bloating or the sluggishness of a sweet, delicious chocolatey cereal
Oatmeal is my go-to as well. I can buy a 10lb box for like $12 at Costco and it lasts me months. I cook it with apples, unsweetened applesauce, cinnamon and nutmeg. No added sugar. Then eat it with blueberries, a banana, a tablespoon of peanut butter and some chia seeds.
I'm a fan of overnight oats as well! Mine has chia, pumpkin seeds, dried goji berries, and oat milk or soy milk :) so yummy. I prefer it over cooked oatmeal because overnight oats keep the chunky texture of the oats + rehydrates the dried berries better.
I really like just how flexible it is, yeah! Can add all sorts of crunchy or soft things and it's good :D
I love overnight-soaked seeds because I swear chia and linseed just love diving into cracks between my teeth and hiding there the rest of the morning, it's infuriating. I also have a theory that dry/hard seeds can go straight through a body without releasing much of their nutrients, but when they're puffy from being soaked, I can chew them up.
The only cereal we ever buy anymore is honey bunches of oats because they sell them in big value packs at Costco for an actually decent price. Going to a regular grocery store, it almost costs the same for like 1/3 of any other cereal. It's ungodly expensive now. Not paying $4-5 for a small box of your crappy cereal that you've been slowly making with worse ingredients and selling in smaller quantities over the years...
I stopped eating cereal a long time ago due to the sugar. My children are basically forbidden from eating cereal.
I think porridge is a really amazing breakfast (super easy to make in a pressure cooker, e.g. in my Instant Pot it takes ~2 minutes). Another problem with cerials is that a lot of them contain ultra-processed foods.
Not too long ago there was a post about the decline of ice cream. I'll be suprised if we don't see more and more of these types of articles about non-essential but convenient foods simply due to the prices of waves hands around everything else.
Not only is the cereal really expensive now, so is the other ingredient: milk. If someone has $100 for a weeks groceries why would they spend $10 of it on just milk ($4.50) and cereal ($5+) when the same $10 can get a loaf of bread ($2), eggs ($3), green peppers ($1 each) and cheese ($2.50)? You can have scrambled eggs and toast, fried egg sandwich or an omelette at the minimum with those ingredients but with cereal and milk you can make.. a bowl of cereal with milk. They're also more flexible in other recipes as well throughout the week.
Maybe it's old age but in the last 4-5 years I feel like crap after eating a bowl of cereal after the initial 15 minutes of "full stomach" feeling . I've never felt that way with eggs, toast and cheese.
Archived.
Aaron Back
Americans have been out of love with cereal for a while. Now what?
That is the question facing three giants of the industry that once dominated the American breakfast table: General Mills, Kellogg and Post Holdings. There is still money to be made in a slowly declining market, but there are no easy paths ahead.
Gradual shift
Kellogg
General Mills
Link to the archived version of this paywalled article