See here if you’d like to appreciate how complex the process truly is. This narrative fits with the oversimplified and now discredited descriptions of atherosclerosis which attribute it directly to consumption of cholesterol and fatty acids. “In your digestive tract, it acts as a sponge, soaking up cholesterol and carrying it out of the body” The Quaker oats web site oversimplifies the mechanism thusly : (see the end of post for possible mechanisms). Early studies showed that oats and beta-glucan soluble fiber could reduce total and LDL (bad cholesterol) levels. Is The Fiber In Cheerios “Heart-Healthy” ?īeta-glucan is a soluble fiber primarily located in the endosperm cell wall of oats. Additional text states “low in Saturated fat and cholesterol” and “diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease.” A prominent red heart with a check inside it attests to the AHA having certified Cheerios as part of its program. The little O’s sit in a heart-shaped bowl. The Cheerios label is all about the heart. Both of these General Mills blockbusters undoubtedly have reached their popularity by heavily promoting the concept that they are heart healthy. The “Ready-To-Eat” And Allegedly Heart-Healthy CerealĬheerios and Honey-nut cheerios were the #4 and #1 breakfast cereals in the US in 2013, generating almost a billion dollars in sales. Pondering the Cheerios packaging and the cute little O’s made me wonder whether this highly processed and packaged food with a seemingly endless shelf life was truly a healthy choice. Occasionally, when I have neglected to bring in my own full-faty yogurt, granola and/or fruit I will open up one of the Cheerios containers and consume a bowl mixed with 2% milk (full-fat, organic milk which I passionately advocate here and here is not available) ( 2018 update, I have said “cheerio” to all breakfast cereals and no longer eat Cheerios in the doctor’s lounge). As I’ve ranted out about previously, the only yogurt available is Yoplait low fat, highly sugared-up yogurt which is arguably worse than starting the day with a candy bar.Ī selection of breakfast cereals is available including Cheerios, Raisin Bran, and Frosted Flakes. I’m not really interested in consuming donuts, muffins, or bagels with their high carbohydrate load. The skeptical cardiologist usually eschews the breakfast offerings in the Doctor’s lounge. It is still weak and based on observational studies and surrogate biomarkers.īetween the lines below is my original post with current annotations in red. Little has changed with respect to the science supporting fiber consumption to reduce cardiovascular disease since 2014.
General Mills tries to emphasize the healthiness of Honey Nut Cheerios, focusing on their close relationship with bees and the natural goodness of honey in its advertising along with other factors that we now know are not important (low fat, 12 vitamins and minerals, source of iron). Whole Grain Oats, Sugar, Oat Bran, Corn Starch, Honey, Brown Sugar Syrup, Salt, Tripotassium Phosphate, Rice Bran Oil and/or Canola Oil, But Honey Nut Cheerios contain 9 times as much sugar as cheerios.
#Honey nut cheerio shot update
This update indicates little has changed in the rankings or consumption of breakfast cereal since then despite a more widespread recognition that added sugar is the major toxin in our diet and that these food items are basically a vehicle for sugar.Īpparently, Americans believe honey is not sugar.
I mentioned at that time that Honey-Nut Cheerios was the #1 selling ready-to-eat breakfast cereal and Cheerios #4. This has prompted me to revisit a post I wrote in 2014 on Cheerios and Soluble Fiber. A reader commenting on my Plant Paradox post questioned nutritional recommendations to consume fiber.
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