2010
A Teaspoon Guide to Australian Breakfast Cereals
A Teaspoon Guide to
Australian Breakfast Cereals
In Sweet Poison, I set out five golden rules for people wanting to avoid
fructose in their diet. Rule #4 is ‘Watch out for breakfast’. I say in the
book that because many breakfast cereals are prepackaged, it’s very hard to
know how much sugar you are really eating. I didn’t want to interrupt the
flow of the story in Sweet Poison by including a comprehensive list of
breakfast cereals and their sugar contents, but since I have the data, I
thought readers of the book may like to have it to hand as they patrol the
shopping aisles.
The following lists set out the cereals on sale in Australia that have the
least sugar (the Best 10), those that have the most sugar (the Worst 10) and
a complete listing of all of them. The complete listing also includes a
handy teaspoon reckoner so you can see how many spoonfuls of sugar you
will get in a standard serve of that cereal.
The Best 10
Variations on Oats and Wheat Biscuits are the way to go for a low sugar breakfast, provided
of course you don’t add the sugar (or honey) yourself. You’d have to eat eight Kids’ Weetbix (number 16 on this year’s list) before you even got near one whole teaspoon of sugar.
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5
6
7
8
1
Carman's Premium Traditional Oats,
Coles Smart Buy Quick Oats, Oat Bran &
Rolled Oats,
Freedom Foods Quick Oats
Abundant Earth Organic Puffed Kamut
Woolworths Select Rolled Oats
Woolworths Home Brand Semolina
Woolworths Select Quick Cooking Oats,
Coles Smart Buy Wheat Biscuits
Uncle Tobys Quick Oats Sachets,
Lowan Rice Flakes
Uncle Tobys Oat Brits, Traditional
Oats, Quick Oats & Vita Brits
Weeties,
Woolworths Home Brand Oat
Bran
Abundant Earth Organic Puffed
Millet, Corn & Rice
Uncle Tobys Vita Brits Original and
Vita Brits Organic
Freedom Foods Yeast Free Muesli
Golden Vale (Aldi) Oats
0.0%
0.6%
0.7%
0.8%
0.9%
1.0%1.1%
1.2%
1.4%1.5%
© 2007-2010 Morton Gillespie Pty Ltd - David Gillespie.
2010
A Teaspoon Guide to Australian Breakfast Cereals
9
10
Lowan Oat Bran
Sanitarium Puffed Wheat,
Lowan Quick Oats & Rolled Oats
Uncle Tobys Oats Fitnesse Apricot &
Peach
Uncle Tobys Shredded Wheat
1.7%1.8%
2.1%
The Worst 10
The usual suspects fill-up the list of cereals with the highest amount of sugar. One small
bowl (50g) of Aldi’s housebrand Honey Wheats will deliver five and a half teaspoons of
sugar. Health nuts might be a bit surprised by some of the other entries in the Worst 10.
Whenever you see Honey or Sultanas in the name of a cereal (or even on the label), it’s
usually a good idea to carefully check the sugar content.
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Golden Vale (Aldi) Honey Wheats
Golden Vale (Aldi) Choco Rice
Woolworths Home Brand Cocoa Puffs
Kelloggs Froot Loops
Kelloggs Frosties
Golden Vale (Aldi) Choco Pillows
Coles Cocoa Puffs
Kelloggs Cocoa Pops
Golden Vale (Aldi) Tropical Fruit
Berry Blast
Uncle Tobys Oats Temptations
Sultanas, Apples & Honey
Kelloggs Nutrigrain & Cocoa Pops Chex
Golden Vale (Aldi) Power Grain
Nestlé Nesquick,
Kelloggs Crunchy Nut Corn Flakes
Kelloggs Crunchy Nut Nutty Corn Flakes
Kelloggs Just Right Original
46.0%
45.5%
44.0%
41.7%
40.6%
39.5%
36.7%
35.5%
34.0%
31.1%32.1%
The Complete List
The complete listing for Breakfast Cereals is broken down by the Brand name of the Cereal.
The first column tells you approximately how many teaspoons of sugar you will consume if
you eat a 50g bowl of the cereal. Not all cereals weigh the same for a given volume. A bowl
of cornflakes will be lighter than the same size bowl of Muesli, but to make the comparison
meaningful I have calculated all the servings on the basis of a 50g bowl. For most cereals
that represents about the amount that a child would consume. An adult could safely double
the amount of sugar as a rough rule of thumb. I have also included the exact percentage of
the cereal which is sugar (by weight) in the far right column.
Since the sugar in cereals is either added table sugar or fruit sugar, both of which are half (or
more) fructose (which is the same as the sugar in your cupboard), I have not adjusted the
sugar quantities which appear on the labels.
2
© 2007-2010 Morton Gillespie Pty Ltd - David Gillespie.
A Teaspoon Guide to Australian Breakfast Cereals
Teaspoons
per Serve
(50g)
Cereal
2010
Percentage Sugar
Abundant Earth
◔●● Organic Bircher Muesli: Orchard Fruits and Almonds
○ Organic Puffed Corn
18.1%
1.0%
○ Organic Puffed Kamut
○ Organic Puffed Millet
0.0%
◔ Organic Puffed Rice
Be Light (Aldi)
1.1%
1.0%
●● Special Flakes – Forrest Berries
◕● Special Flakes – Natural
16.5%
14.1%
Brookfarm
◕● Macadamia Muesli Natural
◔●● Macadamia Muesli Toasted
14.6%
◑●● Macadamia Muesli Gluten Free
Carman’s
20.3%
● Classic Fruit Muesli
◔● Natural Blend Muesli
18.8%
8.2%
11.1%
◕ Original Recipe Muesli
○ Premium Traditional Oats
6.7%
0.0%
Coles
●●● Bran Flakes with Sultanas
◕● Bran Start
◕●●●● Cocoa Puffs
● Corn Flakes
15.2%
39.5%
9.0%
◔● Smart Buy Corn Flakes
◑●●● Honey Crunch Corn Flakes
◑●● Frooty Rings
◔●● Muesli Apricot Date & Almond
◔●●● Muesli Low Fat
◑●●● Muesli Summer Fruits
3
25.0%
10.3%
29.0%
20.0%
19.7%
28.3%
29.3%
●● Muesli Toasted Original
○ Smart Buy Oat Bran
16.4%
◑● Smart Buy Processed Bran
○ Smart Buy Quick Oats Original
12.5%
0.0%
0.0%
© 2007-2010 Morton Gillespie Pty Ltd - David Gillespie.
A Teaspoon Guide to Australian Breakfast Cereals
Teaspoons
per Serve
(50g)
Cereal
● Rice Puffs
◑●● Right Start Fruit & Fibre
●●● Right Start Traditional
○ Smart Buy Rolled Oats
○ Wheat Biscuits
◔ Smart Buy Wheat Biscuits
2010
Percentage Sugar
8.0%
18.7%
24.4%
0.0%
2.7%
0.8%
Dick Smith
◕●● Bush Foods Breakfast
●●● Bush Foods Muesli
23.3%
24.2%
Freedom Foods
◔● Corn Flakes
◔●● Hi-Lite
10.2%
19.3%
◔ Muesli Yeast Free
●●● Muesli Gluten Free
○ Quick Oats
◔● Rice Flakes
1.4%
24.3%
0.0%
11.4%
◑ Rice Puffs
◔● Ultra-Rice Gluten Free
4.8%
11.0%
Golden Vale (Aldi)
●●● Balanced Right
◔● Breakfast Bubbles
25.8%
9.5%
◔●●●● Brekky Blast (Tropical Fruit)
●●● Brekky Blast (Wild Berry)
35.5%
●●● Choco Balls
◕●●●● Choco Pillows
25.8%
40.6%
◑●●●●● Choco Rice
● Corn Flakes
45.5%
9.3%
●● Fruit & Nut Muesli
●● Healthy Start (Fruit & Nut)
16.8%
◔● Healthy Start (Summer Burst)
◔●●● Honey Nut Corn Flakes
11.1%
◑●●●●● Honey Wheats
◕● Just Bran
4
25.9%
16.5%
27.8%
46.0%
13.7%
© 2007-2010 Morton Gillespie Pty Ltd - David Gillespie.
A Teaspoon Guide to Australian Breakfast Cereals
Teaspoons
per Serve
(50g)
Cereal
2010
Percentage Sugar
◔ Oats
◕ Oats Sensations (Apple, Sultana & Honey)
1.4%
◔ Oats Sensations (Apricot & Grain)
◕ Oats Sensations (Date)
2.8%
◕●●● Power Grain
◑●● Sultana Flakes
5.8%
5.6%
32.1%
21.9%
◔ Wheat Biscuits
Goodness Super Foods
2.7%
◑●●● Digestive First
◔●● Heart First
29.9%
●● Protein First
17.1%
18.7%
Kellogg’s
◑● All Bran Original
◑●● All Bran Dual
13.6%
20.0%
●● All Bran Wheat Flakes
◔●●● All Bran Tropical
16.3%
●●● All Bran Wheat Flakes Honey Almond
◔●●● Coco Pops Coco Rocks
26.0%
28.3%
◕●●● Coco Pops Chex
◔●●●● Coco Pops
32.0%
● Corn Flakes
◕●● Crispix Honey
8.0%
36.7%
24.0%
◔●●● Crunchy Nut Clusters
◕●●● Crunchy Nut Nutty Corn Flakes
28.3%
31.3%
◕●●● Crunchy Nut Corn Flakes
●●●●● Froot Loops
31.7%
●●●●● Frosties
◑● Guardian
41.3%
41.7%
11.7%
◔●● Just Right Tropical
◔●●● Just Right Antioxidant
22.0%
◕●●● Just Right Original
◑●●● Komplete Oven Baked Muesli
31.1%
● Mini-Wheats 5 Grains
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27.3%
27.1%
29.6%
8.8%
© 2007-2010 Morton Gillespie Pty Ltd - David Gillespie.
A Teaspoon Guide to Australian Breakfast Cereals
Teaspoons
per Serve
(50g)
Cereal
●● Mini-Wheats Blackcurrant Flavour
◕●●● Nutri-grain
● Rice Bubbles
◕● Special K
2010
Percentage Sugar
16.0%
32.0%
9.0%
14.7%
●● Special K Advantage
◑●● Special K with Chocolate Flakes
16.0%
◕●● Special K Honey & Almond
●●● Special K Forest Berries
24.0%
◕●● Sultana Bran
◑●●● Sultana Bran Crunch
20.0%
25.7%
22.7%
28.4%
◑●● Sustain Original
20.4%
Lowan
◑●●● Cocoa Bombs
◑●● Cup of Oats
29.7%
20.7%
◕ Fusion Muesli Nut Crunch
◑● Fusion Muesli Apple with Cinnamon
5.3%
11.8%
◑● Fusion Muesli Berry Bliss
◑●● Kids Honey O's
12.9%
◕●● Kids Grizzlies
◑ Muesli Original Harvest
22.9%
21.7%
4.2%
◕● Muesli Apricot & Almond
◕● Muesli Fruit & Nut
14.7%
●● Muesli Tropical Fruit
●● Muesli Swiss
15.8%
14.0%
16.4%
◔ Oatbran
◔ Quick Oats
1.5%
○ Rice Flakes
◕● Rice Porridge
0.9%
14.4%
◔ Rolled Oats
1.7%
1.7%
Nestlé
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◑●● Morning Sun Apricot and Almond Muesli
◑●●● Milo & Milo Duo
18.1%
◕●●● Nesquik
31.7%
29.7%
© 2007-2010 Morton Gillespie Pty Ltd - David Gillespie.
A Teaspoon Guide to Australian Breakfast Cereals
Teaspoons
per Serve
(50g)
Cereal
2010
Percentage Sugar
Sanitarium
◑ Granola
◔●● Granola Clusters Vanilla & Almond
19.2%
◕●● Granola Clusters Blueberry & Apple
◑●● Granola Clusters Berry Delicious
22.8%
●●● Honey Weets
◕●● Light'n'Tasty Apple Crunch with Oat Clusters
23.0%
●● Light'n'Tasty Macadamia & Honey with Oat Clusters
◕●● Light'n'Tasty Apricot
17.8%
●●● Light'n'Tasty Triple Berry
◔ Puffed Wheat
24.3%
21.6%
23.5%
24.0%
1.7%
● Skippy Corn Flakes
◑ Weet-Bix Organic
9.3%
◔ Weet-Bix Kids
◑ Weet-Bix Original
3.0%
● Weet-Bix Hi-Bran
● Weet-Bix Multi-grain
8.5%
3.3%
3.3%
◑● Weet-Bix Oats & Barley Bites
◑●●● Weet-Bix Crunchy Honey Bites
8.1%
11.8%
29.1%
◕●● Weet-Bix Apricot Bites
●● Weet-Bix Multi-grain Bites
22.4%
◕●● Weet-Bix Wildberry Bites
Uncle Tobys
22.7%
◕● Bran Plus
●● Cheerios
16.0%
14.4%
17.7%
●●● Fruity Bites Wildberry
◑●● Healthwise for Bone Wellbeing
◕●● Healthwise for Digestive Wellbeing
◑●●● Healthwise for Heart Wellbeing
7
3.7%
24.3%
22.0%
23.8%
30.0%
◕●● Low Fat Muesli
◔●● Natural Style Muesli Apple & Cranberry
22.3%
◔●● Natural Style Muesli Original Swiss
◕●● Nut Feast
19.7%
19.3%
22.7%
© 2007-2010 Morton Gillespie Pty Ltd - David Gillespie.
A Teaspoon Guide to Australian Breakfast Cereals
Teaspoons
per Serve
(50g)
Cereal
2010
Percentage Sugar
◑●● Oat Crisp Almond
●●● Oat Crisp Honey
20.3%
◔●●● Oat Crisp Sultana
◑● Oat Flakes
28.0%
26.0%
12.0%
○ OatBrits
○ Oats Traditional
1.0%
1.0%
◑●●● Oats So Tasty Honey Buzz
◔ Oats Fitnesse Apricot & Peach
◔ Oats Fitnesse Original
◔●●● Oats Temptations Wild Berry Basket
●●●● Oats Temptations Sultanas, Apples & Honey
◑●● Plus Sports Lift
●●● Plus Protein Lift
●●● Plus Fibre Lift
29.3%
1.8%
2.5%
26.3%
34.0%
22.0%
25.3%
26.0%
◔●●● Plus Antioxidant Lift
◔●● Plus Omega 3 Lift
○ Quick Oats Sachets Original
◕●● Quick Oats Sachets Brown Sugar & Cinnamon
◔●●● Quick Oats Sachets Creamy Honey
◔●●● Quick Oats Sachets Apple & Muesli
28.0%
22.5%
0.9%
22.3%
26.3%
27.0%
○ Quick Oats
◔ Shredded Wheat
1.0%
◔ Vita Brits Original
◔ Vita Brits Organic
1.2%
2.1%
1.2%
◑● Vita Brits Brown Sugar & Cinnamon
◔●● Vita Brits Honey High Fibre Bites
13.5%
17.9%
Weight Watchers
8
◔●●● Berry Flakes
◑●●● Black forest Muesli
26.3%
◑●●● Fruit & Fibre
●●● Fruity Muesli Superfruits
30.3%
◑●● Fruity Muesli
◑●●● Tropical Breakfast
20.7%
28.7%
24.4%
30.0%
© 2007-2010 Morton Gillespie Pty Ltd - David Gillespie.
A Teaspoon Guide to Australian Breakfast Cereals
Teaspoons
per Serve
(50g)
Cereal
2010
Percentage Sugar
Woolworths
◔●●●●● Home Brand Cocoa Puffs
◕ Home Brand Corn Flakes
●●● Home Brand Fruity Rings
◔ Home Brand Natural Bran
○ Home Brand Oat Bran
●● Home Brand Processed Bran
9.0%
26.4%
2.9%
1.0%
16.4%
◔ Home Brand Quick Oats
● Home Brand Rice Pops
2.5%
◔ Home Brand Rolled Oats
○ Home Brand Semolina
2.5%
● Home Brand Tropical Muesli
◔ Home Brand Wheat Biscuits
9.0%
◕● Naytura Blueberry Almond Crunch Muesli
◑ Naytura Bran Cereal
◕ Naytura Fruit & Nut Muesli
◕● Naytura Maple Nut Crunch Muesli
●● Naytura Morning Balance Muesli
◔●●● Select Natural Muesli Berry Bircher
◔●● Select Natural Muesli Dark Berry Bircher
●● Select Natural Muesli Swiss Bircher
○ Select Quick Cooking Oats
○ Select Rolled Oats
◑●● Select Toasted Muesli Classic Crunch
9
44.0%
8.0%
0.7%
2.7%
15.2%
3.3%
6.3%
14.8%
17.4%
26.8%
19.4%
16.3%
0.8%
0.6%
21.3%
© 2007-2010 Morton Gillespie Pty Ltd - David Gillespie.