Cheerios have been a staple in so many households for a long time. It’s marketed as being “heart healthy” and is apparently known to “help lower cholesterol.” The bright yellow box displays the cereal in a heart shaped bowl, and it even says that it’s gluten free! What’s not to love, right?
At Wake Up and Read the Labels, we know not to be tricked by the fancy marketing tactics that are so persuasive at times. So what if the front of the label says it’s healthy and gluten free? Let’s read the ingredients first.
Wow, that’s a lot of ingredients and many that are hard to pronounce! We’re here to tell you that this cereal may make some overarching claims about being “healthy,” but there are 3 reasons that we believe that Cheerios should simply be avoided. Let’s dive in.
The first ingredient you see listed on the ingredients list is “Whole Grain Oats.” This is problematic because oats are often sprayed with a chemical called glyphosate. It’s the ingredient that you find in the weed killer, Round Up. In fact, samples tested on numerous childrens’ cereals showed traces of the chemical.
We wrote previously (link to food additives article) about the different types of food additives, and they’re really not needed. They’re typically added to food to preserve the shelf life, alter the taste or color, and/or to add back lost nutrients.
For the most part, they’re doing more harm than good when it comes to our bodies.
Many of these questionable ingredients can come with a side of health problems. In fact, studies show that glyphosate can be linked to cancer, which is incredibly alarming since glyphosate is linked to many different products including oats, flour, pasta, crackers, lentils, etc.
Food additives have been linked to issues like IBS, bloating, inflammation, glucose Intolerance, plus many more that we covered in our article (link again to food additives article).
The worst part? These health issues are all linked to unnecessary ingredients. Is it worth it? Absolutely not! There’s always an alternative.
Wake Up and Read the Labels has done all of the homework and research for you, and we’ve got the perfect swap for your unhealthy Cheerios.
We spoke to the owner of Lovebird Cereal, Parker Brook, on our podcast, and all of the ingredients in his cereals are squeaky clean. There’s a lot to love about Lovebird Cereal, because they taste great, too.
Parker’s story is interesting, because he worked for the marketing department of a large food corporation at one time, and he saw just how unethical the marketing practices actually are. He knew he wanted better for his family and himself, and he took that as an opportunity to create a cereal brand that would help people feel good after eating without any unfortunate side effects.
“Cleaning Up Cereal with Parker Brook” is a favorite episode of ours, and it’s one you should hear, too. Thank you to the people like Parker who actually care about our health rather than our pockets!