Sunday, May 6, 2007

I Like A Little (25% Less) Sugar In My Bowl.

I was recently sent a box of Fruity Cheerios to try. This was exciting on two fronts:

1) Free cereal!
2) I wouldn't have to feel guilty about buying something with the word 'Fruity' in the title.

Not that I have anything against sugar-infused, kid-appealing breakfast cereal. In fact, we buy it regularly - Trix, Fruit Loops, Cocoa Puffs - they all have graced our cabinets. But here's the trick - I almost always use it as a 'topping' on top of plain cereal (usually Cheerios, or Trader Joe's), sort of like the marinara on top of pasta. Or chocolate sauce on ice cream. Or vodka - well, you get the picture.

When I was pregnant with Kira I remember having, along with my other odd cravings, the urge to have one of my childhood favorites, Cap'n Crunch. So after buying a box of it a the supermarket, I sat down with a big bowl, alongside my plate of Spaghetti O's, jar of pickles and my glass of yak milk. I took one bite of the cereal and could feel the sugar coursing through every tooth and root in my mouth. It was so strong I was certain it had just permeated my placenta and given my unborn child a mouth full of cavities on her unformed teeth. I vowed to give my children sugared cereals only in moderation in the future. However I continue to consider Spaghetti O's the nectar of the Gods.

The girls almost never get an entire bowl of sugary goodness (unless Rigel is serving it up, which is a whole other issue. This is a man who puts honey on raisin toast. Who does that? Isn't the toast already sweet? That's like putting sugar on top of a cookie, for chrissakes.)

Where was I?

Fruity Cheerios!

I'm happy to say that with the 25% less sugar ("than the leading fruity cereal") they promise on the box, these brightly colored circles aren't nearly as sweet as their counterparts and as an added bonus they don't make my teeth feel like they're going to fall out. Also, the sugary cereal to plain cereal ratio is much lower in my girls' bowl, which they like. Why, if I'm feeling particularly in a good mood one of these mornings, I might just give the girls an entire bowl of Fruity Cheerios, not cut with any of the plain stuff. Along with their yak milk.

Oh, and there's a third front. I finally have an excuse to buy this:

Because having to pour cereal out of the box is just so much work.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

And one other thing - it has no artificial sweeteners like many of the reduced sugar cereals (I think).

Anonymous said...

As you might know, a preschool rite of passage is making edible necklaces out of Fruit Loops. I was in charge of this craft at my daughter's preschool today, and after reading your review I picked up some of these. They were a big hit, especially with the granola moms who liked the whole less-sugar angle.

I think the manufacturers should put on the box : "Makes Healthier Necklaces!" :)

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