I used to LOVE my “sugar bomb” breakfast cereals, and sadly, that’s almost ALL we used to feed our oldest for breakfast when he was younger. I can hardly believe it now. What a recipe for illness! All the empty grains, sugars, artificial colors, flavors & preservatives, and who knows what else. I pray that what we’re feeding him these days will make up for the many ways and the many years we didn’t know any better…
Today I’ll give you some things to chew on, and I’m hoping you’ll comment below and let me know what you think.
To begin, jump over and read this by Sally Fallon in Nourished Magazine: Puffed Grains and Breakfast Cereals, should we eat them? Once you read that, you’ll be up to date before I add more on the subject here. Also be sure to check out the comments (where I shared some thoughts), and then come back here for the rest of this post and you’ll read an e-mail exchange between Sally Fallon (Weston A. Price Foundation President) and myself.
photo by Clean Wal-Mart
I did end up e-mailing Sally with my question (as mentioned in the comments at the above link). Here is what I asked her:
“There are a couple Kashi cereals that we like and the only ones I have let my family eat these days – they are not soaked/fermented, but at least the ingredients are much better than typical breakfast cereals. When I called Kashi before I bought them, they said these cereals are NOT puffed or extruded, but baked, and the only cereals they sell that are extruded are ones that have little shapes. (They were very interested as to why I wanted to know, and said they’d had another call that week with the same question – I directed them to the Weston A. Price page, “Dirty secrets of the food processing industry“.) Yes, these Kashi cereals are still processed food that comes in a box, but I just wonder if they could at least be on the “compromise foods” list and not the “harmful foods” list?! Would you mind letting me know what you think?”
Sally’s response:
“So hard to say how to list them–they would not be good for someone with grain sensitivities. There is a great soaked and dried breakfast cereal recipe in Eat Fat Lose Fat. Best, Sally“
My Conclusions:
Since speaking to Kashi representatives on the phone and finding out that the following cereals are not puffed or extruded (and also checking the ingredient label for anything terrible) we do buy these Kashi cereals, but I don’t let my kids eat them every morning, mostly due to the expense.
- Organic Cinnamon Harvest / Autumn Wheat
- Oat Flakes and Wild Blueberry Clusters
There is another one, “Strawberry Fields“, but it’s over-the-top expensive for a small box, so we don’t buy this one.
How I wish they’d make a delicious, affordable, organic cereal with sprouted / fermented grains that is not puffed or extruded. I’m not asking for much! For now I just try to switch it up with some of the much healthier breakfast foods, I’ll talk more about that in my next post…
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{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
Jody 07.07.08 at 5:09 am
Wow. While I question, like others, the credibility of the studies, it is definitely something to think about and wonder about, and increases my resolve to keep boxes of cereal out of our house.
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Jody 07.07.08 at 5:12 am
Also, I’m wondering about the reference to Ann Arbor University…? Is there such a place? I don’t know the history of UofM. Was it ever called that? Is this a typo? This causes more doubt in my mind, YK?
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Vicki 07.07.08 at 6:10 am
Really interesting! Did you know that you can get Kashi cereal from Amazon.com and that if you use their Subscribe & Save option, you save another 15%, plus get free shipping? The Strawberry Fields cereal is $13.95 for 4 boxes if you do this. I order it about every 2 months and make it last! Note that you can cancel the Subscribe & Save option at ANY time. Just a thought!
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Anonymous 07.07.08 at 6:12 am
Food for Life Ezekiel 4:9 makes sprouted whole grain cereal. It is similar to grape nute (which is also baked btw). There are various flavors. We like original and almond. Love it with yogurt and fruit. Kids like to soak it in whole raw milk and add a tad maple syrup. It probably can be heated, too, just like grape nuts. I make my own grape nuts and granola, too, since it is soaked. I also have a recipe for “graham gems” which are big cookies that you pour milk over for cereal. My daughter LOVES these.
~mtnmamaof4
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Kelly the Kitchen Kop 07.07.08 at 9:24 am
Jody, as much as some of the info in the article makes our radar go up, still, like you said, either way we know that there ARE healthier breakfast choices than boxed cereals.
Vicki, I may buy some through there then! If only that box was a little bigger though – just holding it (and how light it is) makes me feel ripped off! Thanks for the scoop, though!
MtnMamaOf4, I’d forgotten about the Ezekial cereal! I do remember though, that only one of my kids would eat it, and only the cinnamon kind…still, I’ll probably get more for him. Maybe doctoring it up like you mentioned would help the others to like it. Thanks! Can you comment with the “graham gems” recipe?!
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Jen@BigBinder 07.07.08 at 11:49 am
What an interesting dialogue. I think if I keep in mind ‘do the best you can’ I can “allow” myself to eat Kashi, especially in light of the fact that the research on the Nourishing Magazing website is not documented well.
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Michigan Mom2three 07.08.08 at 2:52 am
We have pretty much quit eating cold cereals altogether. To buy the “good ones”, I have to spend so much money….. and I can spend half as much and keep myself stocked with 5 dozen farm eggs instead, even at $2.25 a dozen! With 3 kids, one of those Kashi boxes would be consumed in nearly 1 breakfast (if we all had a bowl!). Instead, we eat eggs nearly every day, with a few days of Kelly’s soaked pancakes/waffles thrown in. French toast with my homeade real whole grain bread is a hit too. For “quick” days, it’s a smoothie done up in the blender, or a homeade granola bar and a big glass of raw milk. (My granola bars contain no white sugar or white flour, and are very hearty.) We’ve been known to grab bananas and string cheese when we need to run out the door.
Granted – because we homeschool, I can take a considerable amount of time if I need to put on a good breakfast. There are only 2 days a week that we have to run because of co-op classes, etc. So, I have time and usually put on some nitrate/nitrate free bacon from the farm, or msg-free sausage from the farm.
When we are someplace, and my kids eat cereal, it no longer “sits” well with them. They usually have a stomach ache, and are HUNGRY for something to eat just a couple hours later. As it is now, we eat a hearty homeade breakfast, and can go until 1:00 or so before we need lunch.
Shauna
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mtnmamaof4 07.08.08 at 7:18 am
GRAHAM CAKES- from Wholesome Home Cooking compiled by Katie L. Stotltzfus (my new favorite cookbook EVER!)
2 c oatmeal
4 c wole wheat or spelt flour
3 c milk (some sour) or buttermilk- I use kefir
2/3 c lard, butter or coconut oil- I use coconut oil
3/4 c honey
1/4 c rapadura or maple sugar (helps to rise better if sugar is added)
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp baking soda- aluminum free Rumford is best
Mix oatmeal and flour with sour milk or buttermilk, cover and set at room temperature for up to 12 hours. Add rest of ingredients. Makes 6 large cookies each on 2 sheets. May add nuts, chocolate buts or raisins. Bake at 375degrees for 20 minutes.- I baked mine in 2 buttered 13×9 pans for about 15-20 mins. Just watch for doneness. Don’t really brown it. Then, it was easy to cut and put in a bowl. It is really soft- hard to eat as a bar but still yummy. We like it with nuts, cocoa nibs and chocolate chips. With cream, it is a great dessert, too. The recipe’s contributer Emma Lapp says, “Good as a breakfast cereal, or with milk and fruit on a warm summer day, topped with ice cream or yogurt.” It keeps well, too, in bar form and heats easily in the toaster oven or is good cold. A very versatile food! ENJOY!
~mtnmamaof4
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Kelly the Kitchen Kop 07.08.08 at 6:17 pm
MtnMama, I’m going to try the Graham Cakes soon!
Shauna, your comment really got me thinking…especially as I’m working on tomorrow’s post with healthy breakfast ideas…
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Sue E. 07.09.08 at 4:59 pm
mtnmamaof4, or anyone else:
How do you soak grains to make granola? Better yet, how about a recipe for this (and grape nuts)?
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Kelly the Kitchen Kop 07.10.08 at 4:55 am
Sue,
See #4 at Wednesday’s breakfast ideas post.
Kelly
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Christi 07.10.08 at 5:11 pm
I can’t wait to try the Graham Cakes!
Shauna, would you be willing to share your granola bar recipe(s)?
Thanks for all the sharing!
Christi
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Sue E. 07.14.08 at 5:13 am
I tried the Graham Cakes this morning. They are very tasty!! I was skeptical that the soaked “goo” would mix well with the other ingredients, but it did, and ended up being very “fluffy”. I spread half of mine in my clay baker cookie sheet and the other half in my 9×13. I didn’t add any extras except nuts on one. I think shredded organic coconut would be great in it. I tried mine with yogurt and bananas on top, but everyone else ate theirs plain (with seconds and thirds). I am sooooo excited to have a versatile soaked “cake/bar” recipe for my family. Thanks, MtnMama!!
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godines 07.17.08 at 5:09 pm
there’s no doubt that the more processed the cereal is the worst it’s gonna be for your health. even if they are not puffed, they add tons of sugar/corn syrup, preservatives, etc. they cheat us into buying their products as if they were ‘healthy’. i guess we should stay away from big brands and start buying organically produced cereals. smaller brands offer tons of choices,
either at the supermarket or online. lets vote with our pockets! i love breakfast by the way, so i prepare myself organic granola with yogurt, some green tea and some orange juice. perfection!..
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Kelly the Kitchen Kop 07.17.08 at 8:21 pm
“Godines”, (Is your name Diego? I saw that in your e-mail address at your blog.)
You may want to be careful with buying organic cereals though, because I’ve read that they often have a higher protein content than “regular” cereals, and therefore are even more denatured because the extrusion or puffing process changes the make up of protein even more than other nutrients. I’ve only seen that from ONE source though (Sally Fallon/WAPF), so I’m not sure how much to put into it. It’s very difficult to find good info on the topic of extrusion at all, though.
Kelly
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Julie L. 01.18.09 at 1:49 pm
Kelly,
When you spoke with the Kashi rep, did he/she happen to mention anything about Cinnamon Harvest’s brother, Autumn Wheat? Just wanted to ensure that it is also *not* extruded. Ingredients are very similar (besides the cinnamon, obviously). These two siblings have become a later-evening snack for me probably on more nights than I’d like, but…:)
Julie L.
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Judy 01.18.09 at 9:13 pm
Kelly,
I think I got this from discussingnt but it credits the author. This looks like it might be as magical as Sue Gregg’s blender pancakes.
GRAHAM CAKES- from Wholesome Home Cooking compiled by Katie L. Stotltzfus (my new favorite cookbook EVER!)
2 c oatmeal
4 c wole wheat or spelt flour
3 c milk (some sour) or buttermilk- I use kefir
2/3 c lard, butter or coconut oil- I use coconut oil
3/4 c honey
1/4 c rapadura or maple sugar (helps to rise better if sugar is added)
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp baking soda- aluminum free Rumford is best
Mix oatmeal and flour with sour milk or buttermilk, cover and set at room temperature for up to 12 hours. Add rest of ingredients. Makes 6 large cookies each on 2 sheets. May add nuts, chocolate buts or raisins. Bake at 375degrees for 20 minutes.- I baked mine in 2 buttered 13×9 pans for about 15-20 mins. Just watch for doneness. Don’t really brown it. Then, it was easy to cut and put in a bowl. It is really soft- hard to eat as a bar but still yummy. We like it with nuts, cocoa nibs and chocolate chips. With cream, it is a great dessert, too. The recipe’s contributer Emma Lapp says, “Good as a breakfast cereal, or with milk and fruit on a warm summer day, topped with ice cream or yogurt.” It keeps well, too, in bar form and heats easily in the toaster oven or is good cold. A very versatile food! ENJOY!
~mtnmamaof4
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Kelly 01.18.09 at 10:27 pm
Julie,
Yes! Autumn Wheat is good, too. I’ll add that to the post.
Judy, thanks for putting up that recipe here – that’s the same recipe that earlier commenters had tried and loved. I still haven’t tried it, but think I will print it now as a reminder.
Kelly
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Local Nourishment 02.12.09 at 10:36 am
I gotta confess, breakfast is my Achille’s heel. I am NOT a morning person, and the idea of even looking at food before 10AM turns me green around the gills. So, yeah, breakfast cereals are part of our life right now. I hope to change that gradually.
Dumbest thing, though. Even if I do get up and face the kitchen first thing, making muffins, or eggs, or even something hefty like waffles, by 10AM the kids all have cereal out and are screaming about being hungry! At that point, my (bad) attitude is, “Why did I bother if they’re just gonna eat cereal anyway?”
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Kelly 02.12.09 at 3:26 pm
Being a Mom can be sooooooo frustrating at times, eh?!!
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j 05.04.09 at 9:32 pm
I frequently have kashi 7 grain puffs as a snack. I thought this was a good choice as it contains no ingredients except the 7 whole grains and sesame…I’m confused about why it didn’t make your list of acceptable kashi cereals?
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Kelly 05.09.09 at 10:28 pm
Hi J,
I can’t remember if I’ve even seen those, but the title “grain puffs” makes me leery, it sounds like it went through an extruder or some type of machinery to “puff” it – Sally Fallon specifically talks about cereals that have little shapes or have been puffed, as being dangerous. Be sure to check out the link above from Nourished Magazine.
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Linda 06.06.09 at 4:43 pm
In the Nourishing Traditions cookbook next to how to cook brown rice is info on why rat food is healthier than the box cereal comes in & that the box is healthier than the cereal according to one study.
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Annalisa 01.20.10 at 6:26 pm
Hi there,
Great info. Would anyone know if crispbread such as Wasa or Ryvita, are also processed in the same manner? I’ve given up chemical ridden crackers and find that crispbread are a great alternative when I’m in the mood for cheese and crackers (albeit not too many crackers since they do still contain carbs). Also, how about granola? I know that many are loaded with sugar and unhealhty oils but, is the extrusion process the same? Thanks for any insight!
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KitchenKop 01.20.10 at 8:02 pm
I’ve found that the best thing to do is to call the companies of your favorite brands and ask them. Often they won’t know what you’re talking about and you may have to go up a couple layers of people to find the answers.
Kelly
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