Daily Cyn: Superfood Breakfast??

Yesterday I saw a commercial for Quaker Oatmeal Squares. They claim that this cereal is a superfood! Hmmmm....

Of course my ears always perk up at info like that. I quickly wrote it all down and this morning decided to do a bit of investigating to see just how SUPER it really is.

After all I am:

Cynthia Parrott.....food detective.

We all grew up with Quaker products. Moms have been serving them to their families forever. They're wholesome, they're heathy. There's a Quaker on the box for God's sake. What better symbol of wholesome goodness is there? But these oat squares....a superfood breakfast? If you believe the advertising hype, eating a big bowl of this cereal in the morning will make you healthy and help you to juggle all this.....

and then some.......

Never skip breakfast. It is the most important meal of the day. I suppose having a bowl of Quaker Oat Squares is better than the alternative.....

And I would much rather see you eat something than to exist on just this.....

......which is what most people do because they are too busy and too concerned about losing weight to stop and eat any kind of breakfast.

When I think Super Foods, my mind kinda wanders to these....

and these.......

But that's me........

I took a look at the ingredients in a box of Quaker Oat Squares cereal just to be sure....

WHOLE OAT FLOUR, WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, BROWN SUGAR, SUGAR, MALTODEXTRIN, MALTED BARLEY EXTRACT, MOLASSES, SODIUM BICARBONATE, SALT, CALCIUM CARBONATE, REDUCED IRON, SODIUM ASCORBATE, YELLOW 5, NIACINAMIDE*, ZINC OXIDE, BHT (A PRESERVATIVE), VITAMIN E ACETATE, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, YELLOW 6, THIAMIN MONONITRATE*, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE*, RIBOFLAVIN*, FOLIC ACID*.

*ONE OF THE B VITAMINS
BHT ADDED TO PACKAGING TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS.

Hmmmmm..... What do you think now?
Still not sure? Let me help you.......

First of all, sugar is the third ingredient in this box of "super food". In fact, there are four different kinds of sugar in here: brown sugar, regular old sugar, malted barley extract and molasses! That's a bit too much of the sweet stuff, in my humble opinion. These seemingly harmless little sugar squares are highly addictive. One bowl will never be enough. You might be helping yourself to several servings in the morning because it tastes so good. And snacking on it in the afternoon. And at night while watching TV. When you are caught with your hand in the box or continuously shoving copious amounts of dry oat squares into your mouth, there's no need to explain or justify it..... It's a SUPERFOOD!

I won't even get into the rest of the ingredients added to this cereal. I will leave that for you to investigate but I think the box it comes in might be healthier....

I am not knocking cereal. It's quick and with a bit of skim, soy, or almond milk and some fresh fruit, a bowl of cereal can be a nutritious breakfast. If you happen to be a morning cereal lover, why not try this:

Take a look at the ingredients in this box:

Not bad. Not bad at all.....and trust me.....this cereal is delicious. I still wouldn't call it a Super Food, but it's definitely a much better choice, don't you think?

If you want to greet the morning joyfully and get a good start to your day, you need to eat breakfast. There's is absolutely no other way.

If you are looking for something wholesome and nutritious and just happen to be addicted to that Quaker Oats Guy--here is a better breakfast choice:

The only ingredient in this canister is steel cut oats. THAT'S IT! It only takes a few minutes to boil water, add the oats and stir a few times. You can let it cook as you are getting ready for work. Or prepare it the night before and reheat in the morning. Stir in a few of my superfoods and you are good to go!