Cereal Killing It on National Cereal Day || America’s Top 20 + Our Faves!

Just in the nick of time (as I post this at 11:59pm), I am celebrating National Cereal Day with you. This blog is a little later for one reason and one reason only: I had no idea such a tremendous holiday existed until our iHeartRadio tour earlier this morning…where offices were filled with boxes of cereal and bowls were filled even fuller!

After making our rounds at the iHeart offices, talking health and fitness with their listeners, our final stop was The Mix 96.9 with our good friends Mathew and Priscilla. In true Mathew and Priscilla style, our visit was NOT complete without a game that allowed each of us to at least slightly make a fool out of ourselves! Today’s shenanigans included a blindfolded Name That Cereal game in honor of this one-of-a-kind, amazingly delicious, great-excuse-for-a-reward-day holiday. 

The raw footage of this video is below (it’s pretty hilarious and painfully yummy at the same time with the cereals they chose).

Now that we’ve had a little fun, let’s take a look at where America stands! AND most importantly…where YOU stand! Time, my friends to see if your favorite cereal has made the cut…

Disclaimer: I am NOT saying these sugar cereals are good or bad or right or wrong for you! I am reading a list (and admitting I’ve eaten nearly every one of them and am constantly trying to fit these babies into my macros?shhh!!). But in all seriousness, very few cereals are actually “healthy,” but we feel it’s important to live by the 80/20 Rule: 80% of the time eat real, whole natural foods, 20% of the time you can and should splurge a little with foods like these. This is exactly why we added cereals like these to The TRANSFORM App.

According to Ranker.com, here is a list of the America’s Top 20 Most Popular Cereals…along with my two cents (of course, because I always have plenty of 2 cent coins to go around):

#1. Frosted Flakes: “You got a tiger in you! Annnnnd YOU!” I couldn’t agree more with this classic as number one. So simple, yet so sweet and amazing. The crunch at the beginning, turning perfectly soggy toward the end when your jaw is tired of crunching. Love. Good choice, America.
#2. Cinnamon Toast Crunch: Ahhh CTC. Seeing this as number two is making me wonder what the heck I was thinking by saying the Frosted Flakes deserved number one. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, beats CTC. Am I right? This should have been number one. Perfection right down to the cinnamon milk at the end.


#3. Lucky Charms: “They’re always after me, Lucky Charms!” And…we are. Because we love them, and agree to their ranking as number three! And let’s be honest, with the new unicorn marshmallow, they might even be making the climb a tad higher on the list!


#4. Honey Nut Cheerios:  So this pic below is NOT Honey Nut, but…I am kind of a small crew, and am too tired to find the right photo. The goal is to post this before midnight! Back on track…HN Cheerios are a classic. Love them, however I do get sick of them really fast. Probably because this is ALL the cereal my mom would buy when I was growing up. This, and Frosted Mini-Wheats (which may or may not have made the Top 20 cut!).


#5. Cap?n Crunch: Well deserved, but let’s be honest…this cereal shreds the top of everyones’ mouths. If only this cereal would get a little soggy a little faster, it MIGHT move up.

#6. Froot Loops: This kids’ classic is 100% in the top 10! Who doesn’t love Fruit Loops…especially with such a cute little birdie on the box!


#7. Apple Jacks: Better than Fruit Loops IMO. LOVE!!! 

#8. Fruity Pebbles: Not a fan! Too soggy too fast. It’s more like Fruity Brown Mush within 90 seconds of pouring milk as all of the colors blend!


#9. Rice Krispies: Okay. THIS cereal should have been number one for the SOLE reason that it’s the main ingredient in my MAIN TREAT!!!!! #DailyHug

#10. Cap?n Crunch?s Crunch Berries: BETTER than original Cap’n Crunch! Everyone picks out the Crunch Berries anyway…why don’t more people just buy them in bulk with this genius cereal?? Smartest thing this company did! 

#11. Cocoa Puffs: Something about chocolate in cereal (with one exception below) doesn’t sit well with me. Not a Cocoa Puffs fan, but my kids and the rest of America are. Why? Because who doesn’t want a saucer of chocolate milk to drink after you’re done eating chocolate cereal? Chocolate is life.

#12. Corn Pops: Nope. Chris likes. Not me so much. Not sure why…but it feels like a bad childhood memory just to THINK of this cereal. #pass

#13. Golden Grahams: Okay, okay…I can do these babies. But not all day every day.

#14. Honeycomb: Another mouth shredder for me! No thank you! But…America disagrees with me, so I’ll accept it!

#15. Raisin Bran: THIS is what I’m talking about. All of the dietary fiber you need to scrub those intestines, with the perfect amount of fruitiness to it. I feel healthy AFTER eating it!


#16. Frosted Mini-Wheats: I feel like this classic should have been in the top 10! Can’t go wrong with this. Again…fiber for the win!

#17. Cheerios: No spank you. Only with sugar on top! Please pass the Honey Nut.

#18. Cookie Crisp: Believe it or not, I was never a fan. But I know my brothers loved this. Just cookies for breakfast feels weird to me! Can’t do it. (Says me as I do CTC, morning buns, and Marshmallow Dream Bars for breakfast occasionally…or not so occasionally).

#19. Honey Bunches of Oats: My late father’s favorite, therefore, one of my favorites. So dang good. We used to buy this cereal in bulk. WARNING: NOT as healthy as the packaging might try to make you think!


#20. Reese?s Puffs: HOME RUN!!!!!!!!!!! No. Grand slam. The best. I ate some of these this morning at the iHeart offices as part of the game (video below), and my tastebuds def were visiting Flavortown, USA (cheesy inside joke).

 

Now…here?s a few of OUR favorites that didn’t make the list:

#1. Girl Scouts Thin Mints: If you have never tried this, you are not living life. I was introduced to heaven on earth today with these bites of happiness. I will NOT be buying though, because I will surely go through an entire box in one sitting.
#2. Reese?s Puffs Bunnies (Spring Edition): You thought regular Reese’s Puffs were amazing? You ain’t seen nothing yet until you try these. Something about the bunny-shaped pieces… I am convinced the crevices hold more sugary-powdery (no-so-healthy) flavor.
#3. Cinnamon Life: Our classic.
#4. Cracklin’ Oat Bran: This is the “don’t judge a cereal by it’s box picture” cereal. Scary-looking, but oh so good. Hearty, cinnamon-y, and sweet!

I know I mentioned it above, but if you are freaking because of the sugary-nature of these cereals…you are right. They ARE sugary and not something I would EVER recommend eating all day every day, no matter how your macros add up. But cereal?even the sugary kinds?fits right in with my Donut Laws AND can actually help you build those muscles post-workout, just like donuts can…WHEN DONE RIGHT. Hop over to that blog and read up before you judge!

Rule of thumb: A protein source + a carb source = a great post-workout-muscle-building-and-feeding meal. So mix up your fave protein shake, grab some of your fave cereal (sugary or not), and enjoy! Better yet, mix your protein powder WITH some unsweetened almond milk and pour it OVER your cereal…this trick of the trade will take any cereal to the next level, getting your protein needs as you get your cereal fix.

To learn more about fitting cereal into your macros, or to see our recipes including cereal on The TRANFORM App, click the links.

Now it’s YOUR turn. Tell me your favorite cereal below!

Xoxo,

Heidi

Related reading:

The DOs and DO-NUTs of DONUTS
Are we sick of Donuts + Macros yet? Nope, and here is why?
Macros vs Micros: The Macro Myth Busted!
Macro Tracking For the Win! All of Your Questions Answered
Protein Confusion: Your Questions Answered!

5 Responses

  1. Your Cinnamon Toast Crunch with protein milk on the transform app has changed my life! Lol.

    My husband already buys the protein that literally called ?cereal milk? and so it?s the best snack ever!!!!!!!

  2. I have a problem when it comes to cereal 🙁 I CAN’T stop eating it!! I can’t keep a box in my house as I’ll eat it for breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and dinner! Oh so good!!!

  3. I’m gluten free so regular cereal is not an option. I usually splurge with granola. I love the crunch.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

CHOOSE A DATE: