# Do you put strawberries in your cereal as commercials would have us believe people do? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 27, 2012, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-strawberries-in-your-cereal-as-commercials-would-have-us-believe-people-do/629512 "2012-07-27T01:08:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-strawberries-in-your-cereal-as-commercials-would-have-us-believe-people-do/629512/1 "2012-07-27T01:08:21Z")
I can’t tell you how many times I see a cereal commercial and how there’s always at least one shot of the milk going into the bowl full of cereal that’s filled to the top with cereal and fruit (usually 2 or 3 big strawberries). How common is this, really? And I’m talking about strawberries (or blueberries)…not, say, banana slices. Banana slices I can see and I’ve actually known people to do this in real life. I can’t say I’ve ever heard of or seen anyone putting strawberries in their cereal, though, although everyone in commercial-land seems to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-strawberries-in-your-cereal-as-commercials-would-have-us-believe-people-do/629512/2 "2012-07-27T01:09:56Z")
Pretty common in oatmeal, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone do it IRL with cold cereal. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-strawberries-in-your-cereal-as-commercials-would-have-us-believe-people-do/629512/3 "2012-07-27T01:11:01Z")
I haven’t eaten cereal since I was like 10. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-strawberries-in-your-cereal-as-commercials-would-have-us-believe-people-do/629512/4 "2012-07-27T01:11:43Z")
When I was growing up, my mother would often put berries in our cereal. More often blueberries or raspberries than strawberries, but occasionally strawberries as well. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-strawberries-in-your-cereal-as-commercials-would-have-us-believe-people-do/629512/5 "2012-07-27T01:12:35Z")
I don’t, mainly because I wouldn’t put whole strawberries in my cereal. I would use sliced strawberries but I don’t really have the patience to slice them small enough. I have used other berries tho (blue, black and rasp). ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-strawberries-in-your-cereal-as-commercials-would-have-us-believe-people-do/629512/6 "2012-07-27T01:16:09Z")
Strawberries work best with denser stuff like high-fiber cereals. Bananas are insubstantial enough to work with puffy cereals. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-strawberries-in-your-cereal-as-commercials-would-have-us-believe-people-do/629512/7 "2012-07-27T01:21:50Z")
We do it frequently, whenever the strawberries sold at the store are good. I’ll put them in any kind of cereal. Note: I slice them ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-strawberries-in-your-cereal-as-commercials-would-have-us-believe-people-do/629512/8 "2012-07-27T01:22:23Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > How common is this, really? And I’m talking about strawberries (or blueberries) Blueberries, yes. Strawberries, no. (Blackberries, yes.) ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-strawberries-in-your-cereal-as-commercials-would-have-us-believe-people-do/629512/9 "2012-07-27T01:33:20Z")
It’s been a while, but yes. Sliced. ---
**Author:** ![charmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/53a042/32.png) [@charmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/charmstr)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-strawberries-in-your-cereal-as-commercials-would-have-us-believe-people-do/629512/10 "2012-07-27T01:52:05Z")
Sliced strawberries, yes. I haven’t had them in cereal since I was a kid, but I remember that it made the milk delicious. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-strawberries-in-your-cereal-as-commercials-would-have-us-believe-people-do/629512/11 "2012-07-27T01:57:19Z")
Yeah but sliced. I like 'em with corn flake cereals. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-strawberries-in-your-cereal-as-commercials-would-have-us-believe-people-do/629512/12 "2012-07-27T01:59:10Z")
Sliced strawberries all the time…as often as possible and as many as possible. Why does it stirke you as odd? There are plenty of brands that include dried strawberries. Now watermelon would be weird, but strawberries are normal. If they were picked from the garden they would be tiny and whole, btw. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-strawberries-in-your-cereal-as-commercials-would-have-us-believe-people-do/629512/13 "2012-07-27T02:03:05Z")
When they have great sales (BOGO) in the late spring, I’ll buy them and put them on granola/cereal. I’ll use strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. They’re all great. I buy Flakes and Cheerios for cereal - I’m not putting fruit on Cap’n Crunch or Fruity Pebbles or Fruit Loops. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-strawberries-in-your-cereal-as-commercials-would-have-us-believe-people-do/629512/14 "2012-07-27T02:05:49Z")
Every day. I eat my Kashi GoLean Crunch with non-fat Greek yogurt, Strawberries and dried cranberries. Every. Day. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-strawberries-in-your-cereal-as-commercials-would-have-us-believe-people-do/629512/15 "2012-07-27T02:06:45Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > Strawberries work best with denser stuff like high-fiber cereals. Bananas are insubstantial enough to work with puffy cereals. How do you figure bananas, one of the sweetest and highest-calorie and sugar-content fruits in existence, are “insubstantial”? 😕 Anyway, to the OP: while I believe strawberries are a relatively common topping for cereal, I don’t think many people actually use _whole_ strawberries as such. I think cereal manufacturers put these images on the boxes simply for the “aesthetic value”; i.e. it looks good. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-strawberries-in-your-cereal-as-commercials-would-have-us-believe-people-do/629512/16 "2012-07-27T02:08:20Z")
I put strawberries or blueberries in my cold cereal on a regular basis. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-strawberries-in-your-cereal-as-commercials-would-have-us-believe-people-do/629512/17 "2012-07-27T02:09:26Z")
For porridge made from Red River cracked grain or oatmeal, I add a selection of fruits and nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Weedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/weedy/32/301_2.png) [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-strawberries-in-your-cereal-as-commercials-would-have-us-believe-people-do/629512/18 "2012-07-27T02:15:52Z")
I always put some kind of fruit on my cereal. Strawberries are a favourite. As others have said, I slice them first. Also: other berries stone fruit grapes apples pears cantaloupe pomegranate mango banana in a pinch ---
**Author:** ![tadtooornamental](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@tadtooornamental](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tadtooornamental)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-strawberries-in-your-cereal-as-commercials-would-have-us-believe-people-do/629512/19 "2012-07-27T02:34:17Z")
On occasion, but I do prefer bananas. And only with Cheerios. Which I buy about every other year. The year I don’t buy Cheerios, I buy Golden Grahams, which does not get embellished with fruit. I don’t eat much cereal. Also: cantaloupe, really? ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-strawberries-in-your-cereal-as-commercials-would-have-us-believe-people-do/629512/20 "2012-07-27T02:36:22Z")
I don’t really like strawberry’s that much so wouldn’t use them. Blueberry’s or black berry’s sure. I don’t generally sit down for breakfast though. Keeping fresh berry’s around is an issue too. My breakfast is usually a bar and a diet coke as I drive to work. Some day if I’m independently wealthy my maid will prepare my morning cereal with berry’s because I’ll have time to eat it and won’t be that concerned about the berry’s going bad. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-strawberries-in-your-cereal-as-commercials-would-have-us-believe-people-do/629512.md?page=2)