# Is all cerial mostly good for you or mostly bad for you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 13, 2005, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-all-cerial-mostly-good-for-you-or-mostly-bad-for-you/330814 "2005-11-13T03:43:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-all-cerial-mostly-good-for-you-or-mostly-bad-for-you/330814/21 "2005-11-13T22:05:43Z")
> [@Wesley Clark](#): > > On another note while dicking around online I saw that cinnamon may help prevent diabetes. So cinnamon toast crunch away. > > [http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn4413](http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn4413) > > [http://care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/26/12/3215](http://care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/26/12/3215) You were at least a nursing student, right? Shouldn’t you be familiar with the fact that most of the small, tentative initial studies we see end up being contradicted by later research? It’s not a great idea to jump all over whatever random food is being hyped today. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-all-cerial-mostly-good-for-you-or-mostly-bad-for-you/330814/22 "2005-11-13T22:27:58Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > You were at least a nursing student, right? Shouldn’t you be familiar with the fact that most of the small, tentative initial studies we see end up being contradicted by later research? It’s not a great idea to jump all over whatever random food is being hyped today. I am open to the idea that it is wrong but the study shouldn’t be ignored off the bat because several studies have shown a high protein diet causes more weight loss than a low protein diet. A recent single study showing Vitamin E was harmful had doctors all over the world telling their patients to stop using it. My sympathy to your parents. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-all-cerial-mostly-good-for-you-or-mostly-bad-for-you/330814/23 "2005-11-13T22:40:46Z")
> [@Wesley Clark](#): > > I am open to the idea that it is wrong but the study shouldn’t be ignored off the bat because several studies have shown a high protein diet causes more weight loss than a low protein diet. A recent single study showing Vitamin E was harmful had doctors all over the world telling their patients to stop using it. Which proves that cinnamon prevents diabetes how exactly? > [@](#): > > My sympathy to your parents. Beg pardon? ---
**Author:** ![ProTem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/51bf81/32.png) [@ProTem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ProTem)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-all-cerial-mostly-good-for-you-or-mostly-bad-for-you/330814/24 "2005-11-13T22:48:10Z")
> [@fishquail](#): > > So is will it make you fat cause it has suger? There’s no reason to think sugar makes you fat. Fat makes you fat, though, and most processed flavored cereals have some, just to hold the nuts in the clusters, and to make it stay fresh longer. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-all-cerial-mostly-good-for-you-or-mostly-bad-for-you/330814/25 "2005-11-13T22:49:44Z")
My mistake, I should read these threads before I reply to them. I thought this was about the protein/weight loss thing. I think so far only one study on cinnamon/diabetes has been done. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-all-cerial-mostly-good-for-you-or-mostly-bad-for-you/330814/26 "2005-11-13T23:59:15Z")
> [@](#): > > There’s no reason to think sugar makes you fat. Fat makes you fat, though, Sort of goes against the calorie intake vs calories burned theory, actually blows it out of the water. Your body will convert excessive sugar into fat. ---
**Author:** ![lorinada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5e925/32.png) [@lorinada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorinada)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-all-cerial-mostly-good-for-you-or-mostly-bad-for-you/330814/27 "2005-11-14T00:18:46Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Your body will convert excessive sugar into fat. Well, no…your body converts excess energy to fat stores. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-all-cerial-mostly-good-for-you-or-mostly-bad-for-you/330814/28 "2005-11-14T16:31:10Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Johanna > \*\*- that’s just a joke or maybe a UL. I believe the term is “hyperbole,” exaggeration to make a point. It was some Ralph-Nader-style consumerist public advocate back in the 1960s who said that, though I can’t remember who. Maybe Nader himself. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-all-cerial-mostly-good-for-you-or-mostly-bad-for-you/330814/29 "2005-11-14T18:04:58Z")
I watch the calorie boxes pretty closely on what I eat, and I’m constantly surprised how some “adult cereals” have more calories than a classic kids bowl of sugar. Quaker Oat Squares was the one I think I noticed this on, where it has 200 calories or so per serving. Yikes. Also, Special K has a lot more sugar than you would expect from their advertising. Compared to plain cornflakes it’s like candy. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-all-cerial-mostly-good-for-you-or-mostly-bad-for-you/330814/30 "2005-11-14T21:35:54Z")
> [@](#): > > I watch the calorie boxes pretty closely on what I eat, and I’m constantly surprised how some “adult cereals” have more calories than a classic kids bowl of sugar. Quaker Oat Squares was the one I think I noticed this on, where it has 200 calories or so per serving. Yikes. Also, Special K has a lot more sugar than you would expect from their advertising. Compared to plain cornflakes it’s like candy. Be sure to compare serving sizes, too. Cartoon-character cereals usually have a very small serving size listed, so they can say “Less than X sugar per serving”. Adult cereals are usually sold more for the good things they do have, though, so they typically have large serving sizes, so as to claim “Over X grams of fiber per serving”. Last I checked, Total had a serving size about five times greater than Trix. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-all-cerial-mostly-good-for-you-or-mostly-bad-for-you/330814/31 "2005-11-15T01:45:42Z")
> [@ProTem](#): > > There’s no reason to think sugar makes you fat. Fat makes you fat, though, and most processed flavored cereals have some, just to hold the nuts in the clusters, and to make it stay fresh longer. In a way, \*\*Protem \*\*is correct- although certainly carbs can and are converted to body fat, dietary Fat is done so at least twice as easily. Other than excessively high fat content- or very high fiber content- all breakfast cereal- from pure whole-wheat flakes to pure grain sugar- has the same calories given a set serving size. That’s because sugar (simple Carbs) and starch (complex carbs) are both Carbs, and thus have identical calories. Yes, given more grain and less sugar you should have more fiber (but Corn doesn’t have much anyway), and more vitamins. But calorie-wise, the difference is almost nil. And _pure_ complex Carbs are no better for you than pure simple carbs- “Carbs is Carbs”. Which is why- despite the CW- honey is no better nutritionally than pure grain sugar- honey is nigh pure sugars. Thus, in **SmackF** u’s examples, **Chronos** has very likely hit the nail on the head- the difference in calories is due to a difference in serving size. Some few cereals have lots of fiber- which will reduce calories per set size. Some others (notable Granola, which isn’t as good for you as you think) have fairly high fat content, which increases the calorie count per set serving size. Otherwise, it’s 90%+ the serving size alone. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-all-cerial-mostly-good-for-you-or-mostly-bad-for-you/330814.md?page=1)