# When cereals became healthier. By removing the word "sugar" from their name **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 13, 2020, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-cereals-became-healthier-by-removing-the-word-sugar-from-their-name/853737 "2020-05-13T18:52:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-cereals-became-healthier-by-removing-the-word-sugar-from-their-name/853737/21 "2020-05-13T22:26:44Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > They took out the Sugar and kept the Smack. > > I’m not sure healthier is the term I’d use. I thought the title was a funny. Did you notice that orange abomination of a cereal had more Vitamin C than orange juice? Beck - Candy in a box.😃 ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-cereals-became-healthier-by-removing-the-word-sugar-from-their-name/853737/22 "2020-05-13T22:29:29Z")
> **[Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs](https://calvinandhobbes.fandom.com/wiki/Chocolate_Frosted_Sugar_Bombs)** > > Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs are Calvin's favorite breakfast cereal. He describes them as "crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, pre-sweetened and ready-to-eat". As their name indicates, Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs have a very high sugar... ---
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-cereals-became-healthier-by-removing-the-word-sugar-from-their-name/853737/23 "2020-05-13T22:33:35Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I stopped eating sweetened cereals after I was a kid, so I wouldn’t know. > > [Here’s a description:](https://www.mrbreakfast.com/cereal_detail.asp?id=732) > > I imagine it was like Sugar Crisp with nuggets of Tang included. I liked Tang, and I loved Sugar Crisps, but that sounds horrible. I must have missed that “short-lived” cereal, because at that age I was probably eating cold pizza or Breakfast Jacks. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-cereals-became-healthier-by-removing-the-word-sugar-from-their-name/853737/24 "2020-05-14T04:20:20Z")
One of my _favorite_ cereals from way back when was Kellogg’s Concentrate. I think a serving was a tablespoon or two. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-cereals-became-healthier-by-removing-the-word-sugar-from-their-name/853737/25 "2020-05-14T13:21:41Z")
What a coincidence this thread is. For some reason, out of the blue, the other day I remembered that when I was growing up we kept Corn Flakes in the house and we all sprinkled a teaspoon or two of sugar on it. Of course, I was (and still am) the only person I know who doesn’t put milk on cereal so my sugar pretty much ended up on the bottom of the bowl. It \*seems \*like this was a thing that everyone did but I haven’t seen anyone do it in years. Does anyone else remember that? ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-cereals-became-healthier-by-removing-the-word-sugar-from-their-name/853737/26 "2020-05-14T13:29:32Z")
Saddened to know that Cracklin Oat Bran was never a good choice…very tasty stuff! But 267 calories per cup? [20 Worst Healthy Cereals | Eat This Not That](https://www.eatthis.com/worst-healthy-cereals/) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-cereals-became-healthier-by-removing-the-word-sugar-from-their-name/853737/27 "2020-05-14T13:43:37Z")
As a result of this threat, I realize that Super Sugar Crisp and Sugar Smacks were two different cereals from different companies. I’m sure I had both of them as a child, but never quite noticed the distinction. And I haven’t thought about them or encountered them in decades. There are so many different cereals in the cereal aisle, I don’t keep track of them all. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-cereals-became-healthier-by-removing-the-word-sugar-from-their-name/853737/28 "2020-05-14T15:20:02Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > What a coincidence this thread is. For some reason, out of the blue, the other day I remembered that when I was growing up we kept Corn Flakes in the house and we all sprinkled a teaspoon or two of sugar on it. Of course, I was (and still am) the only person I know who doesn’t put milk on cereal so my sugar pretty much ended up on the bottom of the bowl. It \*seems \*like this was a thing that everyone did but I haven’t seen anyone do it in years. Does anyone else remember that? I remember sprinkling sugar on unsweetened cereal. I seem to recall more than a teaspoon though - sprinkle some on, eat it. Eventually, you’ve eaten the flakes with sugar, so you add some more. I recall that the extra milk after all the cereal was gone was pretty much too sweet to drink. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-cereals-became-healthier-by-removing-the-word-sugar-from-their-name/853737/29 "2020-05-14T15:40:39Z")
My mom wouldn’t buy anything but Special K Cornflakes Shredded Wheat Puffed Wheat Life Cereal Cheerios Post Raisin Bran (I hated that one but more because of the raisins, ugh, than the bran) I had to go sleep over at my friend’s house to get to enjoy those variety packs where you slit open the foil-lined box and poured milk into it. Sugar Puffs were my fav. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-cereals-became-healthier-by-removing-the-word-sugar-from-their-name/853737/30 "2020-05-14T15:58:53Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > What always amused me is that the “serving size” for Total is twice as big as a real-world serving, so they can increase the amounts of vitamins and minerals per serving, but for most sugary cereals, it’s half a real-world serving, so they can cut down the amount of sugar and Calories per serving. > [@needscoffee](#): > > Doesn’t serving size go by weight? > [@Chronos](#): > > Yes, but how much weight? Just going from examples I have in my cupboard, Frosted Shredded Wheat has 60g per serving, while Honey Crunch and Oats (With Almonds) has 40g per serving (both Millville, the Aldi house brand). Others are somewhere in between, but the general pattern is that the “healthier” ones have larger serving sizes. ISTR from a thread specifically about serving sizes, what you’re seeing on those sweetened cereals is for child-sized portions. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-cereals-became-healthier-by-removing-the-word-sugar-from-their-name/853737/31 "2020-05-14T16:02:15Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Post Raisin Bran (I hated that one but more because of the raisins, ugh, than the bran) Shame, then, that she hadn’t bought Pre-Raisin Bran. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-cereals-became-healthier-by-removing-the-word-sugar-from-their-name/853737/32 "2020-05-14T17:13:47Z")
Scene from the _Dinosaurs_ TV show addressing the subject: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/OreZWhEJqvw/hqdefault.jpg "Dinosaur's TV show Baby Sinclair left alone and has sugar overdose") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OreZWhEJqvw) ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-cereals-became-healthier-by-removing-the-word-sugar-from-their-name/853737/33 "2020-05-14T17:23:03Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Checking Walmart and other sites, it looks like [he’s still called Sugar Bear.](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Post-Golden-Crisp-Wheat-Breakfast-Cereal-24-Oz/408098921) > > It seems he did go by [Super Bear](https://www.mrbreakfast.com/cereal_ucp_slideshow.asp?id=366&picid=2341) on boxes of Super Sugar Crisp. If you’ll click through the other images you’ll see that in most of the boxes he was still called Sugar Bear. ---
**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:** [May 14, 2020, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-cereals-became-healthier-by-removing-the-word-sugar-from-their-name/853737/34 "2020-05-14T17:23:53Z")
> [@](#): > > ISTR from a thread specifically about serving sizes, what you’re seeing on those sweetened cereals is for child-sized portions. That wouldn’t explain why the six cereals in my cupboard have six different serving sizes. Clearly, the cereal companies are allowed at least some discretion in what a “serving size” is. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-cereals-became-healthier-by-removing-the-word-sugar-from-their-name/853737/35 "2020-05-14T18:48:52Z")
It occurred to me (and I may be misremembering because I was past the age of following cereal commercials when the name changes occured) that Super Bear and Sugar Bear were two different characters, with Super Bear being drawn as muscular. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-cereals-became-healthier-by-removing-the-word-sugar-from-their-name/853737/36 "2020-05-14T21:00:37Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > What a coincidence this thread is. For some reason, out of the blue, the other day I remembered that when I was growing up we kept Corn Flakes in the house and we all sprinkled a teaspoon or two of sugar on it. Of course, I was (and still am) the only person I know who doesn’t put milk on cereal so my sugar pretty much ended up on the bottom of the bowl. It \*seems \*like this was a thing that everyone did but I haven’t seen anyone do it in years. Does anyone else remember that? Here too – though later in life I started applying milk and then I stopped adding sugar. But then again, so did I stop with the Corn Flakes, which one has to admit are quite bland flavorwise. Frosted Flakes OTOH were a fine enough thing dry as were Sugar Corn Pops, in my kindergatener opinion. ---
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-cereals-became-healthier-by-removing-the-word-sugar-from-their-name/853737/37 "2020-05-14T21:30:44Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Here too – though later in life I started applying milk and then I stopped adding sugar. But then again, so did I stop with the Corn Flakes, which one has to admit are quite bland flavorwise. Frosted Flakes OTOH were a fine enough thing dry as were Sugar Corn Pops, in my kindergatener opinion. As a kid, I didn’t really care for Corn Flakes (still don’t). If it was all we had, I would eat it, provided we weren’t out of sugar. Frosted Flakes, on the other hand,…they’re GRRREAT! Sometimes, when I didn’t feel like having milk, I would pour the cereal (sweetened, of course), in a tall glass and eat it. I still do this. Corn Pops and Cocoa Krispies are my favorites to eat this way. Last night, I had a bowl of Cocoa Puffs. Never been my favorite, would have much preferred Cocoa Krispies, or Count Chocula even. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-cereals-became-healthier-by-removing-the-word-sugar-from-their-name/853737/38 "2020-05-15T03:46:23Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > It occurred to me (and I may be misremembering because I was past the age of following cereal commercials when the name changes occured) that Super Bear and Sugar Bear were two different characters, with Super Bear being drawn as muscular. i thought sugar turned into super to stop the bad guy stealing the cereal … lol one of my favorite cereals were cookie crisp which had a “sugar cookie” along with the standard chocolate chip that disappeared when no sugar became a thing ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-cereals-became-healthier-by-removing-the-word-sugar-from-their-name/853737/39 "2020-05-15T03:51:08Z")
i remeber when life cereal got in trouble for not telling anyone it was sort of foster but on the inside of the square … and still some people never figured that out … ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-cereals-became-healthier-by-removing-the-word-sugar-from-their-name/853737/40 "2020-05-15T04:08:20Z")
All manufactured breakfast cereals are highly processed starches, so adding more sugar is like gilding the lily. It’s like cutting cocaine with methamphetamines. Sure, you can, but do you really need to? Stranger [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-cereals-became-healthier-by-removing-the-word-sugar-from-their-name/853737.md?page=1)