Cereals are being attacked again, but this time for a good reason. Cereal companies are using the obesity crisis to help their marketing. There is a common misconception that sugar in and of itself leads to obesity, but this is not the case. Many new cereals that have less sugar do not contain fewer calories, which means that they will not be particularly helpful for weight loss.
Parents shopping for healthy cereal for their children must be overwhelmed with all the conflicting messages they hear from marketing campaigns and the media. While General Mills, Kellogg's, and Post cereals boast low-sugar cereals, parents should not be confused about what that actually means. Sugar has received a bad rap, but excess calories -- from any source, not just sugar -- are the real danger. Less sugar does not necessarily mean fewer calories.
Cereals created and marketed to fight the nation's obesity crisis will never get the job done just by lowering the sugar content as long as the calories remain constant. Next time you're shopping for cereals, look on the side of the box and use the calorie content as a reference point -- instead of the advertising on the front.
Michal Raucher is a research intern at the American Council on Science and Health.