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Cold Cereals:

iHerb Natural Foods Reviews

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Note: The cereals above the line are ones I will buy again; the ones below the line I will not be buying again.

Barbara's Bakery, Morning Oat Crunch, Original

My favorite cereal and great for pre-workout snack

Barbara's Bakery, Multigrain Spoonfuls Cereal, Original

My second favorite cereal

This is my second favorite cereal, behind Barbara's Morning Oat Crunch. Both are whole grain, low in sugar, all-natural, verified non-GMO, moderate glycemic, and most of all, taste great. I will definitely be getting these cereals again.

Barbara's Bakery, Shredded Wheat Cereal*

Better than the commercial brand

This cereal is similar to the popular commercial brand of shredded wheat, but this Barbara's version is verified non-GMO and does not use BHT like the popular brand does. So if you like shredded wheat but wish to avoid GMO grains and artificial preservatives, then this Barbara's Shredded Wheat would be the way to go.

Barbara's Bakery, High Fiber Medley Cereal, Original*

Barbara's does it again

A good tasting, high fiber, whole grain, low sugar cereal, that does not spike my blood sugar excessively. As such, this cereal is great for my pre-workout snack. I feel energized without hunger during my workouts.

Cascadian Farm, Multi Grain Squares*

Great taste and low glycemic

This might be new favorite cereal, as it tastes great. It is also low glycemic, contains all whole grains, is low in sugar, and is organic. What more could you ask for in a cereal?

Erewhon, Organic, 100% Whole Grain Cereal, Raisin Bran*

Lots of raisins

I normally add raisins to my pre-workout cereal, but with this cereal I do not need to as it contains plenty of raisins, much more than most raisin cereals. It also tastes very good, uses all whole grains, and has no added sugars.  It does not spike my blood sugar excessively and thus is good for my pre-workout snack. All of this together earns it five stars.

Oat Bran Flakes, Arrowhead Mills*

Best tasting flakes cereal

These are the best tasting flakes cereal I have ever eaten. They're somewhat denser and crunchier than most flakes. That is probably why they did not spike my blood sugar as much as flakes cereals usually do. They contain oat bran and all whole grains and are low in sugar, so they are very healthy as well.

Kashi, Autumn Wheat, Organic Whole Wheat Biscuit Cereal*

Healthy, but a bit sweet

This cereal is similar to Spoon-sized Shredded Wheat, except it is organic and is sweetened with cane juice and molasses. Being organic is a plus, as that also means the wheat is non-GMO. Being sweetened would not too much of a problem, if it wasn't a bit too sweet, at least for my tastes. But it still tastes very good. And using nothing but whole wheat is a definite plus. So if you like Shredded Wheat with a little sugar, you'll like this product.

Kashi, 7 Whole Grain Flakes Cereal*

Crunchy and good tastes

Kashi is probably my second favorite cereal brand next to Barbara's. I really like this cereal. It stays crunchy in the protein powder that I use instead of milk on my cereal. The grains are whole grains, so it is high in fiber. The grains are all organic, so there are no GMOs. This cereal is not too sweet. It digest easily, but with only a moderate blood sugar spike, so it works well for my pre-workout snack.

Nature's Path, Organic, Mesa Sunrise Gluten-Free Cereal*

Good taste and variety of grains

This cereal is a nice alternative to corn flakes. The main ingredient is corn meal, but it also contains buckwheat flour, quinoa, and amaranth. And all of these grains are whole grains, so there is a decent amount of fiber. As such, this is a healthy and different tasting cereal.

Cascadian Farm, Purely O's, Organic Whole Grain Oat and Barley Cereal*

Good alternative to popular brand

If you like the popular commercial Os cereal, you'' like this cereal. Like that cereal, this one uses whole grain oats and is low in sugar. But unlike that one, this one is organic and does not use an artificial preservative. And it tastes just as good.

Nature's Path, Organic, Flax Plus Multibran Flakes Cereal*

Good taste for a bran cereal

As far as bran cereals go, this cereal actually tastes rather good. And being organic and all whole wheat is a definite plus. So if you want more bran in your diet, this cereal would be a good way to go.

Nature's Path, Organic Heritage Os
(Note available form iHerb)

Crunchy, good tasting, and low glycemic

These are a very crunchy alternative to the commercial oats Os cereal. They are made from a variety of whole grains, are low in sugar, and taste great, that is if you like a crunchy cereal. They are also low to moderate glycemic, so they make for a great pre-workout snack.

Nature's Path, Organic, Flax Plus Cereal, Raisin Bran*

No very many raisins

I usually add raisins to my pre-workout cereal, as they are easy to digest and add fuel for the workout. So I I got this cereal thinking I would not need to add raisins, but there were not that many raisins in it. And what raisins there were had settled to the bottom. I tried shaking the box upside down to move the raisins to the top, but that did not work. So I got virtually no raisins with the first few servings, then just few with the rest. But the cereal itself did tastes reasonably good for a bran cereal. And being whole wheat, it is healthy. But I would recommend getting Nature's Path, Organic, Flax Plus Cereal, Raisin Bran and adding Made in Nature, Organic Raisins.

Nature's Path, Organic Heritage Flakes Cereal

Crunchy, but high glycemic

This is good tasting cereal, made from all whole grains, and it is low in sugar. Those are all pluses. But strangely, it is high glycemic, spiking and crashing my blood sugar. That is strange as these are heavy and crunchy flakes made with the same ingredients as Heritage Os. As such, I thought these would be low to moderate glycemic like the Heritage Os, but they are in fact high glycemic. Eating these flakes pre-workout messed up a couple of bench press workouts before I figured out what was going on.

Erewhon, Corn Flakes*

Good tasting, but high glycemic

If you like corn flakes, you'll like these. They taste very good despite not having any added sugar. For that reason I am giving them four stars, but not five as they spike my blood sugar too much. As a result I get hungry during my workouts when I eat these for my pre-workout snack. I should have known this before I bought them, as most flakes cereals are such, but they were on sale!

Arrowhead Mills, Organic Amaranth Flakes*

A nice alternative flakes cereal

These flakes are light, taste good, are from all whole grains, and are low in sugar. They are a nice for a change of pace from the oats, wheat, rice, and corn found in other cereals. But as with most flakes cereal, they re rather high glycemic, so I am giving them four stars.

Arrowhead Mills, Spelt Flakes*

Light and crunchy

These flakes are light yet crunchy and taste very good. They use whole grain spelt, so they are a nice alternative to regular wheat. And they are low in added sugar, But with the light texture, they spike my blood sugar too much, so I doubt I will get them again.

Arrowhead Mills, Organic Gluten Free, Sprouted Corn Flakes

Not as good as hoped

Being sprouted, I thought these would be denser and thus not spike my blood sugar as much as other flakes, but neither was the case. And they tasted okay but not great. But being whole sprouted sprouted grain, they are probably healthier than other corn flakes cereals.

Kashi, Organic, Simply Maize, Crispy Whole Corn*

Tastes good, but high glycemic

This maize cereal is kind of like corn flakes, but the flakes are puffed. It tastes good and all healthy ingredients. However, due to its puffy nature, it is rather high glycemic, spiking and crashing my blood sugar too much. But if you do not have blood sugar problems and like corn flakes, then you might like this cereal.

Nature's Path, Organic, Sunrise Crunchy Maple Cereal*

The name says it all

The name says it all. This cereal is crunchy, and it is mapley. The maple flavor comes from real organic maple syrup. The crunch comes from small puffs that remind me of Kix. So if you like that cereal, you'll like this one. But it is just those puffs that I don't like, as they make this cereal rather high glycemic, which plays havoc with my blood sugar (I have reactive hypoglycemia). But if you don't have blood sugar problems and like Kix, you'll like this cereal.

Nature's Path, Organic Gluten-Free Cereal, Crunchy Vanilla Sunrise*

Too sweet and high glycemic

This cereal is the same as the maple flavor, except of course for being vanilla. The crunch comes from small puffs that remind me of Kix. So if you like that cereal, you'll like this one. But it is just those puffs that I don't like, as they make this cereal rather high glycemic, which plays havoc with my blood sugar (I have reactive hypoglycemia). But if you don't have blood sugar problems and like Kix, you'll like this cereal.

Barbara's Bakery, Puffins Cereal, Cinnamon*

Too sweet and high glycemic

I bought this cereal at Pittsburgh's East End Food Co-op. I only did so as it was on sale, and I had a coupon for it. But I should not have been so cheap, as I did not like it at all. It is way too sweet for my tastes, and the puffy nature of it makes it high glycemic, so it played havoc with my blood sugar. The taste reminded me of cinnamon buns as it is really cinnamony, so if you like that desert, you might like this cereal. And kids might like it, and it is probably healthier than most kids' cereals as it does not contain artificial ingredients like most kids' cereals do, so for that purpose it might be worthwhile.

Barbara's Bakery, Puffins Cereal, Honey Rice*

Too sweet and high glycemic

I bought this cereal at Pittsburgh's East End Food Co-op. I only did so as it was on sale, and I had a coupon for it. But I should not have been so cheap, as I did not like it at all. It is way too sweet for my tastes, and the puffy nature of it makes it high glycemic, so it played havoc with my blood sugar. But kids might like it, and it is probably healthier than most kids cereals as it does not contain artificial ingredients like most kids' cereals do, so for that purpose it might be worthwhile.

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