SO HOW MUCH SUGAR IS IN YOUR CEREAL?

WE ASKED Jacqui Lowdon, of the British Dietetic Association and a specialist in children’s nutrition, for her verdict on leading breakfast cereals. The calculations are for a 40g serving, with and without 125ml skimmed milk. A teaspoon is equivalent to 4.2g sugar.

COCO POPS

Teaspoons of sugar per serving: 3½. Teaspoons of sugar when you add milk: 5¼. Calories with milk: 233. Fat per 100g of cereal: 2.5g. Salt per 100g: 0.75g. Sugar per 100g: 35g.

VERDICT: Marketed as being so chocolatey it ‘turns the milk brown’, this cereal is sweetened with sugar and chocolate to provide a huge 35 per cent sugar content.

This is as much as you would get in an average sized chocolate bar, so you are effectively having a Dairy Milk bar in every bowl. The energy rush and plummet you would get from something this sugary means you’d be hungry again by mid morning.

READY BREK HONEY

Teaspoons of sugar per serving: 2. Teaspoons of sugar when you add milk: 3. Calories with milk: 208. Fat per 100g of cereal: 6.6g. Salt per 100g: 0.2g. Sugar per 100g: 20.4g.

VERDICT: Unlike plain porridge oats, all varieties of Ready Brek are fortified. One serving provides almost a third of the recommended adult daily amount (RDA) for the B vitamins, vitamin D and iron and 50 per cent of a child’s calcium intake.

However, compared with original, unsweetened Ready Break, this has 20 times more sugar. Stick to the plain stuff and add a teaspoon of honey.

FROSTIES

Teaspoons of sugar per serving: 3½. Teaspoons of sugar when you add milk: 5¼. Calories with milk: 245. Fat per 100g of cereal: 0.6g. Salt per 100g: 0.9g. Sugar per 100g: 37g.

VERDICT: Frosties were considered the worst offender in the Which? report and it’s little wonder with their whopping 37 per cent sugar content.

A 40g bowl contains around 15 per cent of the guideline daily amount of sugar. Though this cereal is fortified with vitamins and minerals, you’d be far better off eating a couple of pieces of toast with honey. Frosties are no better for you than cake and custard for breakfast.

DORSET CEREALS HIGH FIBRE FLAKES

Teaspoons of sugar per serving: 3. Teaspoons of sugar when you add milk: 4½. Calories with milk: 185. Fat per 100g of cereal: 2.6g. Salt per 100g: 1g. Sugar per 100g: 29.7g.

VERDICT: This healthy looking combination of cereal flakes with dates, raisins and apple flakes is high in fibre — but it’s also high in sugar, partly because of the dried fruit. However, much of the sugar in the cereal is fructose, or fruit sugar, which in some studies has been shown to provide a longer-lasting energy boost. It’s not added during the manufacturing process. Still, it is better to stick to an unsweetened, high-fibre cereal such as Shredded Wheat with fresh fruit.

RICE KRISPIES MULTIGRAIN SHAPES

Teaspoons of sugar per serving: 1¾. Teaspoons of sugar when you add milk: 3. Calories with milk: 245. Fat per 100g of cereal: 2.5g. Salt per 100g: 0.4g. Sugar per 100g: 18g.

VERDICT: These rice, oat and maize shapes appear to be a healthy choice because they contain ‘a natural prebiotic to help keep kids’ tummies healthy’ ( prebiotics fuel the growth of healthy gut bacteria).

But you’d be far better with a bowl of porridge, which does the same without the added sugar. A bowl of these shapes contains more sugar than two chocolate digestives.

SHREDDED WHEAT

Teaspoons of sugar per serving: 0. Teaspoons of sugar when you add milk: 1¼. Calories with milk: 189. Fat per 100g of cereal: 2.2g. Salt per 100g: Trace. Sugar per 100g: 0.7g.

VERDICT: Since the only ingredient is wholegrain wheat, it is naturally low in sugar, salt and fat. It contained the least sugar of the 50 cereals analysed by Which? It is also a good source of fibre, with two Shredded Wheat providing almost a quarter of your daily amount.

WEETABIX MINIS FRUIT AND NUT

Teaspoons of sugar per serving: 2. Teaspoons of sugar when you add milk: 3½. Calories with milk: 207. Fat per 100g of cereal: 4.1g. Salt per 100g: 0.18g. Sugar per 100g: 23.2g.

VERDICT: Sugar i s the second ingredient after wholewheat in these mini biscuits, despite the fact they are naturally sweetened with dried fruit. You would be better off sticking with the original Weetabix biscuits, which contain almost six times less sugar per 100g (4.4g) and have more fibre.

HONEY LOOPS

Teaspoons of sugar per serving: 3½. Teaspoons of sugar when you add milk: 4¾. Calories with milk: 206. Fat per 100g of cereal: 3g. Salt per 100g: 1.75g. Sugar per 100g: 34g.

VERDICT: This cereal contains sugar, honey and glucose syrup, giving it 34 per cent sugar content. I’d see this as a sweet treat rather than a healthy start to the day for children.