Is Puffins Cereal Healthy?

Barbara's Bakery makes all-natural and preservative-free cereal bars, granola bars and cereals, including the line of Puffins Cereals. If you are trying to decide what to have for breakfast, you may be wondering whether cereals in the Puffins line can be healthy selections. As you consider the options, think about whether it provides the nutrients you need, and whether its calories and fat totals fit into your diet plan.

Background

Puffins Cereals from Barbara’s Bakery come in a variety of flavors including Original, Multi-grain, Puffs Fruit Medley, Puffs Crunchy Cocoa, Honey Rice, Peanut Butter and Cinnamon. If you are intolerant to gluten and have had trouble finding gluten-free cereals, you may find that their gluten-free Honey Rice and Multigrain options are healthy choices.

Basic Nutritional Facts

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The serving size for Puffins cereal is 3/4 cup. The Mayo Clinic recommends choosing a cereal with less than 120 calorie per serving if you are watching your weight, and each serving of Puffins provides 90 to 110 calories. The cereal is low in fat and free from unhealthy cholesterol, saturated fat and trans fat. The cereal does not have much protein so you might want to include a source of protein in your breakfast if you tend to get hungry later in the morning.

Sugars And Fiber

The Mayo Clinic suggests choosing a breakfast cereal with at least 3 g but preferably 5 or more g dietary fiber per serving. Dietary fiber can decrease your hunger and promote digestive health, and the 2005 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services state that most Americans should get more 2. Most Puffins cereals have 2 g to 3 g dietary fiber per serving, and Puffins Original has 5 g. Your cereal should also have less than 13 g sugars, and Puffins cereals have about 5 g to 7 g sugars per serving.

Vitamins and Minerals

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Unlike many breakfast cereals that are fortified with most vitamins and many essential minerals, Puffins cereals are not heavily fortified. Most varieties have less than 4 percent of the daily value for most vitamins and minerals. Puffs Fruit Medley has 20 percent of the daily value for vitamin A, and Original, Puffs Fruit Medley and Multigrain have 20 to 25 percent of the daily value for vitamin C. Honey Rice, Multigrain and Crunchy Cocoa have 25 percent of the daily value for calcium, and Multigrain and Crunchy Cocoa have 25 percent of the daily value for iron. Multigrain also has 25 percent of the daily value for vitamin D.

Balanced Breakfast

According to the Mayo Clinic, eating a healthy breakfast may help you control your weight and focus better throughout the morning 1. Even though Puffins cereals are not rich in heart-healthy whole grains, they are still low in calories and fat, and are lower in sugars than many flavored breakfast cereals. You can have them as part of a balanced breakfast if you have some reduced fat dairy such as fat free yogurt or milk, along with a serving of fresh fruit.