Americans on the go choosing yogurt over cereal
When I go to the grocery store, I see an entire aisle devoted to cold cereals. Cheerios, Corn Flakes, Mini-Wheats, Total, Raisin Bran, Special K, Fruit Loops, Trix, Reese’s Puffs, Honey Smacks, Honey Bunches of Oats, and many others.
I like cold cereal, my family likes cold cereal, my friends like cold cereal. Obviously a lot of people like cold cereal or they wouldn’t devote an entire aisle to it in the grocery store. But cold cereal giant General Mills just announced that sales are falling short of the estimates made by analysts.
Why? Well, as breakfast eaters are becoming more interested in Greek yogurt and less interested in cold cereal, General Mills and other cold cereal companies such as Kellogg, Post and PepsiCo (owner of Quaker) are taking a hit.
Yogurt is now a $4.2 billion industry, with nearly a third of that amount made up of Greek-style yogurt. From 2003 to 2013, the percentage of adults eating yogurt for breakfast rose from 36 per cent to 49 percent.
Another factor is that more and more people are eating this first meal of the day outside of their homes instead of at the kitchen table with their families.
For more than a year, cereal sales have been going down. But cereal companies are not taking this lying down. Instead, they are taking a double-barrel approach to this food fight. They’re sending out the message that cereal is healthy due to it being a good source of protein, and they’re creating different breakfast items for people on the go.
How about you? Are you a traditional cereal eater? Have you started substituting yogurt for cereal occasionally? If so, why?
Can’t you date the article and the comments? I suspect it is old, since it says Kellogg is taking a hit, but makes no mention of the hit they are taking from people boycotting them from pulling their advertising from a Conservative news web site.
Grains for breakfast??? Moooo!
I quit eating GMO cereals with glow in the dark homogenized, pasteurized milk 15 years ago. Why accelerate ageing and Alzheimer’s? We all have over exposure to Roundup just in the air we breathe.
That is what I wanted to say.
We generally eat cooked cereal, Millet, Oatmeal and other non wheat cereals. We alternate with high protein drinks with veggie base, lots of greens and eggs. We are pretty healthy. We include fruit with our cereals and Protein drinks. We are allergic to dairy.
Dr. Oz did a segment last winter on grains. His guest that day was a Dr. who says there is correlation between grain and developing Alzheimer. [even organic grains] I eat anything with grain sparingly now. I need all the brain cells I can muster. Anyone else shed light on that?
I quit eating cereal many years ago and instead I have smoothie with an organic spinach/kale mix, protein power, berries, super green Nacked juice, etc. and feel much healthier!
In my research, I have found Oats are NOT GMO tainted, yet. I hope they never will be. I Like plain Cherrios with Almond Milk, Original Oatmeal cooked stove top or baked with extra grains, nuts and seeds. Plain Greek Yogurt with fresh fruit and low sugar granola. Eggs, eggs and eggs. Contrary to popular belief they are very good for you and provide many nutritional benefits. Eggs satisfy like nothing else. Great protein and very versatile.
As a side note: 97% of all corn and wheat is GMO in this country.
Much of the oats is sprayed with Round-up as pre-harvest weed and uniform drying spray by chemical farmers. Wheat is not GMO only in test plots. Most of the corn & soy is GMO. Support Local Organic farmers!
I am the mother of 4 grown children: ages:62 to 54
My husband & I are 88 & 85 years old >We are HEALTHY and have eaten All of that which you NUTS are afraid of for most of our lives! Many of you are neurotic to the point of needing HELP! (badly)..Sorry for you!
So Fiesty…my goodness. Please elaborate on what those foods are that have helped you and yours to remain healthy….I want in, thanks!!
At 88 & 85, think about the diet they grew up on. That was long before processed grocery store food. They probably worked hard and ate from local gardens. They probably didn’t sit on a computer all day. Diets and exercise people got back then probably helped them to be as healthy as they are today Not to mention the genes handed down to them.
I eat Enjoy Life’s crunchy flax No GMO’s and gluten free.
I eat Enjoy Life crunchy flax gluten free, non gmo, whole grain cereal. buy it by the case.
Love my “cereal” in the morning. Usually organic, & gluten free stuff or I make a batch of quinoa. It’s higher in protein, and mixed with nuts and dried cherries, dates, or cranberries, it is a filling breakfast. Also use leftover brown rice the same way. I also like the gluten free bagels with a little lite cream cheese with a fruit smoothie.
I LOVE yogurt, but most, if not all yogurts you find at the grocery store are loaded with sugar. And since my main reason for eating yogurt is for the GOOD bacteria (Probiotics) it contains, the SUGAR content almost cancels out it’s benefits. Sugar is also very prevalent in most breakfast cereals, and sugar is very BAD for our health. Mr Bates, do you have any secret sources or recipes for a sugar free yogurt?
Try Kefir. It’s the consistency of buttermilk, but I would describe it as a liquid yogurt. Kefir is easy to make, but you must have access to unprocessed milk. You’ll need the seed ball that does the fermenting. Just Google ‘how to make your own kefir’. It’s delicious and very good for you.
Gary, read labels – there are plenty of greek yogurts without the high sugar. Skip the advertised brands.
I like yogurt (flavored with fruit), but need about two or three to fill the void – I like cold cereal too… BUT I’m not at all happy with the price per serving. Cold cereal is EXPENSIVE!! Yogurt is a close second but sometimes leaves me unsatisfied (not full). I found another substitute is a “tropical” fruit cocktail in natural juice or plain water. It has natural fiber, is filling, but again is not cheap. The three-source rotation for breakfast is good way to get a good start to the day and maintain variety. Of course all of these get my daily vitamin supplements.
The vast majority of cereals are high in carbs and made from GMO ingredients. I eat as much organic food as possible including eggs for most breakfasts. I do eat organic Greek yougart with organic blueberries (frozen) several times a week. More and more research shows GMO causes cancer in lab mice and rats. Hey Frank, how about getting some non GMO foods in your survival foods?
I EAT A RASIN BRAND ENGLISH MUFIN WITH NON SALTED BITTER AND A CUP OF CHAMOILE TA WITH ORGANIC HONEY. THEN I TAKE MY MEDS AND IN AN HOUR I’M HUNGRY AGAIN. I LOVE EGGS. BUT THERE HIGH IN COLESTERAOL AND I AHVE A STINT IN MY HEART. SO I EAT EGGS 1 TIME A WEEK AT DENNYS.
my favorite breakfast is eggs and steamed yellow squash/zuchini. With some juice to drink, or just water. Yum and filling, and a super way to start the day. Just takes literally under 10 minutes in the kitchen. First throw the squash on to steam, then while its getting hot – go get dressed, come back out and toss your eggs in a pan and voila! Eggs and Vegitables. sprinkle with a little Braggs and your ready to nosh and go.
I have been cooking rice every day for several years now.i add fresh (organic mostly) fruits or raisons and a little butter and raw sugar yum best breakfast ever. GMO and gluten free and cheap.
I think you’ve hit the nail right on its lil head…. People are trying to get away from GMO foods. All of the big corporations mentioned are pro- GMO if you check.
THEY HAVE A SUPPLEMENT I HAVE BEEN TAKING AND IT KILLS THE GMOS IN YOUR BODY FROM THE FOODS. I HAVE NOTICED THAT I FEEL MORE ENERGY, LESS FATIGUE.
You are right. People are getting away from GMO food the mega chemical company, Monsanto, is pushing GMO seed onto farmers. No one knows what the long term effects of eating GMO grains and vegetables are yet. That’s why it’s important to not eat anything with GMO ‘s in it. That is also the reason people are not eating cold cereal and finding an alternative to eat. It’s too bad these big food corporations can’t give the people what they want instead of putting GMO products in their food.
As part of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, General Mills has, in every state that has had a bill on the ballot, been spending millions to convince people to vote against GMO labelling. That is why I have stopped buying General Mills products and now only buy organic cereal. Btw, I eat my cereal with yogurt. I also don’t eat as much cereal now that I am retired and have more time to prepare a real breakfast with eggs from my hens. This country has seen a surge in raising backyard chickens which could be affecting cereal sales a bit as well.
Cereal is not real food. Ypgurt has 26 teaspoons of sugar per serving. Rvery time we eat sugar our immune systems are suppressed for 5 hours. That’s why we are sick so often. Get back to basics . I eat sweet potatoes for breakfast, with lots of non pastured butter and cinnamon. No preservatives, no GMOs, grass fed meat. I have Multiple Sclerosis and by changing my diet and taking supplements my MS is getting better, not worse.
You know, General Mills is taking a hit on the cereal side, but they own the rights to Yoplait in North America and cannot keep up with production. They have even developed a Greek Whips (which is to die for frozen). But when a food giant is stumbling, it’s really time to think about why.
I live in a country that sprays roundup on their crops to desicate(kill) the crops when they are close to maturity so that the harvesting machines can get in earlier and not have to deal with green material or the incidence of moisture. It also cuts out one farming operation so that the farmer can simply straight cut the crop for a savings of no swathing. Unfortunately glyphosates Kill some of your stomach good bacterias. It is registered as an anti-biotic, hence I no longer eat the dry cereals like I did when I was younger. Besides Glyphosates , tie up the trace minerals in the soils for a minimum of 40-50 years so you are eating empty foods. Why bother? Oats is your best bet as it is least tampered with chemically or genetically. We try to eat home grown eggs for our breakfest.
I started eating greek yogurt with a couple of spoonfuls of granola and goji berries for breakfast a couple of years ago. I find that this more filling than just breakfast cereal and milk alone. Also, I found that the combination of the greek yogurt, the granola and goji berries helps with regularity much more than the cereal and milk. I have cereal and milk on occasion but not regularly like before.
I’ve never liked cold cereal and I’m not into grains much except for oatmeal (hot). I’m a bacon and eggs breakfast eater.
If cereal companies want to make their money, they will have to do something about the price of milk or make their product consumable without adding it. I have not bought cereal regularly since milk prices went up
all prepackaged processed stuff is not food. when we start to learn to do for ourselves and accept the responsibility that goes with it, we can take control of our choices and not be under the influence of the chemical ind.
For many years now I have eaten only Familia brand Swiss Muesli. It contains several each of organic grains, nuts and fruits with no added anything. If I can’t find that, I don’t eat cereal. I do eat yogurt, but mine is made from raw whole milk from 100% grass fed cows. It’s good.
I do the same and it is great. Can you please send me some of that wonderful 100% grass fed yougert?!? Yummm. LOL
My wife and I eat Greek Style Yogurt a lot and rarely eat cereals. We first tried the yogurt some 35 years ago when on a vacation in Turkey. My wife makes the yogurt herself using a small store bought starter as a base which she replaces every now and again. The cost savings of doing this are considerable are considerable. We also mix in nuts, seeds blueberries, tumeric and a few other healthy items.
We love good eggs and a little bacon or sausage. 78 years old and missed 2 days work from the flu. Stick with good, solid food that God provided. He never created anything that was not good. Ron
Over 80% of the food-like products on the shelf are sugar based. I say food-like products because our food is no longer grown, but manufactured (which is why we have manufacturer’s coupons and not farmer’s coupons). As these products are manufactured, they can increase whatever ingredients they put in it and slap a healthy label on it. While most of the junk might be healthier than other junk, junk is still junk. It’s the reason obesity is out of control, and our children as early as 10 years old are getting fat, becoming diabetic, and dying before their parents. Even skinny people are sick. Just because you’re not visibly fat on the outside, doesn’t mean you can’t be fat on the inside. There’s a reason you don’t see a recommended daily allowance of sugar on the label: the industry wants you to consume at least 50% sugar in your diet, much against the WHO who recommends only 10% AT MOST. The only way to counter the poison of these food-like products is to eat healthy, organic, non-GMO, and grass-fed. Labels are a lie. Do your research before buying a product. Even yogurt is loaded with sugar. Just because it “looks” healthy doesn’t mean it is. Poison is poison whether it has a happy little cow on the label or misleading words that make you think it’s “healthy.”
We like Yogurt as well. The GMO and the high fructose corn syrup are the main culprits. I loke oats and rice as well but one has to be careful there too. Is quaker oats okay? Who knows, since they do not have to list all ingredients all the time.
There are actually no GMO oats currently created. There just isn’t enough money in the crop for Monsanto et al to bother with it — so your Quaker Oats are GMO free!
Your comment is right on! (I’ve been eating oats for a long time, and have no complaints! (Since I use the food to help in the taking of supplements & prescription drugs, I mix some V-8–low sodium of course–to give the mixture a little more healthy mix as well as helping to keep my arteries plaque-free).
We gave up the Frankenfood long ago. Now we use
Nature’s Path cereals, non-GMO, organic, wheat free,
whole grain, etc. We add a large dollop of low-cal
Greek yogurt and 2 tablespoons of blueberries, and a
handful of walnuts on top. We might also slice a
banana into it as well. Deeeelicious and healthy.
No kids at home any more, so cereal isn’t on our radar. I keep a couple of different cereals on hand, but it’s mostly for guests. I have to store them in my vacuum seal containers to keep them fresh. My spouse seldom eats breakfast and I generally nibble on a slice of toast and piece of fruit as I pack our lunches and gather up my supplies for the day.
Grain is now considered by many doctors and by studies to be no longer edible or safe thanks to Monsanto and it’s GMO’s. Corn is even on that list. The shift may be partly due to this as well as people are learning that GMO foods are unsafe and cause nasty side effects in humans.
Imagine if you are eating a food that destroys an insects digestive tract, what can it do your digestive tract..
My doctor took me off ALL grains including corn, soy, peanut anything and canola oil because of GMOs. I now feel better now that I am off those nasty foods now.
I gave up on wheat cereals a long time ago. I liked to eat Total but it started messing with my blood sugar so I quit eating it I have been eating my own breakfast sandwich for several years now but am beginning to reconsider how much wheat should be in my diet. I recently began to eat organic Greek yogurt for breakfast. I thought I might not find it very tasty but I was wrong. I love the stuff. If I eat any cereal now it is an occasional bowl of Cheerios. It doesn’t bother me like wheat cereals do. I also am eating more oatmeal. It’s filling and has less of a blood sugar effect.
Have you tried steel cut oats? They are my favorite, especially if cooked the night before.
Frank, if you cook the steel cut oats the night before, don’t they become “gummy” or mushy by morning? Also, do you microwave them the next morning to warm them up?
Actually, no. Whole or steel cut oats plump up nicely overnight – they are completely different than rolled oats. Around day 7 or 8 I find they start to get softer than I’d like, but for a few days, they are great. You can use a microwave or stovetop to heat them back up.
I also like plain rolled oats that are slow cooking. I buy the sealed packages rather than oats like Quaker that might be contaminated with bugs even though it looks like it is sealed.
If you are diabetic try adding cinnamon to your oatmeal. It helps regulate sugars so well that I use it before A1C tests to make sure my sugars are lower.
I don’t eat cereals anymore since I found out they all have metal/iron shavings in them! This is the codex alimentarius (??) at its finest…You don’t believe me? Youtube search for iron in cereals or buy one of those small but powerful magnets and do the research youpself…
My daughter did a science test back in high school in the early 90’s. She soaked some Total cereal until it was really soggy and then put it through a spinner and what was left was pieces of medal. That is how they say 100% vitamins and minerals. You could grind up a old car for the iron etc. Your body cannot absorb or use these v&m, they only harm you. If it was that simple we could just go out and lick a rock and never have to buy a vitamin, our bodies need plant based v&m. So with the sugar, GMO, medals etc. you have to be nuts to put these into your body, they are not food! Eat as healthy as you can now, you will be better off later!
I haven’t eaten cold cereal in many, many years. When I did, it was only Shredded Wheat or Grape Nuts, the only two choices I could find without added sweeteners. I didn’t give my daughter cold cereal either, when she was growing up. Cold cereals are junk food, and I like to get some nutrition for my dollar. Maybe the new trend is due to more people finally waking up to this reality.
Goats milk is affordable and healthy. At the end of the day, Most people will out gas in their car at 3.75 then
one the most nutritionist foods one can get for 4.00
figure that out. I will agree Sugar is used at high levels and keeps the dentist busy. The misunderstanding is that poor health is somehow reflect to overweight bodies. Overweight bodies has to do with having a great deal of food sources and how it is managed. The USA has a wealthy middle class that still struggles, but our nutrition is reflective of wealth. Some countries of the world where wealth is lower, so is food consumption. As you have economic development , you have improved diets.
Better proteins , better carbs and yes even GMO’s
Genetic modified organism are responsible for better nutrition in parts of the world where rickets have been predominate. GMO’s purpose was not to grow a three ear, but rather offer inexpensive foods that were more nutritional. There is absolute no research or evidence that GMO’s are bad. JUST a bad perception.
I bet you work for that GOM King of the world, MONSANTO!! There are many cancers that have been traced back to GMO’s. Stop trying to ruin other people’s health!
GMO’s change your DNA!
Roundup IS an antibiotic as well. Do you want to eat antibiotics all the time? Not me.
Grain prices are actually down this year. USDA is still predicting record production. Dairy market is experiencing historical growth. Butter has been recognized as safer then margerine for your health and
cereal companies are buying yogurt compnaies to stay competitve. And GMO are actually better for hum an health and food consumption then mystery fungi and bacteria found on “organic” foods.
Becareful look at the science, not he hype. Something with a title is a marketing tool to sell more and tell people what they want to hear rather then what is actually better. The safest food system in the
world THE USA. Get it right
Actually the safest food in the world is what the good lord put here for us to nourish our bodies with, not with what man has made or changed!
Just as Sharon and David have stated, the cereals are not healthy. Too much sugar, or inferior products like GMO corn. I personally eat steel cut oats and occasional products form Nature’s Path. Their products are organic, non-GMO, gluten free, wheat free, and of whole grain.
Cereal nutrition has been a problem, they are laden with gmo’s, high fructose corn syrup and sugar coated. When one goes down a cereal aisle it is hard to find cereals not dominated by these ingredients. The few cereals that are truly healthy are substantially much higher priced. I pretty much stick to oats and rice. I am sure these companies will soon find a way to mess these up in the near future and all for profit, they certainly do not give a care about their customer’s health physically, mentally, or monetarily. It is all about profit.
We use a lot less cereal because of the gmo grains that are used in them. The only cereals we eat now are those made of oats, and few of them because we are not sure of them.
Grain prices are going up in price, the cereal boxes are getting smaller. I use to get 16 ounces in a box of cereal; now it will change from 13.5 to 15.5 ounces. By shrinking the amount of cereal that comes in the box and maintain the size of the box and the price for this box of cereal; the cereal companies thought that they were pulling the wool over my eyes. Well, let me tell you this cereal company. When I purchase a box of cereal it is to feed the family. In my family, I have kids. If the old box of cereal feeds my family; but the new box doesn’t, what do you think I am going to do? I am going to switch to something else that my family will eat. Milk has become expensive, $4.00 a gallon plus $3.00 for a 13.5 oz. box of cereal that won’t last three days with two kids. Yea, I will get something else for my family to eat.
At the cost of $0.35 to $0.50 for yogurt plus a banana and toast; my family can eat o the run. If you want me to fix your problem cereal company – the hire me. Other than that you just aced yourself out of business.