Oatmeal, Cheerios, Cap'n Crunch . . . Which Cereals Are Healthful Breakfast Choices?

When was the last time that instead of, say, whole grain oatmeal or Cheerios, you gave your kids (or yourself) a bowl of sugar for breakfast? If this morning you poured Honey Smacks, Golden Crisps, Cap'n Crunch, or even seemingly healthful Quaker Oats Oh!s cereal, the answer is: today. All have 3 to 5 teaspoons of sugar per cup. Find out why sugar's so hard on your body.

Okay, we know it's hardly news that kids' cereals are loaded with sugar, but that much? Yes, says a new analysis by the Environmental Working Group, which -- insert round of applause – painstakingly sugar-rated 84 cereals. (See and download the full report.) If you weighed out 8 ounces of many kids' cereals on a kitchen scale, a third to half the weight would be sugar.

We YOU Docs think adding that much sugar to any food, but especially to children's breakfasts, ought to be a civil, punishable crime. Seriously. Food makers are condemning kids to health problems and the nation to higher health costs. Yep, your cereal picks are that important.

Happily, there's an upside to this story: There were some winners on the list -- healthy, tasty, 100% whole-grain cereals that kids will happily eat and you can buy at any grocery. Oatmeal, of course. We both eat heaps of steel-cut oatmeal. Just skip flavored instant types. They're sugar fiestas, too.

There are other good-morning choices that meet both federal guidelines and ours, which are tougher: Cheerios (another of our personal faves), Mini-Wheats, Shredded Wheat, Grape-Nuts Flakes and, somewhat surprisingly, Kix. Add bananas, blueberries, raisins, walnuts, diced apples, almonds . . . they're all good, though blueberries are rock stars.

Bonus: Eating fiber in the morning (fruit and 100% whole-grain cereals are full of it) curbs hunger later. That helps keep kids -- and you -- slim.

These 3 other breakfast goodies are also great for your heart -- and your waistline.