Thursday, August 18, 2011

the cereal experiment: Cascadian Farm Hearty Morning

You know you are starting your day out right when your cereal is called Hearty Morning Fiber (Cascadian Farm), the fourth subject in the cereal experiment.


Results. This cereal is fiber-tastic (yes, I said it). It has just the right amount of sweetness and flavor, with no need to add anything to it to make it palatable (ahem, Kashi GoLean Original). The flakes stay crunchy throughout the entire eating experience and I love both the hearty taste and texture of those scary-looking fiber twigs. Yum yum! And, just when I thought it couldn't get any better I bit into a little something special and thought, 'holy &#$! there are granola clusters too!' My friends, after my first taste, I thought I had discovered the champion of healthy cereal.


But, a champion it may not be. Although the texture is really fantastic and this cereal does not disappoint with its crunchiness, there is, alas, some downfalls. I'm afraid all that tasty goodness comes at a price, and Hearty Morning is quite calorie dense. You get only 3/4 cup for 190 calories. Not even a whole cup? What is that about?


And, despite my usual aptitude for self control, I cannot make myself only pour a 3/4 cup of this stuff. The proof is in that overflowing 3/4 measuring cup. I'm afraid I'm out of control.

*Ranking system.

Despite its small serving size Hearty Morning does well in terms of nutrition. As you may have guessed, this cereal has quite a bit of fiber (9 grams), which almost ties GoLean Original. In addition, for your 190 calories and 2.5 fat grams you get 5 grams of protein (my minimum criteria) and 19% of calories from sugar for a relatively low 22 cents per ounce.

When you compare Hearty Morning to the other cereals so far, it soars to number 2. The high-scoring taste and texture variables balance out the serving size issue and the lower protein and higher sugar content. But, GoLean Original remains the front runner.


I doubt anyone has gotten fat from over-eating on fiber-filled cereal. But, the question remains: can I be satisfied with eating a smaller portion (with much less protein) of Hearty Morning when I can practically bathe myself in the nutritional master, GoLean Original?

1 comment:

  1. Next try Go Lean Crunch, it has 9 grams of protein. It needs to soak in the milk for a few minutes because it is too crunchy. :)

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