[292 kcal] Multigrain Cereal with Milk (+ List of Cereal Nutrition Comparison)

Nutrition Facts

Calories	292 kcal
Total Fat	12.1 grams
Sodium	46.6 grams
Total Carbohydrate	41.1 grams
- Dietary Fiber	4.5 grams
Protein	6.9 grams

Ingredients and Price List

Food	Amount Used	Unit Cost (SGD)	Cost Per Use (SGD)
Calbee Frugra Original Fruit & Granola	50g	$9.85 for 750g (I purchased from Japan Home store in Singapore)	$0.66
Meiji Fresh Milk	100ml	$3.95 for 800ml (I purchased from FairPrice grocery store in Singapore)	$0.49
	TOTAL:	$13.80	$1.15

I know, it's funny writing this as a post under the category of "recipe". It's not a recipe; it's just cereal. But I eat cereal quite often, especially this Calbee Original Fruits & Granola brand paired with Meiji fresh milk, and I wondered about the calorie count and nutritional content of this classic morning bowl, so I decided to record it in a blog post.

People always say that cereal is a healthy breakfast option, but just how healthy is it? Cereal is made from processed grains and often advertised as packed with vitamins and minerals. However, cereals, especially those targeted towards children, are often loaded with added sugar, and excess consumption of added sugars can be harmful to health. In fact, Healthline even suggests trying to "choose a breakfast cereal with under 5 grams of added sugar per serving", which I find absurd because it sounds impossible.

In fact, I did a quick search and literally found all my favourite cereal brands to contain at least 10g of sugar per serving. Alright, the thing is, not all sugars are added sugar, however nutrition fact labels do not indicate whether the sugars are added or natural. Anyway, look below for a nutritional facts list, where I assumed the serving size to be 50g:

Cereal Brand	Calories	Carbohydrate	Fat	Protein	Key Ingredients	Unit Cost (SGD)	Cost Per Use (SGD)
Kellogg's Frosties	192.5kcal	44.55g (Sugars: 15.0g, Dietary Fibre: 1.0g)	0.5g	2.5g	Non-multigrain cereal, only corn	$4.50 for 175g (FairPrice)	$1.29
Nestle Koko Krunch	185.5kcal	38.85g (Sugars: 14.9g, Dietary Fibre: 3.1g)	1.6g	3.9g	Non-multigrain cereal, mainly wheat and corn Cocoa powder	$6.46 for 300g (FairPrice)	$1.08
Amazin Graze Hazelnut Blackforest Granola	230kcal	35.3g (Sugars: 10.0g, Dietary Fibre: 5.0g)	7.5g	5.0g	Non-multigrain cereal, mainly oats and buckwheat Dried fruits (black raisins, cranberries, cherries) Almonds Hazelnuts Chia seeds Cocoa powder Honey Coconut sugar	$9.99 for 250g (Amazin Graze)	$2.00
Kellogg's Dark Chocolate Granola	214.5kcal	35.75g (Sugars: 15.0g, Dietary Fibre: 3.0g)	7.5g	4.0g	Multigrain cereals (oats, wheat, rice, barley, corn) Dried fruits (raspberries, strawberries, cherries) Cocoa powder Dark chocolate chips	$10.50 for 350g (FairPrice)	$1.50
Calbee Frugra Original Fruit & Granola	220kcal	36.1g (Sugars: 31.6g, Dietary Fibre: 4.5g)	7.7g	3.9g	Multigrain cereals (oats, rye, wheat, wheat bran, rice, brown rice, corn) Dried fruits (papaya, raisins, apples, strawberries) Coconut Pumpkin seeds	$9.85 for 750g (Japan Home)	$0.66

I do notice the amount of sugar content in Calbee Frugra Original Fruit & Granola is ridiculously high compared to the other cereal brands. However, it also contains a greater variety of multigrain cereals, dried fruits, nuts, and seeds. Naturally, the combined health benefits of all these ingredients, including their dietary fibre, vitamins, and minerals content, are higher. Again, we can't be sure whether the "sugar" stated includes added sugar or natural sugar - but with the variety of fruits, I don't think it's far-fetched to say that some, if not most, of the sugars are natural from the fruits.

No, this is not a sponsored post by Calbee (but hey,Calbee, feel free to reach out!). It's just my go-to cereal brand. Calbee was recommended to me by my good friend years ago, and it has also become my favourite.

Besides, it's the most value-for-money cereal brand there is compared to the others - one simply can't overlook that. Here's a quick tip: Do not purchase it from FairPrice, as it's usually cheaper in Japan Home or Don Don Donki. In fact, I purchased this at $9.85 from Japan Home, while I saw FairPrice selling it at $14.16 the other day. And, look out for sales at Japan Home too - I saw it was selling at $7.50 at Japan Home Westgate two weeks ago.

By the way, I use Fitbit to track my calories. If you wish to track your calorie and macronutrient intake, it's free to create a Fitbit account to record your calorie consumption! If you want to add the two foods in this post to your Fitbit Food Plan, I have created them on Fitbit. Simply click on the links below to Log to your Food Plan:

Calbee Furugra Cereal - Calories in Calbee Furugra Cereal - Nutritional Information and Diet Info (fitbit.com)

Meiji Fresh Milk - Calories in Meiji Fresh Milk - Nutritional Information and Diet Info (fitbit.com)

Of course, calorie tracking would be even more beneficial if you track calorie output in addition to calorie intake, but that usually requires you to have a smartwatch. But no worries, tracking calorie intake is good enough to be mindful of what you eat.

That's all for this post - don't skip your breakfast! (I'm trying not to skip mine!)