When it comes to eating healthy, it would seem as though the standard whole grains, fruits, and veggies just won’t cut it anymore. Everything from yogurts to crackers have added antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, mineral- You name it, you’ll find it in there. Unfortunately, much of these “enhancements” are merely gimmicks, enticing consumers to buy otherwise nutritionally questionable foods. Just think of Coke Plus, which is purely chemicals and water, but wait! It’s good for you because it has vitamins, right?
So it’s with great reluctance that I pick up such items off the shelves. While I’d love to believe that such additions really do improve the quality of the foods and offer substantial health benefits, it’s even rarer that you can find such a product that doesn’t suffer in the taste department as a result. Taking a chance on Nutritious Living cereals, I was thrilled to discover that it was in fact possible to get the best of both worlds.
Antioxidant Indulgence, a medley of dark brown cereal flakes, freeze-dried strawberries, and whole goji berries, it certainly sounded promising. Right out of the box, it smelled sweet and chocolaty; enticing for someone who prefers sweeter cereals like me. Providing a serious crunch, the thick, sturdy flakes delivered a surprisingly good chocolate flavor, not the least bit artificial or overwhelming like so many other “chocolate” cereals. Alternating between bites of chewy, tart goji berries, the light, crisp strawberries, and these fantastic flakes, this cereal really does have everything I could ask for in a breakfast or snack. Sweet yet hearty and satisfying, with a wholesome wheat flavor supporting it all, I would recommend it to absolutely anyone who eats cereal!
For those looking for a purely nutritious, no-frills option, the Omega-3 Harmony may just be the cereal for you. Although it smelled strangely of pumpkin at first, the similarly thick but less sweet flakes are very simple wheat and flax seed creations. That filling cereal base became monotonous and forgettable as I worked my way to the bottom of the bowl, but mix-ins are what this variety is all about. Whole walnuts add another dimension to the crunchy bite, and plump, plentiful cranberries that are as big as ripe grapes are scattered throughout adding tart bursts of flavor. It may not be something to write home about, but if you’re looking for a solid breakfast that won’t leave you dragging mid morning, this one will keep you well-nourished and satisfied.
With an eye on both health and palate, these are two cereals that should be pantry staples for anyone else trying to eat well while being mindful of their well being.
[Written for Go Dairy Free]
Thank you for this review! I could eat cereal all day everyday so I’m always looking for new ones. That first one sounds SO good!
I LOVE CEREAL! I have definitely been in a cereal rut lately though, so I will definitely have to check these out.
Your first photograph is AMAZING! I love the milk drip.
Ditto Nicole, the first photograph is just beautiful (who’d have thought a photo of cereal and milk could be that pretty?).
Nice!! Just wish it was gluten-free :-(
oo I agree, it is a gorgeously represented picture! Now I only wish my cereal would look like that when I ate it in the morning hahaha
Mmm I love that stuff. -And to second (third and fourth) what everyone has been saying, beautiful photos.
Coke Plus. LOL
MMM I’m also a cereal fanatic, and that kind looks lovely! I can’t wait to find it… I’m definatly not for the typical “puffed corn/rice/wheat covored in sugar and artifical chemicals/flavorings”, even thogh many vegan cereals fit this, I prefer more whole brands. Sadly to say, these often qualify as really dense and cruchy, over/under sweetend or unfortified. But this stuff looks great… and the phots are indeed so professional! Do you have a really special camera or a photobooth? =0
i love cereal. that looks so delicious. goji berries have made it into my diet lately. i used to hate them and i wondered how people could even stomach them. i love chocolate covered ones. they sell them at whole foods. they are delectable- kind of remind me of the chocolate covered raisins you get at the movies.
How can you call a cereal with 19g of sugar in one serving “healthy?”
Everyone’s better off eating oatmeal.
My family seriously lives off of cereal. We have at least 10 boxes at any given time. My Dad has been known to eat a 1/2 box serving. Love the post, and I’ll have to check those out, thanks!
I love cereal which is not so sweet this looks good. your photos are amazing
right you are, hannah, they’re are a lot of suspicious and often faulty nutritional claims on packaged foods. “enriched foods” are usually crap because it’s a lab-made version (instead of a whole foods version) of said nutrient and it’s not absorbed and used by your body in the same wonderful way that a whole food would be.
if anyone’s looking for something thorough, to help them make better choices in the store, The Staying Healthy Shopper’s Guide by Elson Haas MD might be one to pick up.
I just love freeze dried strawberries, and every time I buy cereals that include them, I end up eating just the strawberries before the cereal!I never thought that strawberries and goji berries would be a good match, but this made me wonder…It just sounds so good.
how can you not fall in love with cereal with pictures like these? delish!!
cereal should be named a food group
Yum! I hope this cereal appears in my town soon.
Hannah,
Your photos just get more and more amazing! Love the layers of bran and strawberry on the spoon, with the milk dripping off… Somehow looks better than most cereal box covers, when it’s obvious that everything is mired in Elmer’s glue or something!
Not to mention how yummy all your desserts look. My belly is growling!
Oh, this post.
I came back to it today to find out the brand of this cereal, because it sounds SO GOOD and I’ve been itching for cereal, and to my dismay it doesn’t appear to be sold in Baltimore. No one seems to have it! I would really love to try it but I can’t even find it online for purchase.
Sigh. More good-for-me things I can’t find.