Cheers to Snap, Crackle and Pop

When it comes to discovering “new” foods, I have this habit of doing things to death – you know, eating the item every single day, telling everyone how much I love it, etc.  Then I will typically buy a case of it and get ¾ of the way through before getting sick of it.

Right now, I am totally on a cereal kick.  Normally these “kicks” are way more specific than that, but right now, any cereal will do.  I mean, I have always liked cereal, but there are only certain ones that I can eat for breakfast that keep me feeling full until morning coffee break – typically the ones that are bulky and high in fibre, but low calorie so you can eat a great big bowl – and these were the only cereals I would buy.

But then one day I had a wicked sugar craving during a taper, and I didn’t want to totally throw the towel in, nutritionally speaking.  So I bought a box of a sugary cereal I would never eat for breakfast.  The benefit? You can eat as many sugar-coated super fruity puffs as Skittles for about half the calories – and the bonus is that I get bored of eating them long before I get bored of Skittles.  That’s a good thing because I actually stop eating when the sugar craving has been satisfied, as opposed to candy where I will eat the whole bag even if it makes me sick.  Not only that, the sugar puffs at least have some nutrients in them, compared to the candy.

Since then, cereal has spilled into all areas of my life.  Granola bar at coffee break?  No thanks, I’ll take a yogurt with some granola cereal on top.  Cookies at the 3 o’clock crash?  Nah, I’ll just have a handful of Mini-Wheats.  Chips while watching TV in the evening?  I’ll swap in a bowl of something with flakes and top it with strawberries.

Okay, sure you still have to watch the portion sizes, but bite for bite, I am finding cereals that are way better for me than some of the other crap that’s available, and they still provide a satisfying crunch.  And, with so many different kinds to choose from, it’s unlikely that I will ever be stuck with a case of any one kind when I finally lose my enthusiasm.

I am always looking for new kicks – what are your favourite cereals?