A breakfast cereal that appears healthy on the supermarket shelves based on its nutritional label does not guarantee it is free of environmental toxins, according to a new study.
According to the Clean Label report, rice-based cereals like Rice Krispies, Chex Rice, 365 Brown Rice Crisps, and some puffed rice options were found to contain nearly 12 times the arsenic found in cereals made from other grains.
“We recognize that cereal remains a convenient and affordable choice for families,” study officials said in the report. “However, as a category, cereal still has work to do to deliver the nutrient density found in simple, minimally processed alternatives like eggs.”
The study further determined that cereals containing cocoa, chocolate, or cacao like Cocoa Puffs, Cocoa Krispies, Magic Spoon Cocoa, and Catalina Crunch Chocolate Peanut Butter generally had more than twice as much lead as those without cocoa or chocolate and that 12 out of 13 containing chocolate had detectable lead.
For example, Arrowhead Mills’ Puffed Kamut, Lovebird’s Cinnamon O’s, Love Grown’s Power O’s Original, and Three Wishes’ Cinnamon, which made the Back-to-School Honor Roll based on low levels of contaminants, lower added sugars, no artificial additives, and higher relative levels of fiber, protein, or healthy fats.
Nearly all of the cereals tested contained detectable levels of acrylamide.
Arsenic is a poison, while acrylamide is a chemical formed during high-heat processing that is classified as a probable human carcinogen in high doses, according to EBSCO Information Services.
“The encouraging news is that levels weren’t the same across products,” the study states. “Some cereals contained considerably less than others. In fact, some cereals contained 21 times more acrylamide than others, showing that lower levels are achievable.”
Wheat and oat cereals contained 2.5 times more acrylamide per serving than rice or corn options.
When browsing the cereal aisle, Clean Label Project leaders suggest a few rules of thumb to minimize toxin intake without sacrificing nutrition.
They include limiting daily consumption of chocolate-flavored cereals because cacao naturally concentrates lead.
Second, diversify away from pure rice and instead alternate between rice-based cereals and whole oats, corn, and grain-free options in order to keep inorganic arsenic ingestion low.
Finally, look for certified products and check for third-party certifications, such as the Clean Label Project Purity Award or pesticide-free labels on packaging that indicate batch testing.
