Can Diabetics Eat Cheerios?

Dr Jedha, Host

Hello wonderful people, Dr Jedha here and thanks for joining me today for episode 28, which like all our episodes is jam-packed with valuable information to help you make more informed decisions about your health. 

Back in episode 19 we talked about breakfast, including types of breakfast foods to avoid, ones to include in abundance and we also shared lots of delicious breakfast ideas. So when it comes to breakfast, cereals are a big deal and we often get questions about Cheerios. In many parts of the world, Cheerios are a common breakfast staple, so I want to dive deep into everything Cheerios today, because there happens to be a lot of mixed opinions over this food. 

Here on Type 2 Diabetes Talk, one of our key values is ‘Evidence Over Opinion,’ so in our usual fashion, you’re not going to hear the same old regurgitated information you might see everywhere out there on the wild west web. We’ll delve into Cheerios in a way that reveals the true facts versus the fiction. And exploring this food is also a great way to demonstrate the power of big food companies, and some of the ways they can lead and manipulate us as consumers of their products. Plus, we’ll cover a concerning new finding regarding a new pesticide found in oat-based products like Cheerios. 

The most important thing I hope you take away from today is that when it comes to packaged foods, you can recognize that not everything is what it seems so you can make better choices for yourself and for your health. 

Clearly, understanding how foods influence your blood sugar is crucial, so let’s dive into the nutritional content of Cheerios, the health claims and ingredients, their impact on blood sugar levels, and whether Cheerios can be part of your meal planning.

Let’s start with the nutritional overview of Cheerios. 

There are various flavors and varieties, so let’s first focus on the original Cheerios variety.

For a one cup serving of Original Cheerios, we’re looking at:

• Calories: 94
• Total Fat: 1.7g
• Carbohydrates: 19.3g
• Fiber: 2.6g
• Net Carbs: 16.7g
• Protein: 3.3g

Cheerios are low in fat and low in protein. Cheerios are pretty much all carbs, with 19.3g total carbs. As we’ve talked about in previous episodes, carbohydrates are the main nutrient that influences blood sugar levels, so that’s certainly something to keep in mind, and we’ll come back to this later.  

Majority of those carbs come from the primary ingredient, whole grain oats. Other ingredients include Corn Starch, Sugar, Salt, and Tripotassium Phosphate, which is a food additive. Original Cheerios are low in added sugar, 1g. And many people with diabetes look at that and think, okay these don’t have much sugar and they have whole grains so that must be a good thing. But the thing is, all the carbs in Original Cheerios, whole grain or not, convert to glucose once they are digested. And what that means is your body and blood sugar has to deal with the 19.3g carbs in one cup of Original Cheerios. 

When we look at other varieties of Cheerios, the carb count only increases. For example, Honey Nut Cheerios are one of the most eaten varieties. They contain 30g of carbs for a one cup serve, which is a lot of carbs. Honey Nut Cheerios have not only carbs, but are high in added sugar, with 12g sugar coming from ingredients like Sugar, Honey, and Brown Sugar Syrup. 

The Cheerios varieties vary in carb content from 19.3g all the way up to a whopping 43g per serve!

Original Cheerios are lowest in carbs at 19.3g per cup. Cinnamon Cheerios 22g, Multi-Grain 24g, Chocolate Peanut Butter 26g, Chocolate and Blueberry Flavors contain 29g carbs, Honey Nut, Frosted and Apple Cinnamon flavors are all 30g, the Honey Nut Medley is a whopping 39g carbs per cup and the top of the carb count is the Cheerios Oat Crunch with 43g carbs per one cup serve. 

We’ll post a table of all the different Cheerios varieties, so you can head down to our website to check those out. 

The key point here is that all of these Cheerios varieties are very high in carbohydrates. The reality is, most people simply are not going to find Cheerios a blood sugar friendly option. 

Before we look closer at some other ingredients in Cheerios, let’s chat about the health claims that food companies use to attract us as consumers. 

We’ve all seen the Cheerios box health claims, which state: 

“Can help lower cholesterol as part of a heart healthy diet.”

Many flavors display this health claim, including Original, Strawberry Banana, Very Berry, Honey Nut, Frosted, Cinnamon, Blueberry, Chocolate, and Apple Cinnamon.

Now, let’s make one point entirely clear, there isn’t any actual scientific evidence to suggest Cheerios themselves are beneficial for health. There are no randomized controlled trials showing Cheerios benefit health. In fact, there is zero scientific evidence on Cheerios, zero. 

To support their health claim, the only statement on their website is this:

“Cheerios has soluble fiber from whole grain oats, which can help lower cholesterol *as part of a heart-healthy diet. Three grams of soluble fiber daily from whole grain oat foods in a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease. Cheerios Original provides 1.5 grams per serving and specially marked Cheerios varieties provide .75 grams per serving.”

So that’s it. Because Cheerios contain soluble fiber, an amount in the range of 0.75 to 1.5g, they can help lower cholesterol, or so we’re told. Really, this is highly questionable. 

So let’s delve deeper into research about this to try to get a clearer picture. 

The claim that soluble fiber from whole grain oats can help lower cholesterol and potentially reduce the risk of heart disease stems from the understanding of how beta-glucan, the type of soluble fiber found in oats, functions within the body. In studies, beta-glucan has been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol, often referred to as “bad” cholesterol, which can be a risk factor for heart disease. Studies have shown daily doses of at least 3 g may help reduce LDL cholesterol by 5-7%. In 1997, the FDA approved a health claim for beta-glucan soluble fiber from oats for reducing cholesterol levels and risk of heart disease, and many other places around the globe followed to authorize the health claim. Foods that hold this claim have to provide at least .75 grams per serving.

But let’s just put this in perspective, on average, rolled oats contain about 2 to 3 grams of beta-glucan for 1/2 cup dry quantity. So you’d need to eat between 1/2 – 3/4 cup dry oats ) to get at least 3g beta-glucan. Half a cup of oats also contains around 27g of carbs, 4g total fiber, so 23g net carbs. While the fiber may be beneficial, all the carbs in oats convert to glucose once they are digested and can raise blood sugar. While we’re told oats are a healthy food, many people with type 2 or prediabetes can’t tolerate them due to their high carb content. 

In terms of beta-glucan, the point is you’d have to eat quite a large serving of oats themselves in order to get the benefits of the beta-glucan. And eating whole oats in their original form is the best way to ensure the maximum amount of beta-glucan is consumed. Because the thing is, research shows that many factors can affect beta-glucan in foods – say, processed foods for example. This includes methods of cooking, processing and storage, these things can all affect the molecular weight and solubility of beta-glucan and therefore its effectiveness. 

Coming back to Cheerios, as we established earlier, there is no specific research on Cheerios and cholesterol. It is simply a reliance on the previous studies on oats and beta-glucan and yes, the main ingredient in Cheerios is whole grain oats. But, Cheerios, while made from whole grain oats, which are a source of beta-glucan, do not contain as much beta-glucan per serving as whole oats. To reach an intake of at least 3 grams of beta-glucan per day, as recommended for cholesterol-lowering benefits, one would likely need to consume a much greater volume of Cheerios compared to eating whole or rolled oats. And this is also going to increase the amount of carbs you eat too. 

All of this to say, that while there is research on soluble fiber in oats and the FDA has authorized health claims of certain food products that meet certain criteria, it often needs to be taken with a grain of salt, put into perspective, especially when it comes to processed foods. 

What about all the carbs and sugar in Cheerios, how are those going to affect people’s health? Too many carbohydrates can actually raise cholesterol levels and many people who have high cholesterol probably don’t know that, so potentially eating Cheerios could lead to worse health for people – that is a possibility. Without scientific evidence for Cheerios specifically, it is a lofty statement. 

When it comes to fiber, and particularly soluble fiber, there are many other foods that provide it and foods that have much higher nutritional value. 

Chia seeds have 4g soluble fiber per tablespoon. A quarter cup of black beans provides 2.7g soluble fiber. Quarter cup of lentils, 1.7g. Half a cup of Broccoli has 1.5g soluble fiber, half a cup of Brussels sprouts and half an avocado both contain 2g of soluble fiber. Fruits and vegetables provide soluble fiber. Nuts and seeds provide soluble fiber. There are lots of foods that are not super high in carbs that can provide soluble fiber, and higher amounts of insoluble fiber too!

And guess what, all of those foods will not influence blood sugar levels with the same impact as Cheerios is likely to have because they have lower amounts of carbohydrates. Those foods are also much better for you overall – the fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds – they are nutrient dense foods that provide you with many health benefits – that you can be sure of. 

Another health claim on Multi-Grain Cheerios is: “100% daily value of 9 vitamins and minerals.”

All boxed varieties of Cheerios also contain an array of Vitamins and Minerals because like most cereals, they are low in quality nutrients themselves, so they need to be added back in to provide any real nutritional quality. Original Cheerios contain Calcium Carbonate, Iron and Zinc, Vitamin C, niacin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, folic acid, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin D3.

Okay, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, that they include vitamins and minerals. But eating all those foods we talked about earlier, the fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds – you’re going to get all the natural vitamins and minerals these foods provide, which overall, are more bioavailable to your body than synthetic vitamins and minerals.  

What you need to be aware of is that many breakfast cereals make bold health claims, but in general, they are all high in carbohydrates, many are also high in sugar, and they are low in nutritional quality. Because of their high carb content, breakfast cereals aren’t really a great breakfast food, for anyone, but particularly so with diabetes. 

We talked about breakfast in episode 19 and how important it was to have a protein-rich breakfast. Protein stabilizes blood sugar levels throughout the day, satisfies our appetite and reduces hunger, maintains muscle tissue, supports weight loss and maintenance, supports the body’s hormonal responses and cellular function, and much more. We absolutely need a protein rich breakfast, and what this also means is that Cheerios are a poor example of a quality breakfast, with only about 3g protein on average. 

If you really must eat Cheerios, certainly choose the Original ones, because they are the lowest in carbs and sugar. And you might limit your portion size to 1/2 cup, which would bring the carb count down to about 9.6g. Add a Tbsp chia seeds for extra fiber, protein and omega 3 fats. Add a Tbsp slivered almonds, 4 fresh strawberries sliced, 1.4 cup high protein Greek yogurt and 1.4 cup unsweetened almond milk. If you do that you’ll have a much more beneficial, higher nutrition breakfast. So this breakfast would be about 350 calories, 25g total carbs, 8 g fiber, so 18g net carbs, which is the available carbohydrate amount when we subtract the fiber that the body doesn’t digest. You’ll have about 21g fats, predominantly from healthy monounsaturated fat 9.5g and omega 3s 1.8g. And instead of a measly 3g protein, which is all Cheerios have to offer, you’ll now be eating around 20g protein, which is much better. There are ways you can improve the quality of the meals you eat and you really want to try to pack as much nutritional value into meals as you can. 

But, there is one other reason you may want to avoid Cheerios and all oat-based products. And I want to give a shout out to Susan for sending over the research I’m about to share – thanks Susan. 

So, oat-based foods, including Cheerios, have been found to use a pesticide called Chlormequat chloride, which is a new chemical plant growth regulator. In Feb 2024, a study found that 77 out of 96 people tested, that’s 4 out of 5 people or 80% of people, had this pesticide present in their urine, which could be linked to health issues. This is the first study to look at exposure to Chlormequat and it has raised concerns because the researchers found the chemical was present in many common cereal foods. In fact, 92% of oat-based products tested contained Chlormequat. Several varieties of Cheerios cereals were tested in the study, and all were found to contain Chlormequat. The study results were especially concerning because the pesticide concentrations appear to be increasing, with the 2023 urine samples having higher levels of pesticides present. At this stage the health impacts are not entirely clear, but toxicology studies in animals have highlighted particular concerns about the developmental and reproductive toxicity related to fertility, pregnancy, early life and during puberty, so it will be interesting to see how this research evolves over time, as researchers monitor this and food products more closely. 

In any case, what you need to be aware of is that processed and packaged foods present us with all sorts of claims on labels, all food products want to promote the benefits of their products to make more sales. The food industry is huge and generates billions of dollars selling us products. When you see things on labels, don’t just take it for face value. Check the ingredients of the food. Is it a short list of ingredients and ingredients you mostly  recognize? Check the nutrition facts panel. How much carbs and sugar does the food item contain? All of the important information – the ingredients and nutrition facts are on the back or side of foods, not on the front where they present us with all the pretty stuff. 

And, the whole pesticide thing, makes us realize that food products can contain unknowns to us. Of course, it’s difficult to avoid all the exposures we have in the modern world, but these are all interesting things to keep in mind, right?

Let me share one key thing I heard Dr Barry Grove say once. He said: Human beings are the only animals smart enough to make their own food; and the only ones dumb enough to eat it.

It is always best to choose nutrient dense whole foods, because most of these foods don’t need food labels – fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh meats, dairy products, fish and seafood, nuts and seeds. These are the types of foods that optimize our health. 

Grab a free copy of our recommended food list at Type2diabetestalk.com/foodlist. 

Do you feel like you’re always going off track, falling off the wagon, struggling to sustain your routine? Tune in to next week’s episode where we’ll dive into diet sustainability. We’ll cover 6 key things to consider, why we might keep getting pulled off track from our healthy routines, and why diet sustainability is so important. 

See you next week. 

Dr Jedha, over and out.