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Your Bowl of Cereal May Have 700 Calories!

Ever notice that in TV commercials for whole grain, healthy cereals, the bowls are practically the size of a watermelon? When you pour yourself a bowl of cereal, do you just randomly dump the box's contents into a big, roomy bowl, without actually measuring the amount?

The typical "serving size" on a cereal box label is one-half cup to one cup. Many cereals list three-fourths cup as the serving size. The corresponding calorie amount ranges from about 100 to 160. Many consumers look only at the caloric value, ignoring "serving size." How many people have only one-half cup of cereal? This is five small spoonfuls!

You may easily be pouring in three or more cups. Depending on the cereal, you can be eating up to 700 calories, excluding the milk! Pour some cereal into a three-fourths cup container. Then pour this into a bowl. Is this how much cereal you normally eat?

If the caloric value of more realistic serving portions were printed on box labels, people would freak and not buy the cereal. In order to get away with printing a small calorie value, the manufacturer lists the serving size as some ridiculously small mount.

This gimmick also applies to many other food products, such as individually wrapped, whole grain or nut cookies. The serving size may be listed in terms of ounces, with a caloric value of, for example, 180. A consumer glances over the wrapper and sees the 180, thinking this isn't so bad for a big cookie. But the "servings per package" states a value equal to double those ounces! The cookies is actually 360 calories! Who eats only half a cookie, then puts the remainder inside the torn plastic wrapper?

This ploy is also evident with bottles of juice and fruit-flavored drinks. Who guzzles only half the bottle? The serving size may indicate only 80 calories for that not-so-big bottle of bright orange beverage. Look more closely and you will see that the serving size is equivalent to only half the bottle's contents; chug the entire bottle, and that's 180 calories.

Don't just look for caloric value on labels. Read the information for "serving size" and "servings per container." This rule also applies to fat and sodium content. The manufacturers want you to think you're eating fewer calories, so that you will then eat more of the product, and thus purchase more! Don't fall for this trick.

Learn more about this author, Lorra Garrick.
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