Whole Grain First {General Mills Cereal Review + Giveaway}

This year, I have made it my mission to get my body back into shape.  My daughter will be FOUR this September, and I have been carrying around these extra pounds for long enough.  In addition to being more diligent about exercising regularly, I am also trying to do what I can to eat better.

I know that I am not alone.  Ringing in the new year also means a host of new eating habits for many people.  Did you know that the Dietary Guidelines recommend choosing products with whole grain listed as the first ingredient?  The thing is, it can often be difficult to identify those items that have more whole grain than any other ingredient.


Thanks to a new initiative from General Mills, it is now easy to identify which of their cereals contains whole grain as the first ingredient-- meaning, the cereal has more whole grain than any other ingredient.  All you have to do is keep your eyes open for that handy white check mark.  That check mark will let you know that whole grain is first.

Let me say that just because these cereals contain whole grain first does not mean you're going to experience a bland flavor that can sometimes be associated with eating whole grains.  In my opinion, these cereals are tasty and delicious!  Everyone in my family has been able to find a General Mills cereal they love that contains whole grain as the first ingredient.

Dr. Travis Stork has put together a handy little tip sheet that can help you learn how to identify how much whole grain is in other products at your grocery store:


Dr. Stork has some additional recommendations to help you include whole grain easily into your diet. They include:

• Start Early! The Dietary Guidelines recommend people get at least 48 grams of whole grain in their daily diets. Get a jump-start on the day´s nutrition by incorporating whole grain into your morning routine. For instance, when choosing cereal make sure whole grain is listed as the first ingredient. One easy choice is cereal with the white check, which have more whole grain than any other single ingredient.

• Make Simple Swaps. Choose whole grain versions of the foods you love. Great options include whole wheat pasta and whole wheat bread or even whole grain crackers. Also, try different types of whole grain. Use brown rice instead of white rice as a side dish at dinner or popcorn, which is a whole grain, for a snack.

• Don´t Judge a Food by Its Cover. The front of food packages provide good nutritional cues, but don´t forget to read the ingredients and check the nutrition label and side labels for additional health information. Cereals with the white check even include the amount of whole grain per serving on packaging.

To help with choosing products with whole grain, General Mills developed "Fast Lane for Whole Grain," an online educational game. Consumers can navigate virtual grocery store aisles and identify products that have whole grain as the first ingredient, with the option to enter a sweepstakes to win one of each of the 50 cereals with the white check. Make a commitment to add more whole grain to your diet by simply pouring a bowl of cereal with the white check including Cheerios^®, Lucky Charms^®, Cinnamon Toast Crunch^®, Honey Nut Cheerios^® and Total^®.

After playing the game at Whole Grain Nation, make sure and enter for your chance to win a package containing all of the Big G cereals from General Mills.

How would you like to try these cereals for yourself?  Thanks to MyBlogSpark and General Mills, one lucky reader is going to win a General Mills Cereal Prize pack, containing 5 boxes on General Mills Cereal with the white check.




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