In a large study of children and their breakfast habits, those who ate cereal in the morning were the ones with the healthiest diets. However, the kids who skipped breakfast had the largest waistlines. They also got more of their energy from added sugars, and the least from protein, not to mention less fiber and nutrients.
While some cereals were high in sugar, the study’s co-author Carol O’Neil of Louisiana State University pointed out that the positives for children outweigh the negatives.
“Many are high in nutrients, vitamin fortified, made with whole grains, with fiber added,” said O’Neil.
However, it’s not a free pass to optimum health. Fifteen percent of cereal eaters are still obese. But that’s actually good compared to the breakfast skippers, which had 22 percent of kids who were obese. All other breakfast eater types were just under 20 percent obese.