I’ve written about this a million times {okay, maybe 100,000 times}, but people seem to be moving toward more and more heath-centered food choices. Cereal, our once beloved breakfast staple, is one of the top categories on the chopping block. It turns out over-priced boxes of sugar just aren’t doing it for peeps anymore.
According to Treehugger, cereal “sales declined from $13.9 billion in 2000 to $10 billion in 2015.” Granted, those are still HUGE numbers, but a nearly $4 billion dollar loss in the course of 15 years is saying something profound, if you ask me.
The Treehugger article suggested price, health-profile and packaging might have something to do with the declining numbers. I agree. Maybe I am biased, because most of the peeps I hear from all day {that would be YOU}, are moving steadily away from the couponing craze and more into the whole grow-your-own-eat-local-make-it-from-scratch arena.
Cereal rarely graces our cupboards these days. It has become the convenience food I buy when I go on vacation– leaving two kitchen-clueless gents to fend for themselves.
Do you buy as much cereal as you used to? If not, what do you have for breakfast instead?
~Mavis
Need some non-commercial cereal ideas? I’ve got you covered, I have an entire BREAKFAST category in my recipe index.
nancy from mass says
it’s funny, about 2 months ago the same findings were published but they stated that Millennials didn’t like eating cereal because it was too much work to clean out the bowl/spoon after and that they preferred ‘hand-held’ type breakfast foods instead (bars, etc.) It also stated that it’s really only the older folks that are buying cereal since that is what we grew up on.
I hardly ever buy cereal. if i eat it for breakfast, i am hungry within 1/2 hour. I also can’t stand all the sweet cereals (really, cookies for breakfast?) I prefer Corn Flakes, Cheerios or Chex or my homemade granola. my guys do not each cereal often either, (other than my homemade granola)
Lynne says
Cereal is becoming less & less visible on our pantry shelf. Prefer hot cereal (oats, cream of wheat, etc), eggs, and homemade granola. Mind you, the occasional Marshmallow Mateys bag (Lucky Charms equivalent) MAY find its way into the house…sigh… ;-)… and my HH likes his Grape Nuts, but otherwise, meh…like the previous commentor said, I get hungry again within a few hours if I do have cereal.
lynneinMN
Laura says
I’m not a big cold cereal eater. As long as I get coffee in the morning, I am fine with a little fruit or a slice of toast and peanut butter. If I want something more substantial I’d rather have a bowl of oatmeal or some eggs. Eating sugary stuff first thing in the morning makes me tired quickly and hungry all day.
Jfred says
I buy maybe 5-6 boxes of cereal a year. Maybe. We like eating vanilla yogurt with bananas and cheerios. And every 6 months or so, I might buy honeycombs, lol, cause yum.
BUT, we ALL are hungry within an hour and a half after having cereal for breakfast. It doesn’t stick to our bones. I prefer a cinnamon raisin bagel, toasted and slathered with butter, along with coffee (w milk, half n half, and honey). Dh slices a tomato or avocado, and tops it with 2 fried eggs, and sometimes ham or bacon or leftover meat from dinner the night prior. Kids make french toast, pancakes, oatmeal, cream of wheat, eggs, egg+cheese wraps, peanut butter toast with fruit, etc, OR they eat leftovers from dinner the night prior. I try to keep the leftovers for lunches….but the kids are usually up and going before me, and they love leftovers, lol.
I used to buy tons of cereal when I couponed, cause at .50/box or less, it was a deal. But the kids were always hungry after. And it stopped seeming worth it. Also, now, my eyes bug out when a box of cereal costs more than a steak! What?
….that said, I just bought THREE BOXES of cereal, cause we’re going on vacation, and I wanted something easy, lol. Kids requested cheerios/bananas/yogurt, and I was SHOPPING WHILE HUNGRY and life cereal and a kashi cereal just looked yummy. Hahhaa.
Angela D. says
We no longer buy cereal due to the high sugar and carbs in most brands. We used to eat cereal when we were too busy/lazy to make a proper meal. What we have realized is that we are more content when we have a bit of protein at each meal, which is something the dietician and nutritionist recommended for keeping blood sugars level. And I agree with nancy’s claim of feeling hungry 1/2 hour later… These days, cereal is more like a treat for us, like having a cookie. It’s not meant to be a meal. Plus, 4 boxes of cereal on each shopping receipt adds up– no more! Instead, we eat other breakfast-type foods, or even last night’s leftovers.
Heather says
I always thought the advertising was slanted towards the nutrition it could provide. All the cereals were “fortified” with vitamins, etc.
I buy cereal to make Chex mix or rice krispie treats. It is usually for someone’s birthday or Christmas treats.
Alison R says
I like salad for breakfast, a turkey sandwich or egg with toast and avocado. Carries me through the long morning far better!
Lace Faerie says
I prefer hot cereal over cold sugar laden cereal. I make steel cut oats in my rice cooker. I also like the sprouted rice and quinoa mix from Costco. A little milk and a drizzle of real maple syrup and I’ve got a breakfast that stays with me well into the afternoon.
Julia says
I make eggs, oatmeal, cream of wheat, grits, peanut butter toast… My son likes cereal but there are very few I will but due to how much sugar is in them. So we don’t do cereal that often. We do eat Lucky Charms on St Patrick’s Day!
Pamela says
I love cold cereal. Always have always will. But as I have gotten older I mix my types. I put a healthy unsweetened type (cheerios, mini wheats, bran, etc.) in the bottom of the bowl (over half) and top with a more sweetened kind. Sometimes mixing up to 3 kind in the bowl. I work very odd hours so this often makes a nice “dinner” when I get home at night.
Hawaii Planner says
I don’t think I’ve purchased cereal in 10 years. We have it at work (provided by my employer) & I think I’ve had shredded wheat a handful of times when the Greek yogurt wasn’t available. Generally, it doesn’t feel me up & leaves me hungry right after. I will sometimes have granola (homemade, or the kind from work) over yogurt.
Tejas Prairie Hen says
We are trying to lose weight, so are skipping breakfast most days. When we do eat breakfast, it is definitely not anything sweet. That is what’s making people hungry after a high-sugar breakfast. I nibble plain, dry Cheerios for an afternoon snack. And for dessert each night, we eat a bowl of shredded wheat or bran flakes and milk in the warm months, and hot oatmeal in the cooler months. Very satisfying, and helps us stay on our diet.
Daddio7 says
I am one of those old people who still buys cereal, usually frosted shredded wheat alternated with a flake cereal like Total or Special K. Usually I eat a bowl between my two cups of coffee (heavy on the cream and sugar). My wife usually heats up some left overs unless I bought my other favorite, brown sugar frosted pop tarts.
Cheri says
I have always loved cereal but have moved away from it because of better awareness of its typical nutrition profile—mainly how much sugar it often contains. When I learned that 4g of sugar means about 1 tsp, I was able to understand just how much sugar I was consuming and didn’t want that. I also don’t feel good after eating cereal, even healthy cereal. Maybe a new food intolerance. I do still buy it for my kids–usually fun stuff from Trader Joe’s that they have to make last a couple of weeks– but I don’t eat it much.
Julie C says
I probably buy more now with just 2 kids at home, vs when they were little and all 3 were at home. My 17yo football-playing, weight-lifting son eats a HUGE bowl of cereal *before* breakfast and *before* dinner. Feeding him is practically a full-time job, lol. It may not be the healthiest choice, but it fills the need of something quick & easy and with the whole milk, it’s pretty filling. In the mornings, it holds him until he gets to school and eats breakfast there. In the evenings, it holds him from the time he walks in the door until dinner is done. The rest of us eat it at times, but I mostly eat smoothies or toast or oatmeal, my daughter either eats a bagel or whatever they’re serving at school.
Carrie says
I buy 2 boxes of cereal a month for my husband who eats a bowl for a snack (he has a high metabolism and can barely stay over 140 lbs!). I will eat it 2-3 times a month as a quick dinner. I always eat 2 eggs for breakfast (I raise chickens) and add some bacon or sausage on the weekends and maybe a piece of whole wheat toast.
I buy raisin bran or shredded wheat. My grandfather always ate Cracklin’ Oat Bran with a banana and I will have a craving for that from time to time.
We are 29 and 33 years old if that matters to anyone. 🙂
kcmama says
I don’t buy much cereal anymore, either. Prices have gone up as boxes have gotten smaller, you are hungry shortly after… just not worth it. When your kids notice that they are starving at school looooong before lunch time on a day they had cereal for breakfast and so no longer want to eat it either…… well, that makes it even easier to skip over when grocery shopping! I occasionally buy Rice Krispies for making the famous treats, or Honey Nut Cheerios for a summer or weekend breakfast, and then the Chex varieties during the holiday season for all of the mixes. So many other more filling and pocket book friendly options it seems so why buy the stuff?
Jenny Young says
I rarely buy cereal anymore because I’m in the empty nest. I mainly bought it for a fast easy breakfast for my family.
My husband has juvenile diabetes & has never really eaten cereals because of the high carb & sugar counts. We eat eggs for breakfast. I eat baked eggs he eats scrambled or boiled. I sometimes eat home made grits with mine, usually a little meat & almost always a sliced avocado.
JoAnn Moran says
I like steel cut oats and on occassion some bran flakes.