General Mills recently announced that they will be removing artificial colors and flavors from their remaining cereals in the coming months, with a goal of all cereals being artificial ingredient free by the end of 2016. According to General Mills, 60% of their cereal products are already free of artificial colors and flavors. Trix, Lucky Charms, and Reeses Puffs are among those slated to change in the next year or so.
As I have said many times on this blog, I am a big believer in making small changes for the better. But this announcement definitely makes me chuckle. Are there people out there who think that this change will make Trix or Lucky Charms a healthy choice?
I will admit, I am not on the no food dye band wagon that many people are on. Theoretically, we should be consuming minimal amounts of these items anyway if we are sticking to a healthy eating plan. Fresh fruits and vegetables, low fat dairy, low fat meats, whole grain products should be the basis of our diets and most of these won’t have many added dyes or flavors.
If the cereal companies really wanted to make a meaningful change, what if they reduced the sugar content of all their cereals by at least 25%? Or made it a standard that all of their cereals are made with 100% whole grains? Those are nutritionally meaningful changes, but they aren’t as popular right now, unfortunately.
Happy eating!
Have any nutrition questions? Need help with meal planning or a special dietary need? Send your questions to me at kimberlykmarsh(at)gmail(dot)com, and I will answer them in upcoming posts!
That is good news for sure.
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