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Happy New Year, cereal fans!

I think it’s part of the universe’s running joke to make our videos have at least some sort of quirk.

Today, the Weetabix video I tried to record for you said it fully recorded, but when I clicked Done it said there was no video. And since I only had one box of Weetabix and the one take was done, I took it as 2012′s sign to move on to the next one, so today you get Cap’n Crunch’s Oops! All Berries instead!!!

Quaker Oats lovingly gives us Cap’n Crunch’s Oops! All Berries, which is just like Cap’n Crunch’s Crunchberries but without the golden biscuits that cut up the roof of your mouth! Oops! All Berries is a bowl of colorful balls — pinkish red, green, blue, and purple — that has a starting sweet taste with a salty ending.

Oops! All Berries is not big on protein or fiber, there’s a lot of sodium per serving, and the carbs in it aren’t the wonderful kind, but it does have some pretty substantial minerals, with a few B vitamins thrown in for good luck. The rest of the nutrition facts are as follows:

This product does not specifically say it contains any allergens, but those sensitive to gluten should be careful of the corn and oat flours which could carry some gluten if processed in a glutenous location, and if you’re hypersensitive to food coloring please take note that there’s a lot of color added via food dye.

I love that Oops! All Berries offers us grown-ups a retro Cap’n Crunch t-shirt and an 80s flashback puzzle. Also, not mentioned during the video, is an ad for their newest Cap’n Crunch flavor, which is on our cereal shelf, so expect to see it soon!

Taste: Yummy sweetness with a salty chaser
Box opening: Not difficult
Bag rippage: A little tough
Bag slippage: Total, and the cereal didn’t even want to come out
Sog factor: Perfect dog
Allergy alert: None listed, but be careful

Cereal Wednesday Bowls:

For more information about Oops! All Berries visit the Cap’n Crunch site!

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Cap’n Crunch Crunch Treasures is a corn based Quaker cereal. It boasts half the sugar of regular Cap’n Crunch while still having comparable nutrition.

Too bad it tastes like a salt lick. Still tears up your mouth like the full sugar variety, but the flavor is so unappealing that I would never eat this again, even on a dare.

The $1.00 / 4 servings box is an attractive economic incentive, but the product itself is too disappointing.

Nutrition facts and ingredients:

It could have high fiber, high protein, and 100% of all the RDA of vitamins and minerals, and I still would not choose to eat this cereal unless I was starving.

Shame on you, Quaker! SHAME ON YOU! Cap’n Crunch doesn’t even list this product on their website, and with good reason

Taste: Tastes like a shaker of salt. YUCK.
Box opening: Easy
Bag rippage: None
Bag slippage: Not glued in
Sog factor: It didn’t sog out terribly, but it was inedible anyway
Allergy alert: Oats for the gluten-freebies

Cereal Wednesday Bowls:

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Quaker Natural Granola Oats & Honey is delicious, plain and simple. It’s granola with almond slivers, a touch of coconut, and a kiss of honey. It’s perfect with a bit of milk (Poppy‘s preference) or a bunch of milk (NYCWD‘s preference). Either way you pour it, it’s flawless in taste.

And the ingredients list isn’t too shabby either:

Low on vitamins and minerals because it’s natural, high on fat because it’s a granola and has nuts in it (so… good fat, if you will), but wonderfully fiber filled and protein packed.

Our only complaint: Uh, the box was closed, but the bag inside was open. … … … Yes, Poppy did file an official complaint with Quaker. We’ll let you know if they ever contact her.

Taste: Delicious granola with a subtle note of coconut
Box opening: Easy
Bag rippage: The bag was already OPEN.
Bag slippage: None
Sog factor: Ew for Poppy, ok for NYCWD
Allergy alert: Contains wheat, almond, and milk ingredients

Cereal Wednesday Bowls:

For more information about Quaker Natural Granola Oats & Honey visit the Quaker website.

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Quaker True Delights Dark Chocolate Mocha Hazelnut Café Squares is a breakfast inspired granola bar. It is chock full of whole grain oats in the form of granola, has cellulose gum added to boost its fiber, has great for you hazelnuts, but then it ruins its healthy reputation with a chocolate coating, a chocolate drizzle, and ginormous chocolate chunks.

CONTAINS MILK, SOY AND HAZELNUT INGREDIENTS
MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF PEANUT AND OTHER TREE NUTS

This snack is also low on vitamins and minerals but high on allergens.

Considering the package I bought from the store was expired, I’m guessing these aren’t flying off the shelf. An unenjoyable first impression on my tongue plus a mixed bag of nutrition adds to my deductions.

I mentioned in the video my concern for possible wheat in the maltodextrin, but then wheat was not mentioned in the allergens list so I looked up maltodextrin. In the United States it is *usually* made from corn, while in Europe it’s typically made from wheat. I’ll leave it up to my gluten-free friends to sk00l me on if this cereal square makes them sick…

Cereal Wednesday Bowls:

For more information about True Delights Dark Chocolate Mocha Hazelnut Café Squares visit the Quaker site.

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If you’ll recall, back in December 2007 NYCWD risked his life trying a box of Christmas Crunch that was 4 years past its sell by date. This time our good friend Blondefabulous sent us a fresh box all the way from Florida where Christmas Crunch is abundant.

Christmas Crunch is a limited edition holiday cereal by Quaker. The cereal is corn and oat based and contains cute holiday shapes in red and green. Christmas Crunch tastes like the sweet corn crunchies and even sweeter colorful balls of Crunch Berries, only EVEN BETTER.

Here’s the pesky nutrition information:

NYCWD and I loved the cereal so much that we disregarded the lack of nutritional value and gave it a bowl rating that no other cereal will ever achieve. YUM! And now we have breakfast for Christmas morning!!!!

Thank you, Blonde! MUAH!

Taste: Like Christmas deliciousness!
Box opening: Easy
Bag rippage: None
Bag slippage: None
Sog factor: Tastes better with age
Allergy alert: No allergens listed!

Cereal Wednesday Bowls:

For more information about Christmas Crunch visit the Cap’n Crunch website!

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Quaker Chewy Chocolatey Mint Granola Bars are new to the market. Unfortunately, aesthetically they look like “boogers on poop,” my first reaction to them when I saw the package on the shelf at the store. I almost couldn’t bring myself to buy them for that single reason. But, for you, the cereal fans, I tried the product. It’s actually quite delicious because I love mint.

Notice anything different about the photo from the website vs an actual visual of the Chocolatey Mint granola bars?

Quaker's picture-perfect version

What Poppy's bar looked like

The mint chips are evenly distributed in Quaker‘s staged photo and all chips are pointing upward and outward but in the actual bar they’re smooshed together in concentrated areas, tips down into the bar so that it just looks like a smear of light green booger. Sure is tasty, though.

Nutrition information is as follows:

I forgot to mention in the video, but this Quaker bar is chock full of allergens: wheat, soy, and milk ingredients; may contain traces of peanut and tree nuts. Be super careful in checking through that list for yourself or others you feed Chocolatey Mint granola bars to.


As promised, I’m providing links to you about high fructose corn syrup:

• Mayo Clinic answers High-fructose corn syrup: What are the concerns?
• Corn Refiners Association offers the facts about corn sugar
• BoingBoing offers Four reasons why high-fructose corn syrup is probably not the Devil
• And my personal suggestion for a documentary you can watch which shows the dietary dependency the United States has on corn and its far reaching economic and political ramifications: Killer at Large: Why Obesity is America’s Greatest Threat

Right now there is a lot of debate about if there really is any difference at a molecular level or a body response level. Unfortunately for you the consumer, that means you need to decide for yourself which information to choose to believe. Quaker Chewy Chocolatey Mint granola bars happily states that there is no high fructose corn syrup included, so whether you believe HFCS is bad for you or not, you don’t even have to worry about it here. But you still do need to understand that sugar, whether from corn or cane, has calories and is a carbohydrate that in excess will contribute to obesity and other health conditions.

And today I’m asking you, CW fans, do you have links to information about the high fructose corn syrup debate that you’d like to share? Or stories. I love a good story.

Bowl deductions for the bar looking completely unappetizing and for it not being very nutritious despite its claims of how awesome it is.

Cereal Wednesday Bowls:

For more information about Quaker Chewy Chocolatey Mint granola bars please visit the product page.

Happy Cinco de Mayo, kids! Let’s hit the bar… the cereal bar.

Quaker Oatmeal to Go is a breakfast cereal square that packs a nutritious punch. Not only is it heart healthy, but it’s high in fiber and is chock full of vitamins and minerals.

There’s just ooooone small problem: It tastes even healthier than it actually is. And not in a good way. Brown Sugar and Cinnamon flavor? I couldn’t really tell because all my tongue tasted was FIBER. You’re not really supposed to taste fiber. You’re just supposed to have it so that it keeps you regular.

So, what’s actually in this cereal to make it taste so… interesting? In the list of ingredients you’ll find whole grain rolled oats, oat flour, rice flour, corn flour, soy and soybeans, barley, wheat, and … ah, yes, oat bran! So, how does that break down nutrient-wise? Let’s take a look:

The box says 210 calories for a 1 bar/60g serving, but the website says 220 calories. Quaker… Quaker! Hello! Accurate calorie count, please! I bet this is another “how do we count fiber? I dunno, let’s just guess, fudge the calories, what does anyone care anyway? 210, 220, whatever it takes” kinda deal. (Yes, I did just make an obscure and incorrectly quoted reference to Mr. Mom. Such a great movie.)

High on fiber, questionable on taste. If you like gnawing on warm tree bark this will be your favorite on-the-go breakfast bar. Points for being healthy, portable, and heatable.

Cereal Wednesday Bowls:

For more information about Quaker Oatmeal to Go please visit their website.

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Happy spring, cereal fanatics! Today is a marbits comparison of two fiber bars: Fiber One Oats & Chocolate by General Mills and Quaker Fiber & Omega-3 Dark Chocolate Chunk. Both these bars have 35% of your daily value of fiber, but they are so completely different in their approaches.

Fiber One Oats & Chocolate uses chicory root extract to deliver its 35% daily value of fiber. That ingredient combined with high maltose corn syrup, sugar, maltodextrin, and fructose help make this product be extra slippery to the touch and going down the throat. Its sweetness is so overpowering it’s almost impossible to taste the whole grain oats that make up the bulk of this bar. It tastes like someone is trying way too hard to make this appeal to children (both young and older) whose number one priority in life is having more sugar than their guardian would approve of.

Next up is the Quaker Dark Chocolate Chunk bar. It uses Omega-3 from flaxseed to provide its 35% daily value of fiber. This product uses several sugars as well, but much more relatable to us regular humans: sugar, brown sugar, molasses, and honey. Those are all types of sugar I understand. Also, its main ingredient is granola whose first ingredient is the very heart healthy rolled oat. I can taste those oats and they taste absolutely delicious. I can also taste the dark chocolate chunks and the dark chocolate drizzle, but they don’t overpower the wholesome goodness of those oats.

Fiber One’s Oat & Chocolate bar is 40 grams with 140 calories, but if you do the math on the package it comes out to 4g fat x 9 calories, 29g carbs x 4 calories, and 2g protein x 4 calories. What’s that equal? Calculator time! That’d be 160 calories, Bob! Are there calorie shortcuts I don’t know about? I did a little web investigating and fiber can be counted as 0 calories or 2 calories, so let’s see if maybe that’s why the calorie count is vastly different. 29g carbs, but 9g is fiber, so: 4g fat x 9 calories, 20g carbs x 4 calories, and 2g protein x 4 calories equals 124 calories. Nope! Let’s try the 2 calories for fiber. 4g fat x 9 calories, 20g carbs x 4 calories, 9g fiber x 2 calories, and 2g protein x 4 calories equals 142 calories. THERE we go!

Quaker Fiber & Omega-3 Dark Chocolate Chunk bars are only 35 grams but claim to be 150 calories. Let’s do the math here to figure this out. It has 26g carbohydrates, 9 of which are fiber, so let’s try the 0 calorie vs. 2 calories vs. 4 calories trick. 4g fat x 9 calories plus 17g carbs x 4 calories plus 9g fiber x 0 calories plus 2g protein x 4 calories equals 112 calories. Nope. 4g fat x 9 calories plus 17g carbs x 4 calories plus 9g fiber x 2 calories plus 2g protein x 4 calories equals 130 calories. Still nope. 4g fat x 9 calories plus 26g carbs x 4 calories plus 2g protein x 4 calories equals 148 calories. BINGO!

Long story short: Fiber One goes for the shortcut of 2 calories per fiber gram while Quaker isn’t sure how many calories to deduct for fiber so gives it the full 4 calories per gram. Am I the only one who finds that interesting? Probably. But still, let’s get a standard for fiber calorie counts, shall we? That’d be nice.

Fiber One Cereal Wednesday Bowls:


Quaker Fiber & Omega-3 Cereal Wednesday Bowls:

For more information about the Fiber One bar please visit their website.

For more information about the Quaker bar please visit their website.

Special note: The Fiber One bar contains chicory root extract which may cause serious side effects for women who are pregnant or nursing. It is advised that you consult a physician before consuming this product.

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Hey, kids! It’s Cereal Wednesday!

Today let’s talk about Cap’n Crunch Crunch Berries by Quaker. This corn and oat based cereal is a spinoff of the original Cap’n Crunch cereal, which includes strawberry sweetened shapes referred to as Crunch Berries. Usually the Crunch Berries are roundly shaped and come in vibrant colors (although originally Crunch Berries were only in a vibrant pink variety). This box being reviewed today, which we actually purchased a few months ago, happened to have limited time only sea animal shapes in promotion of a Sea World vacation giveaway (oops).

Back to the cereal: It tastes pretty phenomenal if you enjoy a super nugget of corn goodness. It still cuts the roof of your mouth just like regular Cap’n Crunch until it gets a chance to sog out a bit then it’s a perfect soggy exterior with a crunchy center.

And now, the nutrition information. Quaker says it best, so let’s have them present the nutrition facts:

Crunch Berries is on the healthy lifestyle list of PepsiCo’s Smart Choices Made Easy. Strange but true.

Taste: Super sweet corn
Box opening: Easy
Bag rippage: A tiny bit, because it was tough to open.
Bag slippage: None!
Sog factor: From razor blades to tolerable crunchiness
Allergy alert: Contains soy

Cereal Wednesday Bowls:

For more information about the cereal please visit the Quaker website.