Cereal is something you might’ve eaten as a child. Sure, most of your favourite childhood cereals are mostly just cake for breakfast, but who doesn’t want cake for breakfast? It’s not good for you, but at least it’s delicious. No matter which one is your favourite, there will be someone out there to say something strong about your choice of cereal.
Cheerios are the ones you think of right away when you hear the word “cereal.” The flavour you probably know the most is honey nut. The honey flavour can take you back to your childhood. That day consisted of you waking up to your parents shaking your bed, eating your Honey Nut Cheerios, getting dressed, and going to either a great day of arts and crafts or another terrible day of not having friends at school. Another flavour of Cheerios that I have tried is chocolate with peanut butter. It’s not as sweet as you think it is, which is perfect for not having an extreme sugar rush in the morning.
(Rachel Bush / Flickr)
Cheerios are something I like to call the “O” type of cereal. The other O type you will think of is Froot Loops. Children usually think they taste good but as adults, you eventually grow a disliking for them as they are noticeably sweet. The fruity taste plus the amount of sugar that’s in there is enough for adults to not consider eating them. Despite the multitude of colours each piece comes in, they all taste the same. Your brain likes to taste with your eyes rather than your tongue. You can’t really blame yourself for thinking this because of how bold the colours are.
(m01229 / Flickr)
The other popular O type is Apple Jacks. The green ones are supposed to taste like apples while the orange-ish ones are cinnamon flavoured. The cinnamon ones are popular enough for Kellogg’s to release Cinnamon Jacks, which mostly consist of cinnamon and brown sugar flavours. Interestingly enough, Cinnamon Jacks aren’t O shaped, but rather look like jacks (as in the toys). I used to eat Apple Jacks religiously as a child. The green packaging is probably what got me, as green is my favourite colour. I started eating less of them as I started favouring more savoury things for breakfast. Despite this, if someone ever offered me a bowl of Apple Jacks, I will take them in a heartbeat.
(Kris Miller / Flickr)
Frosted Flakes are probably the most popular non-O-shaped cereal for kids, as they feel sporty, especially in the packaging. The sugar is a lot more pronounced as it mostly lies on top of each flake, rather than being in the pieces themselves. Tony the Tiger, the cereal’s mascot, makes a great point about the cereal, saying “They’re Grrreat!” Vector is a similar cereal, except without a mascot and any visible frost. From personal experience, I found that Vector is just a bit sweeter than Frosted Flakes. Between the two, I would probably pick Frosted Flakes, mostly because it’s a lot cooler to say Frosted Flakes than it is to say Vector.
(Nick Zolotko / Flickr)
Despite how popular Rice Krispies treats are, the cereal isn’t something people rave about. From personal experience, it’s probably the least interesting cereal to eat. I would still pick them over whole wheat cereal, but at that point, I just wouldn’t eat cereal. The iconic marshmallow melt of a Rice Krispie treat is missing from the cereal, and putting milk in the bowl will make them a soggy mess to eat.
(Mike Mozart / Flickr)
Corn Pops is something you have always seen, but probably don’t consider buying. There’s nothing special about Corn Pops that grab your attention. They sound like a healthier cereal but there are better options out there.
(Mike Mozart / Flickr)
Raisin Bran is one that you try one day and form your opinion right there. Some people hate them, swear by them, or just see them as another cereal option. As someone who just sees it as another cereal option, it’s really hard for me to consider buying them when another box will do the same for me. If I wanted fruit with my cereal, I would just buy whole grain cereal and add fresh berries to the bowl. If I wanted dried fruit in my cereal, I would pick something with dried cranberries rather than raisins since they’re more appetizing.
(Mike Mozart / Flickr)
Mini-Wheats are ones that you remember from TV commercials but didn’t try out until later. You soon realize how terrible they react to milk. They become soggy right away, almost feeling like wet hay. Despite this, they still taste pretty alright, but not something to write home about.
(waferboard / Flickr)
Lucky Charms are a cereal that is carried by sugar. The grain pieces are known to not taste great on their own. That’s mostly to make up for how sweet the marshmallow pieces are. Sometimes, kids will try to pick only the marshmallow bits out of Lucky Charms since they’re a lot more appealing than the boring grain pieces. There is also the option to buy the marshmallow pieces on their own which might be useful for stuff such as homemade Rice Krispie treats and other homemade desserts. Personally, I would buy them just to add to better grain cereal.
(Chris Metcalf / Flickr)
Chocolate-flavoured cereal is something kids desire. They love chocolate cake, so why not cereal? Unfortunately, as an adult, you might find it a little bit more disgusting than you remember. My first experience with chocolate cereal was, ironically enough, sour. The cereal was dangerously sweet even as an 11-year-old who couldn’t tell when things were “too sweet”. Especially as someone who doesn’t like milk with their cereal, there’s something off-putting about chocolate cereal. I don’t mind it as much when they don’t make up the majority of the pieces, such as in peanut butter-flavoured cereal with chocolate bits.
(Syed Abdul Khaliq / Flickr)
What cereal you like has a deep connection with your childhood. Cheerios give a carefree feeling, flakes gave you a sense of energy, and any other kind told the world you just like cereal. Regardless of what you choose, you will always feel like a kid while eating cereal.