Tear Down Your Heroes

Examining A Cheerios BoxDeconstructing the misleading messages on everyones favourite cereal

The Package

Whole Grain Check

Look for this symbol on all of our brandsSo, this is a symbol created by General Mills to put on their productsIt is nothing more than a corporate logo

Whole Grain Check

7 out of 10 Canadians Report Not Getting Enough Whole GrainWhole grain packs a powerful nutrition punch. The fibre, vitamins & minerals and phyonutrients all contribute to healthy eating.

Say What?69% reported that they ate less than 3 servings of whole grains on the previous day (Source: Ipsos-Reid Canada (December 2004))BUT...The Canada Food Guide suggests 6-10 servings of whole grains per day!!3 servings per day was the old Canada Food Guide, circa 1982

Site is mostly about lowering cholesterol. Here is the message about whole grain oats:3 grams of soluble fibre daily from whole grain oat foods, like original Cheerios* and Honey Nut Cheerios* cereal, as a part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may help reduce the risk of heart disease. Original Cheerios* cereal provides 1 gram per serving; Honey Nut Cheerios* cereal provides 0.75 gram per serving.

www.cheerios.caSo whole grain oats are necessary for fibreThis fibre may reduce the chance of heart diseaseCheerios provide 1g or less per serving (30% as per box)For comparison, a similar serving of strawberries provides 4 times more fibre than a bowl of Cheerios

Fruit g fibrePear (1 medium) 5.0Dates (3 fruits) 4.8Raspberries ( cup) 4.2Strawberries (1 cup) 3.9Mango (1 medium) 3.7

Source: Alberta Health Services

Health Check SymbolPresumably healthy signHeart & Stroke FoundationSeems like an independent endorsement of Cheerios

A closer look...

Reviewed to meet the criteria of the Health Check program (who sets those standards?)Based on the recommendations in the Canada Food GuideA fee is paid by each participating company

healthcheck.orgDeveloped by Heart & Stroke Foundation based on Canada Food GuideEvaluates products based on fat, fibre, sodium, and sugarNo evaluation of protein, carbohydrate, glycemic index or total caloriesVoluntary program, where if approved a company pays a modest annual fee to help cover the costs of operating the program and developing tools to educate Canadians on healthy eatingLicensing fee link on website was under construction

Health Check Marketing

Goodness Corner

Another General Mills creation (see *)Whole GrainFibreLow Fat1 g of sugar110 calories

Goodness Corner

As previously mentioned, whole grain and fibre are linked together110 calories (170 with milk) is enough to fuel me through a 1 mile run (7mins) or 11mins with the milkhttp://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/activity-based-calorie-burn-calculator.aspx#