Organic Fruit Loopy-like Cereal

The other day my inner 8-year-old had an urge for Froot Loops but since I try to avoid anything with processed or artificial ingredients, I thought I'd check out Whole Foods to see if there was anything close, and happily there was. Under the Whole Foods 365 Organic Brand, they have Rainbow Rings a "Crunchy Corn & Oat Cereal." In the picture above is a bowl of the Rainbow Rings in rice milk, and it wasn't exactly Froot Loops, but it was pretty darn close.

Nutrition & Ingredients comparison

Nutrition wise the two cereals for a one cup serving have pretty equal amounts of calories, fat, carbohydrates, and protein. And even though the total carb amount is the same Froot Loops have 12g of Sugars and the Rainbow Rings have 7g of sugars. Likewise, FL have 135mg of sodium vs. 60mg for RR.

Ingredients wise is a whole other story. The #1 ingredient in Froot Loops is sugar followed by flours and partial hydrogenated vegetable oil. FL also contain artificial food dyes, and preservatives. The #1 ingredient of the Rainbow Rings is organic corn meal followed by organic evaporated cane juice.The food coloring in RR comes from carrot and annatto extract. Even though annatto is a natural food color some people with food coloring sensitivities may still have allergic reactions to it including those who are on Gluten-free diets because of Coeliac Disease. Check with your doctor.

Feingold friendly

If you have a child who is on the Feingold Diet, then Froot Loops would be a big no-no, but the Rainbow Rings would be fine because the cereal is free of artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, and preservatives. There are healthier cereals that kids can eat for breakfast like oatmeal or bran flakes, but in terms of fun food, Rainbow Rings are a lower sugar, lower sodium, and lower artificial ingredient choice than Fruit Loops. The Rainbow Rings are fun for adults too!