Cereals We Hated and Loved
When we were young, we bounded into the cereal aisle and we already knew what we wanted: if it wasn't Froot Loops or Frosted Flakes, it was something else equally as sugary and delicious. What we didn't want were the cereals that didn't look appetizing enough for our young palate. From Chex to Cap'n Crunch, here are the 10 cereals we skipped as kids and 10 sweet ones we absolutely loved.
1. Mini Wheats
Anyone who liked Mini Wheats as kids (or even now) was lying to themselves. Not only did these taste bland, but they were dry, tough to chew on, and tasted more like eating actual wheat than cereal. Even adding sugar to them didn't make them better.
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2. Chex
Never mind what these squares were made of (whole grains) and what made them a healthier cereal choice (they're gluten-free and contain far less sugar than others). All we cared about as kids was probably how drab the box looked, and that ultimately made us not want to choose it.
3. Raisin Bran
Again, it likely didn't matter what this cereal contained—the fact that it had raisins in it was enough for us to skip it. But if that didn't deter you, then the bran flakes sure did. Either way, this purple box never made it to our first choice when it came to cereal.
4. Cheerios
This was the healthier version our parents picked for us whenever we wanted to buy the other sugary cereals, and this, unfortunately, was the not-sweet version of Honey Nut Cheerios. The only way to boost the flavor of this was to (secretly) sprinkle some sugar ourselves, or use chocolate milk instead of regular milk.
5. Corn Flakes
Crunchy cornflakes that hurt your mouth and weren't sweet? Count us out. This was the less sugary version of Frosted Flakes, and despite it being packed with nutrients, we didn't want the healthy, bland stuff. We wanted the bad-for-us-but-tastes-good one.
6. Honey Bunches of Oats
if you didn't like oats, you probably didn't reach for this in the cereal aisle. It looked a bit too "grown-up" for our kids' tastes back then. However, once you tried it as an adult, you realize that these weren't bad and the honey flavor adds a good amount of sweetness.
7. Life
Is there a theme here? Back then as kids, this cereal looked similar to Chex, and in our minds we had already decided that these bland-looking wheat squares were not good. They looked tasteless and dry, and if you did try this afterwards as an adult, you'll find that these taste exactly how they look.
8. Wheaties
Wheaties looked like bran flakes or corn flakes but without the sugar. As kids, anything that didn't advertise sugary goodness was an automatic no, so this cereal was no exception. It didn't matter whether the box had professional athletes on it or not; we were reaching for something else instead.
9. Kix
These small corn puffs were advertised as "mother-approved," which was probably the immediate thing that made us stray away from it. After all, anything approved by our parents meant it was probably not sugary and, therefore, not great. (And we were right.)
10. Alpha-Bits
Alphabet soup but in cereal form, anyone? These letter bits, while similar to Lucky Charms at first glance, didn't contain anything else like marshmallows that made them appealing. They didn't taste great either, and it didn't matter that they created a frosted version later because kids would still likely choose Lucky Charms over it.
Those are the 10 cereals we hated as kids. Now, let's jump into the 10 sugary ones we loved.
1. Froot Loops
It wouldn't be a list of cereals we enjoyed as a kid without including Froot Loops. This sugary box of colorful O's was our go-to choice for breakfast. A bonus was the games you could find on the back, or sometimes, there were even toys included inside the box.
2. Lucky Charms
If it wasn't Froot Loops you had in the cupboard, it was probably Lucky Charms. Another sugary breakfast treat, we often favored this more than other cereals, and only because it came with marshmallows. Who could resist those rainbow-shaped melt-in-your-mouth sweets?
3. Frosted Flakes
Admit it, you likely still remember the Frosted Flakes slogan and all those commercials you saw as a kid. These crunchy, indulgent flakes probably gave us more of a sugar high than a nutritious meal, but that didn't stop us from spooning more into our bowls.
4. Cinnamon Toast Crunch
These cinnamon-coated squares were nothing short of delicious when we were kids, and because the flavor would linger in the milk, we of course had to lick the bowl clean afterwards. Sometimes, milk wasn't even needed. We're probably all guilty of just reaching into the bag and grabbing a handful.
5. Corn Pops
Did you know Corn Pops were made with real corn? As kids, that fact probably flew right over our heads. All we cared about was filling up our bowls with this crunchy puffed cereal. Even when left to sit in milk for a while to soften, it still tasted delicious—and sometimes even better.
6. Reese's Puffs
If your parents wouldn't get you Reese's Cups, this cereal was the next best thing. Chocolate in itself for breakfast is sugary enough, but add peanut butter to that and the decadence increases tenfold. It's no wonder why we devoured entire boxes of these as quickly as we did.
7. Cap'n Crunch
Though it later came out with other varieties like Crunch Berries and Cinnamon Crunch, the original Cap'n Crunch was the one we loved as kids. These sugary, golden, crunchy squares were like happiness in a bowl (and we often went overboard eating too much of it in one sitting).
8. Cocoa Puffs
We loved Cocoa Puffs as kids for obvious reasons: because it's chocolate-flavored. But after we inhaled every last bite, the best part was still yet to come, and that was the chocolatey milk we got to drink afterwards. If you had a bottle of chocolate syrup lying around, that made it even better.
9. Honey Nut Cheerios
The regular Cheerios didn't meet our cereal criteria as kids (in that it needed to be sugary enough to almost not resemble cereal at all), but Honey Nut Cheerios definitely did. This sweet alternative was the perfect snack to eat with or without milk.
10. Rice Krispies
While the cereal version surely doesn't beat the marshmallow-filled Rice Krispie Treats, it was still one we reached for. Crisp, light, and—most importantly—sweet, we loved snacking on both the regular and the chocolate versions of these tiny rice puffs.
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