Giveaway: General Mills Cereals

As much as I'd love to say that I get up at the crack of dawn every morning to make my kids a hot breakfast, that just doesn't happen.  We usually have a variety of cereals on hand and also eat it as a snack during the day.  Is there something in particular you look for in the cereals you buy for your kids (and yourself)? 

General Mills commissioned a survey of D.C.-area parents to uncover their children's eating habits, as well as what they deem important to help ensure their children grow up healthy. As parents strive to make smart food choices, nearly all (97 percent) agree it's important for their children to eat breakfast and four out five (86 percent) say cereal is a healthy breakfast choice. What are they looking for in options for their family's breakfast?

• 81 percent cited good flavor as important
• 60 percent want a breakfast packed with vitamins and minerals
• 59 percent look for convenient options
• 40 percent want a breakfast option that is low in fat
• About a quarter said they were interested in breakfast options that had at least 8 grams of whole grains (24 percent)

Check out more findings from the survey here: D.C. Parent Survey
Emerging research supports D.C. parents' views. In fact, a 2009 study found that children who eat cereal have significantly higher intakes of whole grain, folate, calcium, iron, fiber, zinc and several other nutrients.
Did you know?

• Cereal is one of the healthiest breakfast options you can make (See video below to learn more)
• Packed with nutrition, cereal provides a great choice for breakfast
• Studies have shown that kids who eat breakfast tend to perform better in school and have fewer disciplinary problems. They also have shown that breakfast also tends to help kids stay alert.

I am all for feeding my kids healthy cereals packed with vitamins and little sugar but that really does me no good if they won't eat it.  So, I do my best to sway them to healthier options, we try and stick to the different varieties of Cheerios and Chex for breakfast, I will let them eat some of the other more sugary cereals for snacks.

General Mills through MyBlogSpark was nice enough to supply me and one lucky winner with a prize pack that includes 10 sample sized packs of their cereals and a milk pitcher.  To enter simply leave a comment (don't forget to leave an email address if one is not attached to your account) letting me know what you look for when picking out cereals for your kids.  The drawing will close Friday the 17th and don't forget to check back as there will be another Giveaway next week.



*All information and prize packs were provided by General Mill through MyBlogSpark