Cereal is a staple food -- whether that's at breakfast, for a mid-day snack, or the ultimate lazy dinner (or the fastest way to satisfy your drunchies). When I stopped eating gluten and refined sugar for my thyroid disorder, I was devastated that I had no tasty cereal options. Tired of watching my friends dive into delicious bowls of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, I set off on a mission to find the best healthy cereals that also taste great. Better yet, I discovered each company has a great social mission so you can start your day by bettering the world.
Sakara
When you're craving something chocolatey (aka anyone coo coo for Cocoa Puffs), nothing beats Sakara Life's Cacao + Brazil nut + Ashwaganda granola. This granola is turn-your-milk-brown chocolatey, while still being low in sugar and high in healthy fats. Eating cacao is a great way to help you wake up in the morning, Brazil nuts are high in selenium (an important antioxidant, especially if you have a thyroid disorder), and ashwaganda is an adaptogen that may be beneficial for helping you manage stress and to strengthen your immune system. I always feel amazing and so satisfied after eating a serving of this granola! Sakara puts a lot of effort into making sure all of their ingredients are extremely high quality and always organic. Plus, their meal delivery program supports people following a plant-based lifestyle.
PS: If you want 15% off of their meal delivery program, use the code REF_ARIANA15 - don't forget to add a bag of their granola with your delivery!
Pulp Pantry
Pulp Pantry has an amazing mission: to reduce food waste by turning nutritious juice pulp into delicious breakfast cereals and snacks, and to help low-income communities access to healthy foods. Every flavor of granola is made with veggies such as carrot or beet pulp, sunflower kernels and other seeds, and is lightly sweetened with coconut sugar. No grains, nuts or refined sugars find their way into these granolas. My favorite part about Pulp Pantry granola is the texture. It is always perfectly crunchy, and the flavor is simple and subtle for those times when you want a true basic. Pro tip: eat with homemade almond milk, banana slices, and cinnamon for a dreamy way to start your day.
Erbology
I quickly fell in love with this London based company after finding it at Erewhon (LA's best supermarket). Nothing beats a bowl of their tigernut granola in a bowl with oat milk, goji berries, and a lot of cinnamon. This combo tastes just like Cinnamon Toast Crunch (but without all the extra sweetness.) After falling in love with the taste, I researched more into the company's values. First off, Erbology has amazing production methods. All of their ingredients are organic and plant-based, and the cereals are only sweetened by fruits. The cereal is activated and raw which means their ingredients contain the most amount of nutrients possible. Erbology also uses an array of ingredients you've probably never heard of before (in a good way). All of their granolas start with a base of tigernuts, a vegetable tuber packed with iron, magnesium and fiber. Tigernuts are a prebiotic, which means they work synergistically with probiotics to keep your gut in good health. Erbology also uses ingredients such as nopal cactus (rich in calcium and flavonoids) and sea buckthorn (full of omega-7 fatty acids). Starting your day with a bowl of their granola will set your body on track to be as productive as possible! Not only is Erbology great for our bodies, but it is supports the environment as well. Erbology is certified "Soil Association Organic," which essentially means their ingredients are produced in a way that is beneficial to the soils they are grown in. You can read a little more about the importance of soil health in this Spoon article. Lastly, their packaging is entirely recyclable, and biodegradable when possible. Use code "spoon" on their website for 20% off- and trust me, it's worth it!
By purchasing any of these breakfasts cereals, you're doing yourself and the world a justice.