Diet Sodas Contribute to Weight Gain?

Diet or "Zero" soda may have no (or minuscule) calories, but that does not mean that is is a healthier choice, as not only does the beverage contain no nutrients, it might actually harm your body.  According to animal research, when diabetic-prone rats were fed a diet containing no sugar and the artificial sweetener, they actually showed higher blood glucose levels that the control group of diabetic-prone rats that were fed a high-fat diet with normal amounts of sugar and no artificial sweetener.  The research suggests that the artificial sweetener somehow increases blood sugar levels--this excessive glucose in the blood stream are then sent to the liver and converted to excess body fat.

Conclusion: While diet sodas are not the only cause of weight gain, they do not help with weight loss either, and there is no reason to drink it.  So, instead of drinking a diet soda, choose a beverage that actually helps with weight maintenance or weight loss, such as water, green tea, and seltzer water (the carbonation can help you feel full).

Source: School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio.

10 Tests to Measure How Fit You Are.

Check out these 10 assessments that measure different areas of fitness.

1.  Bench 1.5 Times Your Body Weight

The Test: Use a bench-press machine and keep your feet flat on the floor during the entire lift. To get your score, divide the heaviest weight you can lift one time by your body weight.

The Scorecard:
Less than 1.0: Weak
1.0-1.49: Ordinary
1.5 or more: You rule on the bench


2.  Run 1.5 Miles in 10 Minutes

The Test: Run 1 1/2 miles on a flat path as fast as you can.

The Scorecard:
12 minutes or more: Slow
Between 10 and 12 minutes: Ordinary
10 minutes or less: Endurance excellence


3.  Vertical Jump

The Test: You'll need a small bag of chalk to do this test. Chalk your fingers and stand flat-footed next to a wall. Place your chalked hand as high as possible on the wall and mark it with your fingertips. Then, without taking a step, dip your knees, swing your arms up, and jump as high as you can, again marking the wall with your fingertips. The distance between the two marks is your vertical-jump height.  Do at least 5 jumps in order to get your best jump.

The Scorecard:
20 inches or less: Grounded
Between 20 and 26 inches: Ordinary
Higher than 26 inches: High flyer


4. Leg-Press 2.25 Times Your Weight

The Test: Assume the position in the leg-press machine. Lower the weight until your knees are bent 90 degrees, then push the weight back up. To get your score, divide the highest amount of weight you can lift one time by your body weight. Make sure you warm-up first, and do a couple of reps at a comfortable weight to get the nuerons warmed up.

The Scorecard:
Less than 1.8: A shaky foundation
1.8 to 2.2: Ordinary More than
2.2: Serious strength



5. Swim 700 Yards in 12 Minutes

The Test: Swim as far as you can in 12 minutes. Your total distance in yards is your score.

The Scorecard:
Less than 500 yards: You're sunk
500-700 yards: Ordinary
More than 700 yards: Aquatic excellence


6.  Do 40 Pushups

The Test: Lower your body until your upper arms are parallel to the floor, then push yourself up. Repeat as many times as you can.

The Scorecard:
25 or fewer: Weak
26-39: Ordinary
40 or more: Strong and tough


7.  Measure

The Test: The easiest method of determining your risk level is a comparison of your waist and hip circumferences. Grab a measuring tape and measure the circumference of your waist at the narrowest point. Then measure the distance around the widest part of your hips and butt. Divide your waist circumference by your hip circumference for your score.

The Scorecard:
0.92 or higher: Your wife and kids are going to miss you
0.82 to 0.91: Ordinary
0.81 or less: Flat and happy


8.  Run 300 Yards Sub 1 Minute

The Test: Run as fast as you can between two lines spaced 25 yards apart. Do six round-trips, for a total of 300 yards.

The Scorecard:
More than 70 seconds: Slow
60 to 70 seconds: Ordinary
Less than 60 seconds: Fast and agile


9.  Touch Your Toes

The Test: One of the best measures of flexibility is the sit-and-reach test.
Here's How to Do It: Place a yardstick on the floor and put a foot-long piece of masking tape across the 15-inch mark.

Sit down with your legs out in front of you and your heels at the edge of the tape, one on each side of the yardstick.

Put one hand on top of the other and reach forward on the yardstick as far as you can by bending at your hips. Your score is the number your fingertips touch.


10.  Toss a Basketball 75 Feet Kneeling

The Test: Kneel on the court, just behind the baseline. Throw the basketball overhand as far as you can. The top of the key at the far end of the court is 73 feet—just short of the Fit Man standard.

The Scorecard:
Less than 60 feet: Lousy arm
60 to 74 feet: Ordinary
More than 74 feet: Cannon fire

Strenghten Your Core While Strengthening Your Shoulders

As many of us are discovering, some of the best exercises are ones that work multiple muscle groups at one.  The Dumbbell Lunge with Single-Arm Overhead Press is an excellent example.  With this exercise, you combine a single-arm shoulder press with the dumbbell lunge.  Although it takes some practice in order to do it smoothly, the time spent improving the technique is worth it in the long run.

Pairing these exercise means that your are simultaneously working your shoulders, pelvic girdle, thighs, as well as your abs. Holding the weight on one side of your body means your core muscles must work extra hard to stabilize you and prevent your from falling over as you lunge.  It is also a great exercise for time-saving, as well as a great calorie burner, since you are working so many muscles, which will help burn away some body fat.

Check out this video to see how it is done.

BMI: Valid or Flawed Indicator of Health Status?

BMI: Body Mass Index.  A relatively straightforward equations that compares a persons height with their weight and assigns an index number.  Check out this site to find your BMI:

There are four different categories a person can fall into, ranging from underweight to obese. They are:
*18.4 or lower: Underweight.
*18.5 to 24.9: Normal weight.
*25 to 29.9: Overweight.
*30 or higher: Obese.

The BMI is often used in the medical community as a predictor or warning system for potential future health problems.  According to the National Institutes of Health, being overweight or obese according to the BMI can put your at greater risk for heart disease, type II diabetes, and some forms of cancer.

But there is a fundamental problem with this index--it does not discriminate fat weight verses muscle weight.  For example, check out Adrian Peterson, 6'1", 217-lbs, and running back for the Minnesota Vikings.  An incredibly fit man, but according to his BMI, he is "overweight."

The BMI works for populations, but not for individuals, and was never designed as a tool to be used on individuals.  It was in fact originally intended to measure the collective weight of an entire population.  So, you should not necessarily get too worried about your BMI.  What you should worry about is your body-fat percentage.

Look in the mirror.  Check our your jean size.  You know if you are overweight, or have too much body fat.  And that is what you should use to see if you are on track, not a flawed for formula.

Fantastic Abs Exercise!

Stuart McGill, world-renowned spine specialist, recently referred to the Swiss-Ball "Stir-the-Pot" exercise as one of the best core exercises out there.  Try it, and experience for yourself how come.  This exercise combines two elements that make your abs scream for mercy--instability and dynamic movement.  This combination exercise works your rectus abdominis muscles (otherwise known as the "six-pack" muscles), the obliques, and all of the muscles that help stabilize your spine from just about every direction.  The benefit is an ab workout unlike any other you have done.

Watch the video to learn how to do this excellent ab exercise properly

 

Cravings? Seven Common Craving and Strategies To Help Conquer Them!

Do you get cravings?  I certainly do.  It is hard to define this intense desire to consumer a particular food that is difficult to resist, other than by saying: "I want chocolate, and I want it now!"


You might like to think that a craving is your body's way of telling you that you need something, but we both know that that is now true.  According to Dr. Adam Drewnowski, Ph.D. and director of nutritional-sciences at the University of Washington, craving are triggered by various things, such as stress, depression, and hormones.  While some cravings you may indulge, many you should not.
there are some cravings you can indulge, there are others that you shouldn't."

So, what should we do about our cravings?  Our urges.  Well, hare are seven tips top help prevent and deal with our cravings.


Craving 1. A bowl of "sugary" cereal in the morning:
How come?  Being hungry in the morning is our body's was of coming out of fasting mode from the night.  Not eating for extended periods of time triggers your brain to release neuropeptide Y, a substance that helps to increase your appetite. For most people, the longer you have gone without food, the more hungry you will be when you wake up.

Strategy: Go ahead and have that bowl of cereal, just don't have two or three, and eat some high-protein
with it, such as some almonds or back bacon.


Craving 2: A Jelly Doughnut or pastry at work...
How come?  You probably did not enough at breakfast. It is normal to get cravings for something every 2 to 3 hours, according to sport nutritionist Heidi Skolnik, M.S. That is about how long it takes your body to break down the carbohydrates (sugars) in your food, release them into your body and convert them to energy.

Strategy: Increase your fiber and protein intake at breakfast in order to fill you up and help you hold off to snack time at mid-morning.  If you must have something, opt for some dried fruit, or a handful of nuts to satisfy your craving, but not interfere with your meals later.


Craving 3: Mid-Morning Cola
How come?  If you had a coffee with breakfast or on your way to work, the caffeine is wearing off and you crave another shot to get your energy level back up to what feels like normal.

Strategy:  Do not cave.  Resist the caffeinated sugar water.  Instead, opt for Green Tea, a lower dosage of caffeine and no sugar, so you will not be craving later, plus the numerous other health benefits associated with Green Tea, such as metabolism boosting, and immune system boosting.  Do not feel like a hot-drink?  Try some Iced Green Tea.  Early, make a pot of Green Tea.  After it cools, poor it into a jug, mix with some Zylitol (natural sweetener) to taste, and chill.  Poor over some ice, and some fresh lime or lemon, enjoy.


Craving 4: High-Carb like pasta for lunch.
How come?  Did you have a stressful morning?  Boss?  Colleagues?  This carb-craving is your body's attempt to make you feel better.  According to Dr. John Foreyt, Ph.D., and director of behavioural-medicine research at Baylor University, carbohydrates trigger the production of the "feel-good" hormone called serotonin, which helps to boost your mood and temporarily relieve stress.

Strategy: Occasionally eat the pasta lunch, just not every day.  But an even better strategy is do something else to help relieve the stress before your eat, which will help alleviate the carb-craving.  For example, use your lunch break to go for a brisk walk, or short run, or do some weight interval.  Afterwards, when you eat lunch, eat a small portion of pasta or other carb, and combine it with some high-protein food such as chicken, or tuna.  Avoid the Macaroni & Cheese, these high-carbs may boost your mood, but eating too many carbohydrates can also overload your body and brain, leaving you feeling sluggish and tired for the rest of the day.


Craving 5: Afternoon Treat such as COOKIES!!!
How come? What is your nutrient count like?  Are you getting enough magnesium?  Chocolate chip cookies contain magnesium, and some nutritionist believe that not having enough of the mineral in your system cause a craving to eat chocolate.  Or perhaps if you crave chocolate all the time, your are a chocoholic.  A Spanish study found that chocolate and cocoa contain some of the same potentially mood-altering compounds found in alcohol.

Strategy:  Go ahead, and eat some chocolate.  The operative word here however, is "some."  For this craving, if you do not give in, the craving will likely grow in intensity until you give in anyway, and end up eating a lot more chocolate.  Keep some semi-sweet chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa nearby.  That way you can consume one or two small pieces to alleviate the chocolate craving, but due the the lack of sweetness you will not be as tempted to consume the whole thing, nor will you consume as many calories.  Is it cookies you crave?  Try baking some cookies on the weekend to last the week.  You can take one or two with you so you are not tempted to eat too many from a purchased bag, and you can also control the ingredients and keep the calorie count down compared to store bought cookies.


Craving 6: Post-Dinner, kids are in bed, Potato Chips!
How come?  This is my personal weakness.  The kids are finally in bed, it is been a long day, I just want to sit down and relax.  This craving tends to be less about the food, and more about what it symbolizes.  When we feel stressed out and tired at the end of the day, we just want to relax and forget about our day with a bag of chips and the Television or a movie, according to Skolnik.  Perhaps you feel like you have been in control, and used restraint all day, and now your are rewarding yourself for "good behaviour."

Strategy:  Resist! This is eating for the wrong reason.  It probably does not seem bad in the short term, but in the long term this type of emotional eating is one of the primary reasons men gain wait.  Even healthy snacks will not help break the association between food and relaxing. Try drinking some non-caffeine tea, such as cinnamon.  Try drinking some carbonated water.  Try going for walk.  Even try watching your favourite TV show in a room that you typically spend less time in, to try to break the association with relaxing.


Craving 7: Late-night ice cream.
How come?  It's 11pm, you want to stay up and watch Leno, but your body wants to go to bed.  Men tend to crave foods like crackers or ice cream late at night because the carbs help boost levels of sleep-inducing tryptophan.  At tryptophan levels in your brain increase, you naturally become sleepier.

Strategy: Have one or two crackers, or one spoonful of ice cream. Hunger can keep you awake at night, so eat a little something so you can fall asleep.  And choose a regular full-fat ice cream, not the fat free kind.  Full-fat ice-cream is more satiating so you will end up eating less ice cream, and consuming less overall calories.

Workout Fast & Sweet!

Workout Fast & Sweet!

Many people spend weeks running on a treadmill, or pedaling on the stationary bike for 45 minutes a session trying to improve their conditioning, and/or lose weight.  Great, it helps.  But what if you could get more results in less time? According to a study by the American College of Sports Medicine, about 2 weeks of high-intensity interval training can improver your aerobic capacity by as much of 6 to 8 weeks of endurance training.

High-intensity interval training, a.k.a. HIT, is training where one repeats a hard spring, with a rest period, a prescribed number of times, for a prescribed period.  For example, on a stationary bicycle, after a warm-up of 5-10 minutes (enough to start sweating), ride at near maximum effort/power for one minute (or 30s) followed by riding at low effort/power for 1 minute (or 30s--same time as max effort), and do 10 repetitions.

One recent study consisted of nine subjects who had six training cycles over a two-week period.  Each training session consisted of 4-30 second all-out sprints at maximum effort, followed with a four minute recovery period where subjects cycled slowly with minimum effort.  At the end of this two-week period, the average increase is VO2 Max (a measure of aerobic fitness) was 9%.


According to Martin Gibala, PH.D. and chairman of the department of Kinesiology at McMaster University, HIT has large results on VO2max in a short period of time due to mitochondria--the "powerhouse" of your muscle cells. HIT increases the the number of mitochondria faster than regular endurance training does, and the more mitochondria you muscles have, the more energy muscles can produce, allowing you to work out longer and harder before needing a rest.

For some samples of Interval Training Workouts, check out this website from MensHealth: http://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/interval-training-workouts


High-Intensity Training is not easy, though.  If you are new to exercising, you will not really see any benefits as you will not have the baseline fitness level to sustain these workouts. 

Medium-Intensity Training is more suitable to people who are new or just starting out.  In MIT, participants add intensity intervals once a week, and the interval comprises a lower time at medium-high intensity with a longer time at a low-intensity (rest/recovery) with fewer intervals.  Participants then look to gradually increase both the intensity of the high or medium intensity interval, as well as the number of intervals, as well as work up to 2 and then 3 interval training sessions a week.

The research on HIT is not final.  Long-term studies still need to be conducted, and similar studies need to be conducted to see if results can be duplicated.  Furthermore, studies are being conducted using HIT to measure effects on reducing blood pressure, as well as diabetes.


To read more about endurance training, check out this site: http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/endurance-training-facts

Food Label Misdirections...

Take a walk through the candy aisle at your local grocery store and gain some insight into the food industry.  Pick up a box of your favourite candy and read the label.  For example on a product such as Mike and Ike or Good  & Plenty, you will read "Fat Free" on the box.  While true, you should be insulted by this claim, as these candies are almost entirely sugar and processed carbohydrates--and high calorie.  


Just a reminder, excess calories--calories your body does not need--get stored as body fat.


Marketing strategies of food manufacturers count on you--the consumer--being either too busy to actually read the ingredient label, or just being stupid.  Using the above candy example, they are counting on you equating "fat free" with "healthy" or "non-fattening."  Fat is not fattening--excess calories are fattening.  It is a classic con trick--the bait and switch.


The candy aisle is not the only place you will find this ploy.  Just about any product you purchase,  a similar switch is being made.

Organic:  Organic means healthy, right?  Not exactly.  Manufacturers are charging extra for products labeled "organic."  But that does not mean it is good for you.  For example, organic refined flour is still  refined flour.  Organic powdered cheese is still powdered cheese.  Both are high-calorie and have a low-nutrient value.  Remember, organic junk is still junk.



100% Pure: Lots of juices are labeld 100 percent pure juice, but what does that really mean?  For example, Tropicana Pure 100% Juice Pomegranate Blueberry.  I don't know about you, but when I read that, I think this is 100% pure pomegranate and blueberry juice. A quick read of the ingredient list here, however, show that pear, apple, and grape juices are among the first four ingredients.  These juices are much cheaper to produce, and also much sweeter.  "Trend" ingredients such as pomegranate and acai are the biggest culprits here, with supposed "acai" or "pomegrante" juices actually containing more of a cheaper fruit juice.  To avoid this high sugar juice drinks, read the ingredient list carefully, and try to select single-fruit juices.


Juice Cocktail:  Beware of "Juice Drink" and "Juice Cocktail."  Similar to the paragraph above, this drinks are being marketed as juice, but are really just flavoured sugar water.  Many of the manufacturers that are marking their products to busy parents with active kids, as an alternative to pop, might as well be selling us pop.  Many of the "juices' containt less than 20% fruit juice.  Once again, read the ingredient list very carefully, and look for 100% single fruit juice.

Milk Drink: Milk is making quite the resurgance as a health/sports drink right now.  Mianly due to the influx of capitol in research and marketing by the dairy industry.  In many schools (including the one I work in) "Milk-To-Go" vending machines have replaces pop and juice vending machines, endorsed by school boards, and health units, as a healthy alternative.  But once again, careful examination of the ingredient and nutrient lists reveal the truth--a conspicous absence of actual milk in these products--Yoo Hoo being one of the wors--and a high amount of sugar. For many, the first ingredient is actually water, followed by high-fructose corn syrup.  Partially hydrogenated soybean oil actually comes before nonfat dry milk on the ingredient list.

Beware of actual milk, as well, though.  While there is not room in this post to discuss the possible negative health impacts of dairy milk, check out a previous blog on Milk.

For those who are consuming milk, though, be sure to stick to the organic variety, such as milk from Liberty, Organic Valley, or Hewitt's Dairy.  That way you will stay clear of unneeded steroids, growth hormones, and anti-biotics, and be sure to be drinking milk from grass-fed dairy cattle, with a higher amount of vitamin B-12, and as well some essential fatty acids.  Also consider switching to organic goat milk, that has less casein protein and more whey protein, closer to human milk than cow's milk.


All Natural Flavors:  This is an unregulated term.  For example, 7UP brags that it is now made with 100% natural ingredients.  What changed?  They switched from carbonated water to filtered water, from citric acid to "natural" citric acid, and from calcium disodium EDT to "natural" potassium citrate.  Here's a kick in the pants, though, 7UP is still sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, one of the worst sweeteners for your body out there.   The calorie count and sugar count between the too is almost identical.

A much better option is carbonated water, or seltzer, with lemon or lime.  Or some of the organic carbonated fruit juice or sodas made by such companies as "Blue Sky", or only occasionally, as their calorie counts are still pretty high.


Unhealthy Healthy Choices:  Do not let a name fool you, for a company call call itself pretty well whatever it wants.  "Healthy Choice" is a prime example.  This manufacturer of pre-made dinners in a box even provides some nutrition stats on the outside of their boxes to attempt to add some legitimacy to their name--stats such as 430 calories, 9g fat, 600mg sodium. But what is not on the front of the box, but the back in the nutrition info is the 29g of added sugars or the 6 different forms of sweeteres used to give their "un"healthy choice Sweet-n-Sour chicken the same amount of sugar as a snickers bar.

Remember what dinner is supposed to taste like, and it is not desert.  Check the nutritional info for all information, fat, calories, protein and sugars, and look at the fine print, that is where companies "hide" the information that they do not what you to know, not on the front of the box in big letters.

Technically True, but...: I love claims like "no butterfat" or "no cholesterol"  Great, must be healthy, right?  Wrong.   Tufutti is one of many culprits here.  While technically true, Tofutti does not contain butterfat or cholesterol like its rival ice cream does, it may be irrelevant information, as Tofutti is not made with diary, and therefore can't have butterfat or cholesgterol.  Check the ingredient list and nutritional info however, and you will read that this ice cream substiture does have 15g of fat and 16g of sugar, equivalent to ice cream.

So you need to ask yourself, how come your are looking at this non-dairy ice cream alternative.  Are you vegan?  Lactose intolerant?  Worried about your waist line?  Check our Soy Dellicious, Soy Dream, or Rice Dream products for low-calorie, non-dairy cool treats.  And if the dairy is not an issue for you, check out soe of the lower calorie ice creams on the market, such as Breyers Double Churn.  And as always, read the ingredient list and the nutritional info when comparing products.




Almost Real Food for Kids:  How about the claims on made food products geared towards kids: "made with real chicken" or "made with real cheese."  Krap, what else would they be made with?  Fake chicken? Fake cheese?  Yes, there is actually real chicken in many "nugget-shaped chicken patties", but check out what else is in them: textured soy protein, modified food starch, etc.  The macaroni with "real cheese" also contain filler such as maltodextrin.  Hint, if a product claims to be "made with real" anything, read the ingredient list to see what else it is made with....Stick to products with as few ingredients as possible.  Chicken nuggets should be just that: chicken, bread crumbs, and oil.



Cheese-less Cheese Pizza:  I love cheeseless pizza.  But mine does not use a cheese substitute. Many cheeseless cheese pizzas are using some problematic substitutes, like partially hydrogenated soybean oil with 5g of nasty trans fats.

Beware of "flavoured" products too, as that is a sure sign that whatever it is flavoured to taste like, it has none of that in it.  Strawberry flavoured?  Nothing strawberry in the ingredients.

Guacamole has Avacodo, right?  Well, not all. Some pre-made guacamole "dip" actually has less than 2 percent avocado.  The rest is green goo full of fillers and chemicals such as: modified food starch, soybean oils, locust bean gum, and food colouring.  The word "dip" is your first clue that something is amiss. Want some Guac?  Mash up a ripe avocado in a bowl, add a little salt, and a little lemon or lime juice--basic guac, and full of the heart-healthy, satiating fat you want and need.


Natural and Unnatural Fruit:  Not a lot of regulation out there regarding the terms "natural" and "real." Trace amounts of an essence or extract of fruits technically counts as natural.  So, when buying a fruit cereal bar, while technically fruit may be in the ingredient list, is is probably after the unnatural fruit flavours such as HFCS and corn syrup. Want something that is quick and easy to eat on the go?  Check out bars made with nothing more than dried fruit and nuts, such as Larabars.


Trans-Fats Free?: Many snack food products such as chips and cheetos are making "Zero gram trans fat" claims.  In the U.S. while the FDA allows manufactures to make this claim when their product contains less than 0.5g of trans fat per serving that .49g of trans fat can quickly add up. So, just because the bag says "0g Trans Fat" does not mean you can eat the whole thing, because then it is no longer "trans fat free:

Low-Fat Bread/Wheat Bread:  Here is a ploy to get your to buy bread. Bread has never contained much fat.  This claim is to distract you form how much more sugar than fiber a bread has.  And wheat bread?  Almost all breads are made with wheat flour.  But is it refined (wheat) flour, or whole-grain whole-wheat flour.  Many of these bread are full of unpronounceable additives, chemical and preservatives.  Bread should contain water, flour, and yeast.  Check out the nutritional value, do not worry about fat, but look for more fiber than sugar, and as few ingredients as possible.


Reduced Fat but....Some products have a fairly high fat content, and that is okay, because it is one of the good fats, and this fat satiates our appetite so we end up eating less, and consuming fewer calories.  But with the "low-fat" craze the last few years, many products have seen their fat content decrease, but their sugar, filler, and calorie content increase, to compensate for the taste loss from the fat loss.  Dairy products such as yogurt, and peanut butter are excellent examples.

Some peanut butters have replace the good fats from peanut with maltodextrin, a cheap carbohydrate filler.  So if you consume this reduced-fat peanut butter, it means you are trading in the healthy fat from peanuts for empty carbs, double the sugar, less protein, and about the same number of calories.

Peanut butter should be just that: peanuts (and maybe some salt...)
 

  Cereals: Lightly sweetened is a relative term, and once again, an unregulated one.  Lightly compared to a candy bar or lightly compared to water?  Some "lightly sweetened' cereals marketing themselves to the health conscious or those looking to loose weight actually contain 14g of sugar, from 5 different sources, and end up having more added sugars than the "known" sugary cereals such as Froot Loops, Frosted Flakes, or Apple Jacks.  Look for a cereal with less than 10g of sugar per serving, better yet less than 5 in the nutrional value table, and no or minimal added sugar in the ingredient list.  Also choose a cereal with at least 4g of giber per serving.  the sugar-to-fiber ratio is key here, as the ratio should be no higher than two-to-one.