Best low calorie cereal – start your day with one of these 6 tasty but low cal cereals
We're crazy about breakfast cereal in this country - the UK breakfast cereals market size was valued at GBP 2.61 billion in 2021, and it's showing few signs of slowing down. The issue with most breakfast cereal is that it tends to be high in calories, so it can't always be described as a healthy start to the day. Luckily, there are lots of low-calorie cereals out there which manage to both taste good and not be too calorific. We wanted to highlight the best that we've found and tried, let's get into it:
M&S Bran Sticks - 336kcal per 100g
Bran sticks definitely aren't the tastiest of cereals, but we definitely prefer the bran sticks from M&S to the Waitrose version we included in our highest fibre cereal guide. Like so much of the food from M&S, these bran sticks are top of their class and easily the best we've tried (better even than All-Bran in our humble opinion), and at 336 calories per 100g, they're probably the lowest calorie cereal you can buy in the UK at the moment. Learn more and buy them here - ocado.com
Weetabix Crunchy Bran - 351kcal per 100g
The standard variety of Weetabix is pretty healthy, and contains 362kcal per 100g. But if you want to go even lower in calories then we'd recommend going for the Weetabix Crunchy Bran - not only does this actually taste pretty good and have a very satisfying crunch, but it's also low in calories at just 351kcal per 100g. A great option if you want a bran cereal that actually tastes good! Learn more and buy it here - sainsburys.co.uk
Original Shredded Wheat - 360kcal per 100g
Shredded Wheat is one of the most popular breakfast cereals in the UK, mainly because it is so versatile. It has the added bonus of being very low in calories too - 360kcal per 100g is very little, and because it's only made from 1 ingredient, you know exactly what you're getting in every bowlful. Learn more and buy it here - tesco.com
Kellogg's Bran Flakes - 359kcal per 100g
You're probably noticing that breakfast cereals that contain bran tend to be lower in calories, and we'll be the first to admit that bran cereal won't suit everybody's tastes. But as far as tasty bran cereals go, we'd have to say that Kellogg's Bran Flakes are our favourite. They're an absolute classic and at 359kcal per 100g, you can enjoy them without feeling guilty. Learn more and buy them here - tesco.com
Skinny Crunch Milk Chocolate Pillows - 432kcal per 100g
432kcal per 100g might sound like quite a lot of calories for a breakfast cereal, especially given the options we've been looking at so far in this guide have been mostly under 400kcal per 100g. But given how tasty and full of chocolate these Milk Chocolate Pillows from Skinny Crunch are, we think it's an impressively low number. They're also 9 calories less per 100g than the Kellogg's Krave Milk Chocolate pillows, which we think taste almost exactly the same. Learn more and buy them here - bmstores.co.uk
Raw Press Beauty granola - 432kcal per 100g
Although there are lots of healthy granola options out there, generally speaking, granola is higher in calories than your standard breakfast cereal. This is because things like nuts and seeds are usually included in granola, which are healthy but also high in calories. However, we wanted to include at least one granola brand in this list because many people like to eat granola for breakfast, and luckily there are options like the Beauty granola from Raw Press which manages to be both low in calories and delicious. This granola is packed with raspberry and goji berries but contains just 432kcal per 100g serving, which for granola is very low. Learn more and buy it here - hollandandbarrett.com
Hopefully, the above list proves that you can enjoy a breakfast cereal which is low in calories and also tastes good. Let us know if you've tried any of our above recommendations or if you'd like us to include any others! If you'd like to read some similar articles, check out our guide to the best low calorie bread you can buy and the best low calorie protein powder.
Finn H
Finn is the editor of You Well and has been writing about travel, health, and more for over 10 years.