Brand: Post
Origin: USA
Specialises in: Cereals
Where to buy: NTUC or other leading supermarkets
Product: Alpha-Bits wholesome sweetened oat and corn cereal
Weight: 11.5oz (326g)
Serving size for children below 4: 3/4cup (21g)
Vitamin D promotes healthy bones and teeth by helping the body absorb calcium and is important for a growing child's health needs. However, not many foods are rich in Vitamin D. Post's Alpha-Bits cereal claims to be an excellent source of vitamin D over and above the fact that it contains 11 essential vitamins and minerals. Also a good source of vitamins B1, B6 and B12 - to help support a child's healthy nervous system - this cereal is made with the child in mind.
This cereal contains 15g whole grain per 28g serving and is made with whole grain oat flour as its main ingredient.
"Eating more whole-grains has been shown to lower the risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart diseases, diabetes and certain cancers. The health benefits of whole-grains are not just contributed by fibre or any single nutrient. Instead, the different components all work together to protect your health. For example, vitamin E, selenium and phytic acid found in whole-grains have antioxidant effects which may help prevent damage to blood vessels, while soluble fibre helps reduce blood cholesterol. These play a role in lowering the risk of developing heart disease.
Whole-grains may also support weight management as they provide bulk to the diet. This promotes the feeling of fullness and helps reduce the risk of overeating."
If nutrition isn't enough to get this box of cereal into your shopping trolley, then perhaps the element of fun while eating might (read: great for fussy eaters):
On the packaging, there are two suggestions as to how to play games with the cereal:
Taste-wise, though it is sweetened, it isn't overly sweet and is suitable for children's consumption.
It's great as fingerfood or with milk but because it's sweetened, I wouldn't recommend this for children below the age of 1.
The downside of this cereal is that the alphabets aren't crafted all that beautifully as what's shown on the packaging and I believe after almost finishing the whole pack of cereal with Alicia, I haven't found the complete set of the alphabets. Many times I get Alicia asking, "this is...?" with reference to what alphabet the cereal is supposed to be. Some Ds look like Os, Fs are rare, Z is few and far between and I think I really haven't found G or K!
On top of that, there are scrape bits of cereal that don't form any alphabets and sad to say, if Alicia's looking carefully at the bowl, she would chuck those aside and go for those pieces that are recognizable as alphabets. Thus the fun part is actually diluted by the fact that the pieces aren't crafted as well as say alphabet pastas. :)
