We all know fiber is important. We know it improves digestion, eases constipation, helps prevent heart disease and cancer, regulates blood sugars, contributes to feelings of satiety, provides food for our beneficial gut bacteria and helps manage our weight. In fact, we could go on and on about all the amazing benefits of a high fiber diet.
So what’s our issue with Fiber One products? Considering that daily fiber goals should be in the 25-40 gram range, what could be so bad about a cereal that provides 14 grams of fiber in a single serving?
Here is a wonderful opportunity to go behind the scenes of a brilliant marketing campaign, and one that can ultimately WORSEN your health, not improve it. We call this tactic misFEEDing.
Let’s take a peek beyond the nutrition claims on the front of the box (57% of your daily fiber! Whole grain as the first ingredient! 60% less sugar! 10 grams of protein!). At first glance, these claims seem pretty terrific. Less sugar, lots of fiber, more protein. But at what cost?
A closer look brings us to the Ingredients List, where we find the following:
- “Low sugar” products, such as the Original Fiber One cereal contain: Splenda, a potentially harmful artificial sweetener.
- “High protein” cereals/bars, such as their Protein Sweetened Granola, contain: sugar, barley malt, corn syrup, fructose and molasses, all just various names for processed sugar. End result? This cereal has 16 (yes 16!) grams of sugar per serving. That is the equivalent of 4 teaspoons. Plus the protein source is from soy protein isolate, a processed form of soy that is made from GMO’s (genetically modified organisms).
- Lo-calorie snack bars, such as the 90 calorie Chocolate Peanut Butter contain: glycerin, invert sugar, brown sugar and fructose. This little tiny bar has 9 grams of sugar (that’s just over 2 teaspoons) of added sugar, and nothing beneficial to speak of.
- Most products contain: maltodextrin, polydextrose, inulin, and cellulose. Otherwise known as functional fibers, they are non-digestible carbohydrates that are isolated from foods and then added to products to up their fiber content.
These pop up in the ingredient lists of various processed foods, such as breads, yogurt, and even ice cream. They are different from dietary fibers, which occur naturally in fruits, vegetables, beans/legumes, and whole grains. Technically not “bad” in and of themselves, but by upping fiber contents of processed foods, they can make an unhealthy food appear healthy by virtue of a high fiber content.
We could go through almost every Fiber One product and point out the unhealthy ingredients and the list would go on and on. Chemicals, preservatives and food dyes are abundant and add to the list of refined sugars and artificial sweeteners.
With that in mind, here are some take-a-way lessons:
- Don’t believe everything you read on the box. Go to the Ingredients List to get the REAL scoop on what’s in your food.
- Low calorie is NOT usually better. When food companies promote low calorie, their products inevitably contain artificial sweeteners and other processed ingredients. Read HERE and HERE about the downfalls of consuming artificial sweeteners.
- Get your fiber from REAL food. A serving of Fiber One cereal may offer 14 grams of fiber. But this fiber source, stripped from real food (aka functional fiber), will be devoid of ANY of the amazing health benefits that comes along with eating real foods. An equal amount of fiber from whole food sources such as avocados, broccoli, apples, lentils, whole grain oats, walnuts or ground flaxseeds provide potassium, monounsaturated heart healthy fat, folate, magnesium, vitamins A, C, and B complex, and a host of antioxidants.
We know it’s tempting to take short cuts and purchase products that are convenient and seemingly healthy. But please be savvy when reading labels. Remember that simple short cuts can actually have long-term affects on your health.
If you need help making healthy food choices, we can help! A great first step is to check out our private Facebook group Nutrition and Lifestyle Hacks for Women over 50.
Now let’s hear from you? Where do you get most of your fiber from? Has our post inspired you to look a little more closely at your food labels? Share your thoughts with us!
Thank you for this article. It helps to be reminded that convenience comes at a cost to our health. My kids complain sometimes about my making them healthy meals but I am persisting. Today I made my family a breakfast of oatmeal with chopped apple, dried cranberries, walnuts, sunflower seeds and a drizzle of maple syrup. We had strawberries, apple slices and watermelon chunks on the side. The kids also drank a glass of milk. I felt like the kids were all powered up for running club after that! Tomorrow may not be as good, but I try my best a day at a time.
Linda wow you are doing a great job. And yes it helps to be reminded. We all need that from time to time! It IS more work to prep a healthy breakfast but it doesn’t have to take tons of time, and the benefits your kids will receive are SO worth it. You just have to do the best you can every day – it won’t always be perfect and that’s ok!
I saw you had two links to articles about reasons to be cautious of artificial sweeteners, but those were linked to blog posts on this website. Could you share some of your more peer-reviewed sources?
Hi Colin – Great question. We have a bunch. The best place to see a lot of research is by going to the video link below from Nutritionfacts.org and clicking on the “sources cited” link under the video. He shares lots of peer-reviewed articles/studies on the deleterious effects of many artificial sweeteners. Hope this helps.
Access link here: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/effect-of-sucralose-splenda-on-the-microbiome/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwreT8BRDTARIsAJLI0KJ0cr55idYBTn6fHjkUYh34Rl5hQXf53idQyk2DdvRWPsUXRZ0zf6UaAna7EALw_wcB
Awesome. I guess they had me fooled, but it was my particular fault. Thanks a bunch for such a thorough article. Keep it up!
My sister is on the 1 diet and raving about fiber one cereal. Aren’t legûmes and other high fiber items better for her? What should I tell her?
Hi Wendy – Ideally getting fiber from whole food sources is the best route for overall health. The whole food fiber sources will provide a generous amount of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in addition to some being good sources of protein (like legumes) or fats (like nuts, seeds, avocado) to improve health in ALL areas, not just weight loss. Plus, if the product has artificial sweeteners, that won’t be beneficial in the long run. Hope that helps!
Great article…My Mom loves FiberOne cereal and she’s a diabetic! I’ve tried telling her for years that the “crap” ingredients out weighed the benefits. I’m sending her this article…hopefully she’ll believe you! lol
Thanks for sharing that Rosina. Sometimes it helps when you see information from someone else. Hope this helps convince her to switch to something healthier!
I have mixed feelings, I use to eat these bars every 3 hours or so a day, as a meal replacement and I went from being 2 points away from being diabetic, and I was over 400 pounds.. but as soon as I started eating these guys, I got down to 295 LB in one year.. but I had to stop eating them it made me nauseous, and I gained all that weight back in the last 15 year plus+ and then found out I had stage 2 right sides colon cancer.. no idea if the bars did it, but I think I might have had the cancer in me longer then I was eating the bars, for personal reasons I feel this.. point is everyone is different and it’s all on choice.. there are loads of healthy things that will kill you faster then fiber bars..
Hi Thomas – thanks so much for commenting and sharing your story and feedback. We agree with you that these are not the worst things! We just want people to be informed and not believe that all their fiber should come from bars or pills – getting the fiber from whole food sources is so much healthier and well rounded and nutrient dense. Does that make sense?
I’m diabetic too and eat fibre one . Who wants to eat broccoli for breakfast. Nearly impossible to get fibre needed in a day
We hear ya Kevin. No need to eat broccoli for breakfast (although it is great in an omelet). Check out one of our chia pudding recipes or smoothies – a delicious easy way to get fiber
The package also says under the flap where you can’t read it that this product is produced with genetic engineering what the heck is that?
Deb it means that the seeds are genetically modified (GMO’s). They have been injected with a toxin that aids the plants resistance to weed killer (so the farmer can spray weed killer on his crop and the weeds will perish but the plant will be “fine”. We are not fans, obviously.
I was on the same page as your mom. I scoured through all the fiber cereals in my supermarket and came up with Fiber One because of the lower sugar levels along with high fiber level. I now got the memo and I’m trashing my box. I don’t choose to have sucralose in my gut. tks for the heads up on this cereal!
How else would you expect for a breakfast cereal to be able to give you that much fiber and still taste good of course it has artificial sweetener It’s not just a bunch of vegetables shoved into a cereal box , It’s a great cereal and it’s very good for you as compared to any other cereal Ask yourself this Is it better than a McDonald’s breakfast sandwich for you ? If not advertise to be perfect but it’s all we got If we analyzed every cereal like you have analyzed this one nobody would eat anything I’m enjoying a bowl of fiber one as we speak Thanks
Thanks for sharing Howard. We appreciate your sentiment! We do strive for better, not perfect. Of course it’s up to everyone to decide what their boundaries are for their food choices and do what serves them best and makes the most sense in their individual diet.
Original Fiber One cereal no longer contains aspartame. It was the reason I stopped eating it. I am now giving it a second chance for those times when I’m in a rush.
Now it has sucralose instead — still a fake sugar and not very healthy.
Plus, Fiber One Cereal is very expensive!
I agree with you. Sucralose is a much better choice and one I will allow versus aspartame or diabetes from sugar. I’m now eating original again on a regular basis.
I suffered terribly from constipation. I completely changed my diet to include plenty of water and foods naturally high in fiber. It helped a bit, but I was still struggling. I discovered Fiber One Original and, I hate to say this, it was like a miracle. I still eat a healthy diet but Fiber One truly saved me. No more aspartame and a serving is 1/2 a cup. Can’t imagine life without it.
Hi Nellie,
That is great that the Fiber One has helped you. Good to know they have a version without the aspartame. As long as people remember (as you are doing) that they still need to get most of their fiber from whole foods, which will contain much needed vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc that you won’t find in a more processed food product.
Hi my name is INcrease and I like you am all about supreme nutrition. Based on people’s responses, please update your post as many people who come here need encouragement to make BETTER choices, and Fiber One is a FANTASTIC upgrade from what most are probably doing! √√√
Thanks for your post INcrease but we cannot get behind a product that steers people away from eating fresh whole foods in favor of products that are artificial. They may have a few items that are okay. However the majority of the foods marketed under their label (though they may APPEAR to be better choices) clearly are not at closer inspection. Food dyes, artificial sweeteners, and highly processed ingredients is not something we like to promote. And their marketing tactics are misleading and dishonest.
You seem to have a giant vendetta against General Mills. They are not in any way steering people away from eating healthy. You are doing the same thing you acuse them of doing…misleading your public. They never said their cereal was better than natural fruits and vegetables, you did.
Anyway, you should not eat cereal instead of fresh natural food…but if you want a quick source of fiber, this cereal is a good source.
Hi Fernando – We appreciate your comment. In no way have a vendetta but its important for the public to be informed as the food companies have a ton of leeway in what they are allowed to claim on the packaging. Many (not all) of the General Mills products contain unsavory ingredients like artificial sweeteners, excess sugar, food dyes, GMO corn and soy, etc. We want our followers to read the ingredient list and be knowledgeable about what is actually in the food, not just read the front of the package which may state low cal, low sugar, high fiber, etc. That does not tell the whole story. I just checked the Fiber One website and it seems they have since removed the page where they were comparing a bowl of cereal to all the healthy natural sources of fiber, so I am pleased with that update!
agree
Thanks for digging in to the ingredients list deeper I have also found fiber one is very helpful to get me moving in the morning Is there any alternative cold cereal that is more natural that you suggest. My diet overall contains lots of fruit and veggies but even with things like oatmeal which I love it does not stimulate me like Fiber one does, knowing it is processed alot I affectionately call it Cardboard One but a small portion in the AM really works for me
Hi Dan – thanks for responding. We haven’t found any cold cereal we love that has a huge amount of fiber. Our favorite is 3 Wishes, though this has 3 grams per serving. We do find ground flax works really well so if you can add 2 TBS to your cold cereal or hot cereal like oatmeal (that mixes even better). Getting lots of fluids and some healthy fat for lubrication also helps move things through as well 🙂
Fiber One is a gigantic improvement over what we used to eat for breakfast and we are generally feeling better due to it. It also has helped us limit our daily calorie intake and lose weight. Considering the danger of being overweight, it was a fair trade off. Perhaps not the healthiest but still better than before.
I have to wonder how many social media personnel employed by Fiber One are writing these rebuttals. Ha! You know every company sends their employees to troll the intranet to “manage” negative press. That said, unless Fiber One says “Organic” than its absolute crap in a fancy package. That “crap” tastes good because of the sugars. A twix bar mixed with oats and chicory root is essentially a fiber one bar. People will justify what they want to justify and that is exactly the people FiberOne wants as their customer base. The company doesn’t care about real health, but making profits. They are no different than any other company — unless it’s a company that has a USDA Organic label and non GMO. That’s a company who pays extra for audits and inspections of their foods in the pursuit of creating a healthy snack. Like Stonyfield (shout out!)
Thanks for you reply Kelly! And yes we are fans of Stonyfield Farms, and love the new addition of their grassfed yogurts!
I don’t work for any company, but I eat Fibre One cereal regularly and am a healthy individual. I have diabetic friends that also eat this cereal with no issue. Just because it’s not “Organic” doesn’t mean it’s necessarily bad for you.
Fiber one brownies. You have to open the fold at the back of the package to get at the ingredient truths. The last line says” Partially Produced with Genetic Engineering”. There is no telling what was genetically engineered. Thanks to your blog I’ve now got some clue. I tossed the remainder of the box in the trash and will never buy them again. I’m determined to not eat genetically engineered food. But how do we know.
Good to hear Denise! One great way is to look for the NON GMO project label on food. Once you see it one time, you will start to notice it on many products
While I agree Fiber 1 is no replacement for lentils etc…I’m going to eat a bowl of cereal for breakfast no matter what. I’d choose Fiber 1 over Fruity Pebbles obviously!
Good point Heather – just be sure to avoid the artificial sweeteners and keep the sugar content to a minimum. Oh and we suggest bulking up your cereal with fresh fruit and perhaps some nuts or seeds for good protein, fat, and an array of quality vitamins and minerals.
I eat Kellogg’s Bran Buds, if I can’t find Fiber One. I use unsweetened organic almond milk. I add fruit when I have it.
Bill thanks for posting. Just be sure to include fiber from other sources as we mentioned in the article. And choose the fiber cereals that don’t use artificial sweeteners (a little bit of sugar is better than the artificial).
I just purchased a box and feeling much better in the tummy area it really has helped. I measure out 1/2 a cup with coconut milk and add berries. I also make sure to include plenty of fruit and veggies throughout the day. I’ve also started drinking Dandelion tea which I read helps lower blood pressure but all articles say it’s good for digestion.
Kimberly that is great! As long as you don’t rely on the cereal to provide all the fiber in your day you should be in good shape. We love dandelion tea – good for the liver too.
very nice post, i definitely love this website, keep on it
Thanks Tamara!
I don’t think there’s anything wrong at all with a bowl of Fibre One cereal in the morning when you have a balanced diet. I also know several diabetic individuals who eat Fibre One regularly without any issues.
Hi Patrick- thanks for sharing your comment! We agree that there are plenty of foods that are not “perfect” that can fit into an otherwise balanced diet. What we are not happy about is that much of the marketing is misleading to consumers. Many companies get away with unproven marketing claims or lure consumers to a product that may actually not be good for their health long term.
I eat a cup of Fiber One every morning along with a banana and blueberries/blackberries or strawberries. I am a very busy person who simply does not have the time to search everyday for a different and refreshing source of fiber. I view this as a task, like brushing and flossing, taking a shower, etc.
Reading this as I’m (sadly) chomping down on a Fibre One bar. Yep, I should know better, but fell into the convenience trap. It definitely seems that if something comes in a cardboard box, it will have an ingredient list a mile long with lots of dubious ingredients. I’ve got to make the effort to eat more whole foods and cut-out stuff like this. My results from a recent blood test indicate the need to get off the “easy eating train”.
Thanks for you insights!!!
Hi Chris thanks for commenting! We feel you don’t have to strive to get tons of fiber from a bar as long as you get your fibers from whole foods. Instead of bars you can snack on a handful of nuts or seeds (here is a great recipe – you can make a batch and put in baggies to take with you). Or you can try the RX BARS which have some nice fiber and protein.
Hi.
I have to say, out of everything I have tried over the years in order to ensure my digestive system is working properly, Fibre One Honey Clusters cereal is the only thing that has ever helped me be regular. When you deal with constant digestive issues for years on end and nothing seems to work then this cereal comes along and actually helps you daily to feel better by actually being able to go, I don’t care what else is in the cereal that may not be so good for me. Honestly, unless you know what it’s like to have years of consipation, IBS etc and the doctors have no clue why, this cereal has been a god send for me. I swear by the stuff and would recommend it to anyone who has had these types of issues for a long time. Fruits, veggies and other grains have never worked for me. Even doing fibre drinks have not been nearly as helpful as Fibre One cereal.
Thanks for sharing your experience! We would only say that with chronic constipation its important to look at the root cause as there can be an underlying condition that needs attention. Glad the ceral worked for you. As long as you also include other whole foods from a wide variety of sources that that sounds good to us 🙂
Hear, hear. Fiber One Original has been an absolute godsend to me and actually cleared up some issues I was having with anal fissures and hemmoroids. Buddha bless this stuff. It worked where literally nothing else had. I tried plenty of all natural alternatives to no avail. I consider this a medicine of sorts. YMMV, but it works spectacularly for me. I am before anything else, quite pragmatic.
Thanks for sharing Jessica! We are glad it helped you. We just want folks to be aware of the ones made with artificial sweeteners and not to forgo good whole foods in lieu of just eating cereal. As long as you are also getting in fruits and veggies that sounds like a good plan to us.
This means a lot to me when I’m trying to be healthy and eat smarter. I attended a nutritional workshop last week and we were told to read everything before we buy it. I’ve always thought these were healthy options, but now I see the real truth. Thank you for keeping us informed. Keep doing it.
Thanks for sharing Brenda!
So what are good replacements for the many who have been eating Fiber One for a long time?
Hi Brenda- Great question – If you are looking for overall fiber in your diet, focus more on whole foods in general like apples, oatmeal, quinoa, lots of veggies, chia seeds, sweet potatoes, etc. For breakfast, you can rack up a lot of fiber from a chia pudding, or even warm oatmeal (with a little added oat bran) and some walnuts and blueberries. Or a smoothie with fruit, chia seeds, and some greens. If you want something cold, your best bet is to go with a lower sugar organic cereal (something like Nature’s Path Mesa Sunrise) and add some nuts/seeds and fresh fruit. You may not get as much fiber in one bowl as compared to Fiber 1 but you can make up for it in other ways throughout the day (with the foods mentioned earlier).
Thanks NG for the support, I guess I’ll give up Fiber One (original) and just go back to bacon, pancakes and hash browns for breakfast.
Hi Roger –
We appreciate your comment but think you are missing the point we are making. We are trying to educate our readers about truth in labeling, and how to avoid common pitfalls. As for a quick easy cereal at breakfast, we like many of Nature’s Path cereals (the Qia line is great) and you can always add in some nuts and seeds for extra fiber.
This information regarding fiber one containing aspartame is UNTRUE!! If you read the label, which I currently have a box, it contains surculose NOT aspartame. Totally different sweetener. I’ve been using surculose (spelnda) for yrs with no adverse effects. Aspartame is known to cause cancer. Please update your blog with correct, not misleading info. Thanks
Thank you ML for the info and we HAVE updated our blog to reflect that change. That being said, many of the other issues still apply. And we are not convinced of the safety of Splenda despite the fact that you personally may not be feeling any side effects. The other issues we mention in the blog still apply re consuming artificial sweeteners. This is a good objective article re Splenda. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sucralose-good-or-bad
I recently discovered I suffer with GERD, so my entire diet had to be modified . One of the many healthy foods to include is whole grain so I decided to try original Fiber One. I also added sprouted whole grain bread and tortilla. The bread and tortilla are awesome, no reactions at all! I tried the Fiber One Cereal today and oh boy, that was tough, horrible reaction! It must of been the sweetners it contains because I quickly had a reaction (I need to avoid sugar and salt as much as possible). I LOVED the taste, but the ingredients I guess just don’t work with me . Thank you for detailing the ingredients it contains, it makes sense now why I can’t include this cereal in my diet
Hi Lulu thanks for sharing. You can increase the fiber using all the other whole food plant based sources we talked about like oats, avocado, chia seeds, etc. Glad this was helpful!
Great article!. Still relevant in 2020. Although, my diet is primarily plant based, my cholesterol levels are still a bit high. I needed more fiber in my diet so, did some research and found Fiber-One as a great addition to my diet. Consumer Reports rates Fiber-One as a top choice when compared to other brands and included fiber content and sugar. To my surprise as I tasted Fiber-One, my first thought was ‘Wow, this is great, but yet its kinda sweet, like artificially sweet’. I checked the nutritional values, Sugar – 0g. When I checked the ingredients, there it is was ‘sucralose’. Yeah, I get it sucralose is not sugar, but CR and others are re-missed in not point out this detail. The search continues! Thanks!
Thanks for sharing! As you can see there are so many other good choices for fiber from whole plant foods, which will deliver so many more other nutrients besides fiber as well. If you love cereal, just choose an organic brand with no more than 4 grams sugar per serving. Take only 1/2 cup and “bulk” it up with a sprinkle of ground flax seeds, a handful of walnuts or almonds, and some chopped fresh fruit.
great article is fiber one really that bad for you?. I have been eat oatmeal until I found out that it blocks the absorption of vitamin d. so I have went back to eating a half bowl of fiber one each morning with blueberrys and bananas. do you think eating fiber one is really bad for your health in the long run because it seems like we find something wrong in everything we eat.
Hi Calvin! Great question. I believe they now have a version that does not have artificial sweeteners. The main point is that as long as your overall diet has plenty of fruits and vegetables and sources of real natural fiber then you should be fine. That being said, if your cereal is something you eat every day, you want to be sure it doesn’t contain yucky ingredients. We have not heard anything about oatmeal blocking vitamin D absorption. That would be one of our favorite breakfast choices!
Wonderful article. I typically do not eat cereal even though I love it. I stick to food in its natural form as much as possible. I bought Fiber One as a backup and a treat to have once in a while with berries. Going to throw it away and stick to obtaining fiber and nutrients in their natural form. Enjoyed the read.
Glad you found this helpful Cheri, and thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I bought this asking about best fibre cereal and it was by far had the most fibre but after buying looked at the ingredients and did not notice it had sucralose I would have never bought it. Frustrating that a cereal like this would have such bad ingredients. Upset with myself I did not do enough research and with covid not checking it out in the store better.
Thanks for sharing Judy. It can be surprising where the artificial sweeteners lurk!
Can you do this in-depth information on Uncle Sam cereal? It looks pretty good w only 1 gram of sugar.
Hi Molly the original looks good. Only issue is if someone is celiac or intolerant to gluten (more common than most realize)!