Why America is OBSESSED with Cereal

Before cereal made it to our breakfast bowls, it spent decades as a fringe health food nobody would eat. What started as a sincere effort to get people to eat more fiber was quickly overthrown by the allure of sugar, and the commercial power of marketing to children. This is the crazy story of cereal.

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Script: Jaz Papalapoudos
Editor: Kirsten Stanley
Project Manager: Lurana McClure Rodríguez
Host: Levi Hildebrand

[EnriCherry]

In early 2000's I was one of those kids who demanded cereal for breakfast, but luckily my mom was wise and let me eat cereal only occasionally as a treat. Our standard breakfast was sandwiches or eggs in some form (fried, boiled or scrambled) with fresh bread and veggies. It is quick and easy to make, and also quite filling. To this day I consider it to be best breakfast options. Thanks, mom, for not caving in and teaching me how to feed myself properly.

[jaccch]

It all went downhill when they stopped including toys

[PNWGardener]

I used to have lots of nightmares as a kid and later in life I learned that consuming sugary foods right before bed gives me nightmares... guess who was allowed sugary cereal for dinner as a kid in the 90's?

[yourtubisfilled]

Haha, weird Americans with your cereal affliction **eats entire bag of chips while watching this video**

[BM-rdms]

I love these videos. Thank you for going beyond the nonsense we're fed to make us consume mindlessly.

[Wotvr]

Cereal peaked when Chex Mix used to have CD-ROMs of Chex Quest included in them, since then its all been downhill. Two fried eggs on an english muffin with a small slice of cheese, chicken bacon and a little hot sauce is my daily breakfast. I look forward to it every morning and it jumpstarts my day.

[cdpalmer]

Ah yes. Cap’n Crunch. The cereal that would shred the roof of your mouth and made you love it. 😂

[cweaver]

I ate cereal every morning as a kid and even into adulthood. I don't remember ever starting the day with a hoop-de-doo. I feel lied to.

[avipatable]

I also was annoyed my parents never allowed us the sugary cereal - except for one or 2 weeks when on holiday. But now, when I look back, I am so grateful.

[deborahjames]

I really regret the years I bought my kids cereal (the trade off- I thought- was the convenience), now I don't buy it except for Christmas...like a box of chocolates, it should be a treat, not a staple. Now I have learned that I can make oatmeal in the microwave in 1 min, and scrambled eggs in less than 3 mins (yup, that time includes heating the pan), so there is no more excuse for convenience.

[MatthewJBD]

Please make a video on the recent findings of paper straws... How they're actually worse than plastic ones.

[mahogany_honey]

I've given up sugar...I mean cereal years ago....I still walk down that aisle and marvel at the new flavors and memories of old favorites...as I make my way to the oatmeal lol

[rubberlover]

From Behind the Bastards, cornflakes were also supposed to make you less horny which is part of that weird religious spa Kellog ran (he recommend staying in cold baths for days on end until you stopped lusting after people.) I was lucky to have some cereal as a kid but my parents drew the line at cereals like Cookie Crisp which were definitely the Icarus of breakfast cereals.

[cougar]

Great video!

Unplug from movies and pop culture. The feeling of not being bombarded by ads for things that are bad for you is awesome.

[sundiva]

So im Nigerian and things like processed foods are more expensive here. I remember the first time i ever ate Froot Loops. I tell you the worst things ive ever put in my body was energy drinks and friit loops, my body almost shut down and i was even ab adult when i took both

[Noredlac_]

I was so sad when I moved to the US in 08 and cereal didn’t have any toys while cereal in Mexico still came with toys back then.

[goodspeedko]

WOW seeing that honey nut cheerios commercial at 7:12 just brought back a wave of nostalgia. I miss my childhood.

[HudsonBeGood]

Would love to get your thoughts on Three Wishes, wholeheartedly agree Magic Spoon are just ground up protein bars. Three Wishes is much simpler, straightforward and doesn’t use “blends”.

[craesh]

You can make your own cereal breakfast. I mix rolled oats with dried fruits and nuts. It's a pretty good mix of everything and only takes a few seconds to get mixed in a bowl.

No toys included, though.

[TheOnlyTaps]

The script on this episode was superb. The perfect blend of educational and hilarious