If you’re a fan of Raisin Bran cereal, but you’re not a fan of additives like corn syrup when you just want a good bowl of cereal, you have some choices: One, you could write to Kellogg’s (makers of both Raisin Bran and Total Raisin Bran, among others) and express your dissatisfaction, or you could forgo the activism (this works well if you’re hungry) and simply make your own raisin bran without the excess corn syrup and other undesirable ingredients.
Here’s how I made my own raisin bran last Saturday morning:
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I proceeded to my local grocery store, where my first stop was to the scan the cereal aisle in search of a suitable replacement for the bran part of the raisin bran cereal. After several rejections– even the venerable Total contained corn syrup and some other additives I hoped to avoid– I settled on Grape Nuts Flakes. I know: it’s a bit of an unlikely choice, given the original Grape Nuts are personally something I’m not overly excited to try and have consistently avoided for nearly three decades. I think that’s the general consensus of the public as well, though that conclusion is only anecdotal; yet perhaps that could explain why Grape Nuts Flakes have been introduced. This was a risk, as I was choosing the bran base based on ingredients rather than flavor, but I’m happy to report that Grape Nuts Flakes is delicious and worthy, even on its own. Better, it is comprised of relatively tame ingredients, a low sugar count, and of course, whole grains.
- Next, I sought a boxed raisin brand to complete the bran. My fear was that, like many modern food brands which have stood the test of time, Sun-maid raisins would contain additives I wished not to consume. Fortunately I discovered that Sun-maid raisins contain, amazingly, nothing but actual raisins. Hence, I had my raisin and my bran.
- The third and final ingredient I already owned, and here’s where you may debate my choice. To add a bit of additional sweetness, I decided to coat my raisins in sucralose (commonly sold as Splenda brand). You may argue that Splenda’s health effects haven’t been properly studied, and I wouldn’t argue that point. You may also argue that the raisins are sweet as nature intended them; if that’s your preference than simply skip the part where I add additional sweeting to my raisins.
- Now for the mixing: I started by filling a typical cereal bowl with Grape Nuts Flakes.
- Next, I empty 1/2 of a box of raisins into a small bowl. This is on the low side in a typical bowl of cereal- if you like many raisins, add the entire box.
- To the bowl of raisins, I add about 1/2 teaspoon of Splenda (or sugar, if you prefer), then I shake the bowl around until there’s an even coating on the raisins. Be sure to de-clump any raisins at this point. Note: Skip this step if you don’t want to add additional sweetener to your raisins.
- Finally, dump the bowl of raisins into the bowl of Grape Nuts Flakes, stir, and add milk.
When you decide to eat healthier, you don’t need to eschew all your old favorites– simply taking the time to re-create them using choice ingredients can be a great way to cut the junk but keep the comfort food.
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