Cereal think outside the bowl: this breakfast staple is getting a makeover with our dos and don'ts for filling your morning bowl

Let's face it: Cereal is often guilty of almost every cardinal sins of nutrition. Sugar. Marshmallows. Food dyes. Artificial flavors. More sugar. But before it became an American breakfast staple with sky-high sugar counts, cereal had a clean record--as a nourishing food for health spa patients. In 1863, sanatorium operator and vegetarian lames Caleb Jackson invented the first cereal in an attempt to combat the digestive woes of a population that routinely ate meat for breakfast. The cereal, which he named Granula, was composed of heavy bran nuggets that required overnight soaking to be chewable.

Fast forward to the 1950s, when cereal morphed into an almost dessert-like food, with up to 56 percent sugar packed in one bowl! Today, many grocery aisles still overflow with not-so-healthful options, but fortunately, it is possible to return to cereal's noble roots. The fight kind can provide a host of nutritional benefits, from fiber to B vitamins like folate and niacin to minerals like iron, magnesium, and selenium.

Lighten Up

"I always recommend looking for a cereal that's flaky or puffy as opposed to dense and nuggety; lighter cereals usually contain fewer calories per portion than more dense ones," says Elisa Zied, MS, RD, author of Feed Your Family Right! and a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. With any cereal, it's best to eat no more than 1-2 cups per serving, she advises. This can contain up to two whole-grain servings while leaving room for low-fat milk or other add-ons.

Be a Label Lover

"Look for three key numbers [on labels]: calories, fiber grams, and sugar grams," says Zied. She recommends cereals that contain no more than 200 calories per cup, provide at least 4 g of fiber, and add up to less than 15 g of sugar per serving. Stay away from labels that list sugar, dextrose, and high fructose corn syrup as ingredients, particularly if they are among the first five ingredients.

Go Grainy

When selecting a boxed cereal, look for whole-grain varieties. Whole grains are high in fiber and can help prevent type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even some cancers. To glean the full benefit of whole grains.

Beatrice Trum Hunter, author of A Whole Foods Primer, says you may want to avoid boxed cereals altogether. "They have a lot of additives that are not all that desirable. It would be not only more nutritious but less expensive to get whole grains either loose or in packages," she says. Brown rice, barley, steel-cut oatmeal, quinoa, amaranth, millet, buckwheat, or bulgur can all provide a nutritious breakfast when cooked. Many health food stores have a bulk bin section featuring a variety of cereal grains. Hunter suggests soaking the grains with dried fruit overnight, and then adding sunflower seeds and a little half-and-half after cooking it in the morning.

Substitute for Sugar

A few final tips for boosting your morning bowl's nutritional value: "An ideal way of sweetening cereal is to simply add some dried fruit--raisins or currants, dried apricots, prunes, mango, pineapple, or banana," says Hunter. You can also reduce sugar by mixing sweetened cereals with less sugary ones. Or top with fresh fruit like berries and a sprinkle of stevia or drizzle of honey.

Bowled Over!

Fill your morning bowl with cereals that rank high in taste and nutrition--and give you staying power for the day ahead, Here are a few to try.

Kashi Mountain Medley Granola

Often associated with high fat and calories, granola is now guilt-free and deliciously indulgent, thanks to Kashi. Their MOUNTAIN MEDLEY GRANOLA is a sweet mix of sundried cranberries, raisins, almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, and crunchy whole grains. Also available in Orchard Spice blend.

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Nature's Path Flax Plus Pumpkin Raisin Crunch

FLAX PLUS PUMPKIN RAISIN CRUNCH is the newest addition to the Nature's Paths Flax Plus line of cereals, and it's already one of the company's most popular cereals. This nutrient-packed blend redefines power breakfast with 650 mg of omega-3 fats per serving, 16 g of whole grains, 9 g of fiber, and 340 mg of potassium-and great taste too.

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Mom's Best Naturals Sweetened Wheat-fuls

Let your kids eat sweetened cereals again--without worrying about their health or weight. SWEETENED WHEATFULS satisfies sugar cravings while also providing a filling breakfast option. Each serving of the whole-grain wheat cereal has 6 g of fiber and 11 g of sugar (in the form of evaporated cane and/or sugar beet juice). Other varieties include Raisin Bran, Honey Nut Toasty O's, and Mallow Oats.

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Back to Nature Flax & Fiber Crunch

Unlike many fiber cereals that are bland and surprisingly high in sugar, FLAX& FIBER CRUNCH from Back to Nature, combines great taste (from wheat flakes, puffed wheat, rolled oats, crispy rice, corn flakes, and flaxseed) with smart nutrition. Each bowl provides 9 g of fiber, potassium, essential fatty acids from flax, and numerous other vitamins and minerals.