Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing everyone a very happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the food, the day and your family and friends.

Mom's Best Naturals

Although Mom's Best Naturals brand has been around for a while, it has only recently made an appearance in my area. I noticed it a few weeks back at Target and finally decided to check it out. There are two cereals available at my local store, Mallow Oats and Toasted Cinnamon Squares. I went with the Mallow Oats, the Lucky Charms type cereal.

I haven't, wouldn't, don't buy Lucky Charms for my kids but I do buy the occasional "sugar" cereal for them (and me). Besides Honey Nut O's and Frosted Shredded Wheats from Trader Joe's, I've bought Gorilla Munch and Panda Puffs from EnviroKidz (Nature's Path Organic), Fruitful O's from Cascadian Farm Organic, and Crunchy Cocoa Puffin Puffs from Barbara's. All of these cereals have superior ingredient lists than their more popular counterparts. And this is the case with Mallow Oats versus Lucky Charms. 

Mom's Best Natural's Mallow Oats ingredients: Whole Grain Oat Flour (Includes Oat Bran), Marshmallows (Evaporated Milled Sugar, Modified Corn Starch, Corn Syrup, Dextrose, Gelatin, Blueberry, Pumpkin And Carrot Concentrates For Color, Natural Flavor), Evaporated Milled Sugar, Corn Syrup, Wheat Starch, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Trisodium Phosphate, Citric Acid. Freshness Preserved With Vitamin E (Mixed Tocopherols).

General Mills Lucky Charms ingredients: Oats (Whole Grain Oats, Flour), Marshmallows (Sugar, Modified Corn Starch, Corn Syrup, Dextrose, Gelatin, Calcium Carbonate, Yellows 5&6, Blue 1, Red 40, Artificial Flavor), Sugar, Corn Syrup, Corn Starch, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Artificial Color, Trisodium Phosphate, Zinc and Iron (Mineral Nutrients), Vitamin C (Sodium Ascorbate), A B Vitamin (Niacinamide), Artificial Flavor, Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B1 (Thiamin Mononitrate), Vitamin A (Palmitate), A B Vitamin (Folic Acid), Vitamin B12, Vitamin D. Vitamin E (Mixed Tocopherols) Added to Preserve Freshness.

In this specific comparison, the red flag for me is the artificial colors, Yellows 5&6, Blue 1 and Red 40. I avoid any products with these ingredients. And you should too. In addition to Mallow Oats not using artificial coloring, they are tasty and affordable. The bowl I ate really satisfied my sweet tooth and for $2.89 a box, they're budget-friendly. I'd get these again and would try other varieties.

FYI: Mom's Best Naturals' parent brand is Malt-O-Meal. It's their "natural" line of products. From what I've read Mom's is a play on the famous "MOM" (Malt-O-Meal) acronym.