Can You Eat Cereal on Keto?

If you’ve made the decision to finally lose weight and get into a healthy routine, that’s great news! It means you’re serious about making a commitment to your long-term health. That being said, one of the most difficult tasks we can do is to lose weight, and lots of folks struggle with finding the right balance between diet and exercise. While we all know that eating right and increasing our physical activity is the tried and true way to drop pounds, sometimes we just don’t see the results we’ve hoped for.

This is why people experiment with different diets, to see if one of them will help them finally lose inches and pounds. One of the more popular diets that people have had success with is the keto diet, which is a low carb and high fat approach to losing weight. If you’ve decided to try this diet, you may be concerned that you can no longer have one of your breakfast staples—cereal. Or can you? Let’s delve a little deeper into this topic and discuss:

• The variety of keto diets you can try
• Whether or not you can eat cereal on keto
• The kinds of cereal to look for on the keto diet

The keto diet — you do have options!

There isn’t just one way to follow the keto diet

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If you’re serious about losing weight, the keto diet could be for you. There are a few different ways you can approach it, and it doesn’t always have to be as restricting as you might fear. The original keto diet splits up your daily macros into proportions that follow a 75/20/5 of fats/protein/carbs. This is a pretty stringent approach, but lots of people have had success with it. There are other approaches that still focus on lowering your daily amounts of carbs, such as:

• Keto 2.0. This is a version of the keto diet that isn’t as strict as the ratios listed above, and instead can be 50/30/20 of fats/protein/carbs. This gives you more options when it comes to deciding what to consume, and people are more likely to stick to this type of approach in the long run. Traditional keto is difficult to maintain for longer periods of time, and it is meant as a short term solution to drop weight. Having a little more wiggle room when it comes to carbs helps lots of folks stay on track, but still stay aware of what they’re consuming.

• Mediterranean diet. This diet is very popular with folks who are a little wary of the types of fats that are consumed with traditional keto. In that diet, you’re encouraged to get your fats from all kinds of sources, including cheese, bacon, butter, and creams, all of which can be high in cholesterol and have an impact on the health of your heart. The Mediterranean diet instead promotes the types of fats you’d find common to this area of the world, which are olive oil, fish, nuts, seeds, and avocados. This is a more heart-healthy approach that still limits your carbs to vegetables and whole grains. 

• Low carb, high fat diet. You can also choose to follow a diet that just limits the amount of carbs you consume daily, and doesn’t necessarily have a name. You can try and limit the amount of carbs you consume to 100-150g, which is still lower than what you probably consumed in the past. Lots of athletes like this type of diet because it gives their bodies the fuel they need to get through workouts or extensive training sessions. Since your carbs are higher than the traditional keto, you have access to longer lasting forms of energy besides burning ketones. 

There are few varieties of the keto and low carb diets, and there’s no doubting the success that others have had with them. If you decide that keto could be something that’s right for you, it’s important to understand the benefits as well as some potential drawbacks.

Pros

• You’re likely to lose weight on keto, but the key is to keep it off. Lots of folks use this as a short term solution, or something they do to jump start their weight loss. You may find it difficult to sustain a strict keto diet for the long term. This is where keto 2.0 or the Mediterranean diet may come in handy.
• This type of diet encourages you to eat more fats than you’re probably used to, and this is why a lot of people start this diet in the first place. You’re limiting your carbs, so you’ve got to get the majority of your nutrients and calories from fat and protein.
• There are a lot of options out there for keto specific items, (like cereal!) and companies have all kinds of products available for those following the keto diet. Whether you want snacks, shakes, or a full meal, the popularity of this diet has created all kinds of delicious keto-friendly products.

Cons

• This diet is difficult to maintain in the long term. Although people have had success losing weight, it’s another thing entirely to keep it off. This is why making lifestyle changes is incredibly important when you want to lose weight. 
• Because you’re limiting what you can consume, you may be missing out on important vitamins and minerals your body needs. Keeping carbs low means you’re also missing out on a healthy amount of fiber, which is an essential component to the digestive system and our health.
• Increasing the amount of saturated fat in your daily diet might not be so great for your heart health. This is especially true if you have an elevated risk for heart disease, so make sure to speak to your doctor before starting keto. 

Can you eat cereal on keto?

Are you allowed to eat any kind of cereal on keto?

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If you’re following the keto diet, you’re counting your carbs (and other macros) daily so you can lose weight. If you’re a fan of cereal, then you probably think that since it’s made from rice, bran, oats, or corn it’s off limits. And yes, this is true of most traditional cereal that you’ve probably had in the past such as Cheerios, Rice Chex, or Corn Flakes, but did you know there are all kinds of keto-friendly cereals out there?

That’s right, say goodbye to the high sugar and high carb cereals, and say hello to specially made cereals that are low in carbs, and still have tons of taste. Keto-friendly cereals are usually made with ingredients like nuts, seeds, coconut based products, and lots of other naturally low carb choices. So many people like having cereal in the morning because it’s an easy way to start the day and doesn’t require tons of prep. You can continue to enjoy cereal, just make sure it’s made for your low carb lifestyle.

You can enjoy your keto cereal dry in the morning (or as a snack later in the day) with plant-based milk like almond or coconut on top. You’ll want to avoid traditional cow’s milk, since that has a higher carb content. Not to worry, plant based milks taste delicious, and can be easier to digest. 

What types of cereal can you eat on the keto diet?

You can eat either hot or cold cereal on the keto diet, just make sure the carb content is low, and that it’s made with keto friendly ingredients. If there’s 5-6 grams or less of net carbs, that’s a good start, but also pay attention to the protein amount, as this is what will keep you fuller for longer. 

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If you’re looking for a delicious, low carb high protein cereal to start your day, then you’ve got to try out BariWise Low Carb Protein Cereal. This tasty cereal comes in 2 flavors that taste delicious, but without all the unnecessary sugar and carbs. Each serving has 15 grams of protein, 6 grams of net carbs, and 2-3 grams of fiber to ensure you stay fuller for longer. With just 120 calories or less and 1 gram of sugar or less, this is a great keto-friendly way to start your day, or have as a snack!

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Another great cereal you can eat on keto is WonderSlim’s Low Carb Protein Cereal. Each single serving has 120 calories, 4 grams of net carbs, and just 1 gram of sugar or less. Did we mention there are 16 grams or less of plant based protein included to keep you feeling satisfied? Additionally, there’s also 4 grams or less of fiber to keep you feeling good until your next meal. Either enjoy with your favorite plant based milk, or eat it right out of the packaging as a snack!

You don’t have to stop eating cereal on keto!

If you love cereal and are on the keto diet, you don’t have to give up what you love! Just make sure to find keto-friendly cereal that is low in carbs and will keep you full.