Cereal Review: Trader Joe’s Honey Nut O’s vs. Honey Nut Cheerios

Trader Joe’s is known for picking either great, healthy brands or using their own name on other healthy products. I’ve always loved their “So This (fruit) Walks Into A Bar” cereal bars for breakfast, but hadn’t tried any of their morning cereals. I bought a 13 ½ ounce box of Trader Joe’s Honey Nut O’s for less than 3 bucks just to give it a try. I used to like Honey Nut Cheerios, but most mainstream cereals are now slimming their box sizes and charging higher prices. Can this Trader Joe’s version give me the same good taste, but healthier?

Ingredients. The ingredients are few, which is a good sign. Simpler is better when it comes to health sometimes because you get less additives and more actual healthy ingredients. Why pay for junk when you can have purity? Whole grain oats tops the ingredients list, followed by sweeteners like sugar, brown sugar and honey. Oat fiber and almonds are also in the mix to give it that nutty taste. Honestly I could do with a little less sugar, but there are only 10 grams per serving. And the Trader Joe’s brand uses real almonds versus almond flavoring like in Honey Nut Cheerios. There are also 2 grams of soluble fiber, which is good to keep your body moving.

Taste. This is a great tasting cereal! Combined with 8th Continent Vanilla Light Skim Milk, I feel like I’m eating something bad for me in the morning. The Honey Nut O’s are honey-sweet to the tongue and have just enough natural crunch to satisfy that crispy, cereal texture. I like eating fibrous cereal without feeling like I’m grazing on a field of un-milled grains. They don’t easily get soggy in the milk, despite not having added preservatives for longevity. If you’re looking to replace your Cheerios, The Trader Joe’s Honey Nut O’s will do just as well, if not better.