October 23, 2006

Sam's Your Uncle: Review of Uncle Sam Cereal

Really Natural reader Matt from Quincy, MA recently suggested that we offer up a review of Uncle Sam Cereal, his favorite breakfast meal, which he'd been forced to order on Amazon when his local Whole Foods stopped carrying it.

According to Wikipedia,

Uncle Sam Cereal is a ready-to eat breakfast cereal first introduced in 1908 and is presently manufactured and marketed by natural food manufacturer U.S. Mills of Needham, Massachusetts.
It was that year that company founder Lafayette Coltrin of Omaha was instructed by his personal physician to add flaxseed to his diet. Coltrin so enjoyed the taste of toasted flaxseed on the whole wheat flakes he ate for breakfast that he decided to market the combination. Given his resemblance to Uncle Sam, Coltrin named his new cereal after him. The top-hatted silhouette of "Uncle Sam" on the box is, in fact, Coltrin's.

The cereal consists solely of vitamin-enriched toasted whole wheat kernels pressed flat into flakes. Whole, toasted flaxseed is then mixed with the flakes. The result is a high-fiber, ready-to-eat cereal with a low glycemic index and, because of the flaxseed, an exceptionally high amount of omega-3 per serving.

So that's the background.

On a recent visit , our Whole Foods had Uncle Sam in stock, so we recently picked up a box and dug into it yesterday morning. Long story short: Matt's right; it's delicious.

Some tasting notes: We bought original Uncle Sam, because the original is the original, and also because it only cost $1.99 at our Whole Foods (vs. $3.69 for Uncle Sam Mixed Berries). As mentioned above, the cereal has a low glycemic index because of its whole grain wheat flakes and whole toasted flax seeds; it's also got 10 grams of fiber per one cup serving. The flakes are surprisingly (and pleasantly) crunchy - not hard like some healthy cereals which make us feel like we might lose a tooth. And though it filled us up until lunchtime, it was tasty and light.

Two quibbles, or items worth noting: First, there is a note on the box which encourages you to shake it vigorously before opening to better distribute the flax seeds. Do not forget to shake the box. Second, we've read that for maximum health benefit, you should grind your flax seeds before eating them because whole flax seeds are hard to digest. So be sure to chew thoroughly.

Buy Uncle Sam Cereal.