Breakfast is an incredibly important meal and having something healthy that fits your diet needs is crucial. Sometimes we need a quick meal though just to get some calories in, which is usually in the form of cereal.
Just because it’s quick and easy to make doesn’t mean all cereal is unhealthy. That’s what we’ll be going over in this article, specifically Frosted Flakes and how they might fit into your diet.
Are Frosted Flakes Vegetarian?
The main question this article started with was “are frosted flakes vegetarian?”. The answer might not be so cut and dry, as it depends on if you are more closely following a vegetarian diet or a vegan diet.
The main ingredient of concern is Vitamin D3, which is derived from sheep’s wool. This makes frosted flakes non-vegan, but it doesn’t make them non-vegetarian. As no animal meat is used in the ingredients, many vegetarians may consider frosted flakes vegetarian.
The distinction in how you classify your diet is important here. Are you ok eating something with vitamin D3, a chemical derived from sheep’s wool, is that acceptable? If you’re simply avoiding eating meat, then frosted flakes are safe to eat!
Are Frosted Flakes Vegan?
It was talked about previously on the topic of whether frosted flakes are vegetarian or not. Looking at the ingredients in frosted flakes, the main danger is the added vitamin D3.
Vitamin D3 is derived from sheep’s wool, meaning that it comes from animals. Because of vitamin D, frosted flakes are not vegan. However, because no animal meat was used, they are safe to eat as a vegetarian (depending on your personal dietary preferences).
Other Things To Know About Frosted Flakes
The main point was to discuss if frosted flakes were vegetarian, but what about other common questions regarding frosted flakes? Let’s look at some frequently asked questions on frosted flakes that you may want to know about.
What Are Frosted Flakes Made Of?
Most cereals today are made with heavily processed ingredients. That doesn’t mean everything about it is bad and they should be avoided. However, it is still important to know what’s in the food that you eat!
The following is a list of ingredients pulled from the frosted flakes website.
Milled corn, sugar, malt flavor, contains 2% or less salt. Vitamins and Minerals: Iron (ferric phosphate), niacinamide, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B1 (thiamin hydrochloride), folic acid, vitamin D3, vitamin B12.
The main ingredients are milled corn, sugar, and flavoring. Like many other cereal companies, vitamins are added separately to buff up the health quality of their product.
Are Frosted Flakes Healthy?
Another important question is whether or not frosted flakes are healthy. This isn’t an easy question to answer. What makes something healthy will differ depending on who you ask. We’re going to take a general look at frosted flakes and look at what makes them healthy or unhealthy.
For starters, frosted flakes have around 12 grams of sugar per 1 cup serving size. That’s not the worst amount of sugar I’ve seen in a bowl of cereal, but it’s still a fair amount. It’s well known that sugar isn’t the best ingredient to eat in large amounts.
In addition to the sugar added, there’s a decent amount of carbohydrates, which mostly come from the sugar.
While there are some vitamins added, it’s not exactly a healthy treasure trove. Because the downsides outweigh the small plus sides of vitamins, it could be argued that frosted flakes aren’t the healthiest breakfast choice out there.
Are Frosted Flakes Gluten Free?
But what about frosted flakes’ gluten-free status? Are frosted flakes gluten-free?
I listed out the ingredients earlier, one of which was a malt flavoring. The malt flavoring used is not gluten-free, making frosted flakes not gluten-free!
If you’re a person sensitive to gluten or have celiacs, then you should avoid frosted flakes for your breakfast.
Are Frosted Flakes Dairy Free?
It’s very common to eat breakfast cereal with milk. Likewise, you can also eat cereals without milk if you’re lactose intolerant, as long as there’s no dairy in the cereal itself. But what about frosted flakes, is it dairy-free?
Looking through the ingredients, there is no dairy or lactose added to frosted flakes. Since there’s no dairy in the main ingredients of frosted flakes, they are dairy-free!
Summary
The main purpose of this article was to look at the vegetarian status of frosted flakes. Technically, as no meat is used in its production, it is technically vegetarian. However, vitamin D3 is added to the cereal which is derived from sheep’s wool, making it non-vegan!
