Will Eating Special K for Two Weeks Make You Skinny?

I love cereal! I would say it was one of my favorite foods. I tried a million times to eat “healthier “versions but my addiction raged on. I used to buy All-Bran and eat it by the box full. I ate it until my stomach hurt and then I went back for another bowl an hour later. I figured out my Weight Watcher points precisely so I could fit in as many bowls as possible. This went on for years. I ate special K too, when they came out with a higher fiber version which had less WW points. I would still be hungry every two or three hours. When the concept of 5 meals a day came on the scene I was thrilled I could eat cereal even more times per day and I was
being healthy!

Will Eating Special K for Two Weeks Make You Skinny?

Does the idea that you should eat every two or three hours to keep blood sugar stable make sense? No, the real question is, why is your blood sugar rising and falling so much? The answers lies in what you are eating.

Cereal is a food that makes your blood sugar rapidly rise and fall, so we should try eating food that do not cause blood sugar swings in the first place. Every time your blood sugar shoots up it is signaling insulin to store fat. This cereal is advertised as a way to not blow your whole day of healthy eating by using this as a late night snack, but for most of us, that is not true. First of all, I have never seen anyone who can eat just one small serving of this kind of sugary cereal. Second, a bowl of this will probably wake you up in the middle of the night because your blood sugar will be crashing, and in the morning, you will drag yourself out of bed needing coffee and craving more sugary cereal, donuts, bread or bagels to get your day started. Does this cycle sound familiar?

Yes I love sugar, baked goods, and cereal too but I don’t like feeling like a junkie. I got off the roller coaster two years ago and I am so happy to be out of blood sugar jail. Here are some more reasons why cereal is not going to make you skinny or healthy.

Sugar:

Special K has two types of added sugar- brown rice syrup and regular sugar. Sugar is the third ingredient. It also has 9 grams of sugar in 3/4 of a cup which is about two teaspoons of sugar. Do you really think you can just eat one serving? A 12 oz. Coke has ten teaspoons of sugar to give you a comparison. Does it seem like a good idea to start or end your day with a bunch of sugar?

Healthy Whole Grains:

One serving is 3/4 cup Special K has 25 grams carbohydrate which the body quickly breaks down into 5 tsp of sugar. Just one teaspoon of sugar can put our blood sugar in the range of being pre-diabetic. Read more about this from Dr. Micheal Eades. But they are healthy whole grains you say? Not according to Dr. William Davis renowned cardiologist, former diabetic and author of Wheatbelly. Wheat actually increases your appetite for carbs by 400 calories a day. Wheat spikes insulin and blood sugar over and over eventually resulting in diabetes. Eating just two pieces of bread or 3/4 cup of wheat cereal per day also increases belly fat because it increases blood triglycerides which exacerbates insulin resistance.

Common Allergens:

Wheat and Soy in Special K are two of the most common allergenic foods. Add milk and you have three of the most common food sensitivities. An elimination diet can help determine which foods are problematic for each person. Gluten is usually the most problematic in my experience. If people remove gluten from the diet they almost always lose weight and feel less bloating. For a great chart on figuring out where gluten is hidden See this PDF from Balanced Bites.

Trans Fats:

Special K has Partially Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil which is highly processed, bleached and deodorized. Trans fats have been linked to cancer and heart disease in many studies and have been banned even at McDonald’s. Trans fats were developed during the early 1900’s because there were shortages of butter and a lack of refrigeration. Margarine and Crisco were made from waste products of soy and cottonseed oil. It is no coincidence that obesity and diabetes have skyrocketed since the invention of these fake fats. Trans fats have shown in studies to cause liver damage and increase abdominal fat when compared to naturally occurring fats from animals like butter or lard.

Not Organic:

Special K is not organic so that means you are getting a bowl full of pesticides which increase fat storage hormones. Pesticides are also are linked with cognitive decline, cancer, and birth defects and no one really knows the long term risks of lifelong pesticide ingestion.

Soy:

Special K has soy lecithin which is a waste product from the processing of soy. Non-organic Soy is also genetically modified which has never been proven safe. Soy has many other health damaging effects such as gut irritation, thyroid disruption, and stimulating fat storage hormones.

Grains cause Inflammation and Weight Gain

Grains also have been shown to cause autoimmune diseases by inflaming the gut lining and letting undigested food particles into the bloodstream. The body then attacks itself because these undigested food particles mimic our own tissues in the case of Rheumatoid Arthritis or Hashimoto’s Thyroditis. For more about leaky gut and autoimmunity read this article from Robb Wolf and Tim Ferris. Also when our gut is inflamed from eating grains that adds to the cycle of insulin resistance and diabetes.

Fake Vitamins

The synthetic vitamins and minerals added to cereals can damage you health because they can create new compounds and unintended imbalances. Vitamins and minerals found in whole foods include essential co-factors required for absorption. Weight loss and nutrient deficiencies are intricately linked because without vitamins and minerals the body will not have energy for detoxification or to create energy to exercise. Synthetic B-6 added to Special K is important for hormone balance and muscle synthesis but it is absorbed at much higher rate when eaten in naturally occurring foods like tuna, turkey and chicken. Folate found in leafy greens and liver cannot be compared to synthetic Folic Acid because it does not convert well in humans and cannot be absorbed by babies in the womb. You can read more about this from Chris Kresser. Also nutrient deficiencies create cravings for sugar and carbs so if you are lacking vitamins and minerals you may not be able to control your appetite.

Things to Remember:

If you want to lose weight lose the cereal and wheat in your diet. You will be less hungry and more able to make smart choices. Eat protein and fat for breakfast such as pastured bacon and eggs or dinner leftovers. Your blood sugar, mood, and waistline will all be in sync and you will be wearing your skinny jeans in no time! Need some good recipes for breakfast check Food Lovers Primal-Palate or Balanced Bites.

A great guide to getting started on a blood sugar balancing diet is available here: