Top High Calorie Cereals [Hot and Cold]

“Top High Calorie Cereals” was written by Mitzi de Maa. Edited/reviewed by Katie Dodd, MS, RDN, CSG, LD, FAND. Mitzi is a dietetic intern based out of Florida.

Are you looking for the Top High Calorie Cereals? If you are, this is the article you have been looking for.

In this article you will learn:

The top high calorie cereals
What are high calorie cereals
Types of high calorie cereals – both hot and cold
Benefits of choosing high calorie cereals
How to make high calorie cereals more nutritious and satisfying

Every person has unique needs on how many calories they need to eat each day.

Some people need more calories than others because they have more intensive daily physical activity, they are trying to prevent weight loss, or they are struggling with malnutrition and lack of appetite, among other reasons.

High calorie cereals are helpful if you want to ensure you are eating the calories you need throughout the day. It’s an easy way to add more calories at breakfast, or throughout the day.

In this article, you will learn tips on how to make high calorie cereals more nutritious and satisfying. Are you ready? Let’s dive in.

What are Calories?

Let’s start with the basics, what are calories?

For years and years, calories have been misunderstood partly because of the information spread by the dieting industry and “low calorie” advertisements we see everywhere.

It is possible that when you were searching for high calorie foods and cereals you ran into mixed and confusing information about them. But don’t worry, this article will clarify all of that for you and give you the tips you need.

Calories are Energy

Calories are the energy that a specific food or beverage contains. Like gas gives a car energy to work, calories give us energy for our bodies to work.

The energy inside foods and beverages comes from the three macronutrients inside them:

carbohydrates
proteins
and fats.

As soon as we eat, we are giving our body energy through food so it can survive, help our organs and cells carry out the many daily functions they have, and keep us in good health.

Why High Calorie Cereals?

Eating high calorie cereals can help people in the following ways:

Weight Gain

If you are actively seeking to gain weight, high calorie cereals can be a great food to implement to your daily diet to achieve your weight goals.

Prevent Malnutrition

Unfortunately, malnutrition is a more common issue than it may seem.

Malnutrition happens when we are not eating enough macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) and micronutrients (minerals and vitamins) in our diet or when we cannot absorb nutrients.

Malnutrition and unintentional weight loss can happen often in elderly patients and this can cause a decline in their health, affect and reduce their cognitive and physical abilities, and increase mortality (1).

High calorie cereals can provide the nutrients needed to help prevent malnutrition.

Appetite

Sometimes medications and the presence of disease can severely affect the appetite of the elderly.

High calorie cereals served as a meal or snack can be ideal to eat enough during the day when appetite is not present. This way you are getting the most calories out of the foods you are able to eat.

Practicality, Quickness, and Easiness

Cereals are typically easy, quick, and practical meal. As such, cereals are helpful when we are busy or have an active day ahead and we want to make sure we are keeping our body fueled for the day.

Types of High Calorie Cereals

There are cold and hot cereals, and they have the following characteristics:

Cold Cereal

Cold cereals are made from grains and they are served with any type of cold milk, yogurt, or liquid. In general, cold cereals are not heated up.

Examples of cold cereals:

Cheerios
Raisin Bran
Granola
Corn Flakes

Hot Cereal

Hot cereals require heat and a liquid such as milk or water to be prepared.

Examples of cold cereals:

Oatmeal
Porridge
Cream of wheat
Millet
Quinoa

Which is Best, Hot or Cold Cereal?

Both cold and hot cereals are nutritious and give health benefits.

However, they can differ in their nutritional content. This is why it is always recommended to check the nutrition label when choosing a specific type of cereal.

Boosting Nutrition in High Calorie Cereals

Can I make high calorie cereals more nutritious and satisfying?

Absolutely! Although cereals already have nutrients in them, it is possible to add more nutrients they may be missing and make them more nutritious satisfying.

Here are 5 simple ways to boost nutrition in high calorie cereals, making them even more nutritious and satisfying.

1) Add Fat

Fat is a nutrient that is essential for maintaining good health, especially as we age. Some of the benefits of fats are:

Helping absorb nutrients such as Vitamin A, D, E, and K (2)
Giving the body energy (more calories!)
Protecting vital organs

Examples of fat you can add to your cereal:

Milk (whole, 2%, 1%)
Half and half
Butter
Cream
Greek Yogurt
Peanut Butter

2) Add Protein

Protein’s role is to help your body repair cells and help make new ones, fight infections, help with your digestion, and more. Eating protein is important!

Protein combined with strength exercise (think weights or resistance bands) helps to protect and gain muscle mass. Gaining muscle along with weight is beneficial for health.

Examples of foods high in protein that you can add to your cereal:

Nuts
- Almonds
- Peanuts
- Walnuts
- Cashews
- Hazelnuts
Seeds
- Hemp seeds
- Chia seeds
- Flax seeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
Nut butters
- Peanut butter
- Almond butter
Dairy milk
Soy milk
Greek yogurt
Eggs

3) Add Fruit

Fruit is packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and naturally occurring sugars. They can easily be added to hot or cold cereals to make them more nutritious and delicious.

Examples of fruits that you can add to your cereal:

Fresh fruit
Frozen fruit (thawed)
Dried fruit
Canned fruit

If choosing frozen, dried, or canned fruit, it is always recommended to check the nutrition label to look for added sugars in case that is something you want to avoid due to preference or a medical condition.

4) Add Fiber

Fiber is a carbohydrate found in plants that cannot be digested by your body. However, this does not mean that when you eat fiber-rich foods, they don’t leave a trace of health benefits in your body.

Some of the benefits of fiber include:

Slowing down digestion
Lowering blood cholesterol and blood sugar levels
Feeding our good gut bacteria which can lower inflammation in the body
Preventing and treating constipation

There are many cereals that are high in fiber that can contribute to the daily fiber general recommendation but if your cereal is low in fiber, you can add more fiber to it by adding foods from the list below.

Examples of fiber-rich foods that you can add to your cereal:

Chia seeds
Flax seeds
Raspberries
Blueberries
Apples
Figs
Bananas
Strawberries

5. Mix your Cereal with Other Cereals

Another way you can make your cereal more nutritious and satisfying is by adding another cereal that may be higher in, for example, protein or fiber.

Mixing cereals can be another way to increase the number of calories in your hot or cold cereal bowl.

Examples of cereals you can mix:

Fiber one and Cheerios: Fiber one has 18 g of fiber in ⅔ cup which makes it a more satisfying bowl of cereal overall.
Oatmeal and quinoa: Oatmeal and quinoa are already very nutritious cereals but quinoa is high in protein. 1 cup of quinoa adds 8 g of protein to your cereal.