51 Eye-Opening Cheerios Facts Revealed About Your Breakfast Cereal!

Cheerios is one of the most versatile breakfast cereals known and anyone can enjoy a bowl of Cheerios, be it a toddler or an octogenarian!

Cheerios is a brand of cereal from the United States, manufactured by General Mills. Shaped like a solid torus, Cheerios consists of pulverized oats.

Although Cheerios is manufactured by General Mills of the U.S., it is marketed by Cereal Partners of the Nestle brand in the UK and as an Uncle Tobys product in New Zealand and Australia. Cheerios was first manufactured as CheeriOats in 1941.

The 'O'-shaped puffed oats were one of the first ready-to-eat cereals and were a big success in the country. The puffed oats were so successful that Cheerios sold around 2 million cases in the very first year.

However, there were issues with Cheerios and other cereal companies. Quaker Oats did not want CheeriOats to have the word oats in its name and claimed full rights for the word.

CheeriOats had to eventually drop the word 'oats' from the name and renamed themselves Cheerios. Cheerios is well known for sponsoring the radio show 'Lone Ranger' starting in 1941.

Cheerios continued to sponsor the show in 1949 when it came to TV. Cheerios box came with a Lone Ranger action figure and a white horse (included by General Mills) in 1961.

Cheerios have also been made famous later in the Disney movie 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids' of 1989. The shrunken kids fall into a bowl of Cheerios.

It is said that one in eight boxes of cereal sold in the United States is a box of Cheerios. Before the O-shaped breakfast cereal was chosen, over 10 shapes and sizes were in the mix for selection. The original Cheerios still stick to the O-shape.

Kix cereal was created in 1937. Cheerios use the same puffing gun technology used in Kix cereal. Here, the dough balls are first heated and then shot from a gun.

This actually creates the O-shape we so desperately love. Honey Nut Cheerios were introduced in the year 1979. Honey Nut Cheerios were followed by Apple Cinnamon Cheerios in 1988, 1992 saw MultiGrain Cheerios, Frosted Cheerios in 1995, 2001 saw Berry Burst Cheerios, and then Chocolate Cheerios in 2010.

Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch is the newest launch from the company. The original Cheerios was seen in 1941, Cinnamon Nut Cheerios in 1976, and then the Honey Nut Cheerios was introduced.

There's even an Ancient Grain Cheerios launched in 2015 made with ancient grains. These were sweetened Cheerios. There are also Gluten-free options now.

Honey Nut Cheerios have consistently outsold the original Cheerios since

Invention History Of Cheerios

Breakfast cereals have always been the favorite of most people in the world due to the nutrition it provides along with the lip-smacking taste and choice of flavors.

• Cheerios are iconic! Breakfast is something that every person in every country loves and starts the day with.
• Breakfast has always been a great unifier. It does not matter if the first meal of the day is a bowl of cereals, some cornflakes with milk, or more of the classic bacon and eggs.
• Cheerios is something that kids don't get tired of, and even as an adult, cannot outgrow.
• Cheerios made their debut in 1941. It first started when a team member of General Mills, a physicist called Lester Borchardt invented the machine that could puff oats.
• The idea behind this was that General Mills wanted a product that could compete with the Corn Flakes and Wheaties of the world.
• General Mills made Cheerios with oats while all other popular ones were made out of corn.
• CheeriOats was the name first given to the product as the basic ingredient of the cereal was oats.
• Quaker Oats came charging and attacked General Mills for trademark infringement.
• This is when the name CheeriOats was changed to Cheerios in 1945. Cheerios sounded better due to the O-shape of the cereals anyway.
• The O-shape that we all know was not planned. There were more than 10 sizes and different shapes that were tested before the classic O-shape was chosen.
• There have been few instances when the company has used different shapes. Millenios was introduced by Cheerios. These were brown-sweetened Cheerios with cereals with the number twos along with the classic Os. This was done so that people can spell 2000 with their cereals. Millenios, as in millennium, get it?
• Heart-shaped cereals were added in honor of National Heart Health Month in February 2020 to Honey Nut Cheerios and the classic Cheerios.
• Honey Nut Cheerios was introduced in the year 1979. This was considered their flagship product and the Honey Nut Cheerios became an overnight sensation.
• However, General Mills actually released Cinnamon Nut Cheerios in the year 1973.
• Cinnamon Nut Cheerios was the first official variant from the brand apart from the classic one.
• However, this did not have a broad difference in flavor and that is why in just a few years, Honey Nut Cheerios was introduced.
• Honey Nut Cheerios actually do not have any nuts.
• In 2006, the recipe of this variant was updated from having ground almonds to just almond flavoring.
• The soy-free Honey Nut Cheerios is the most famous among all households, but this is not the only flavor.
• The original Cheerios is still considered one of the top ones, if not the top.
• It is made from whole grain oats without any added artificial colors or flavors.
• Low on fat, cholesterol, and the use of whole-grain oats make it healthy for toddlers and adults. Being gluten-free also reduces the chances of heart disease drastically.
• Cheeri O'Leary was the first Cheerios mascot. She used to appear in cartoon ads of the '40s and even appeared on the back of the Cheerios boxes.
• 'The Cheerios Kid and Sue' later became the main advertisements of the cereal in the '50s and '60s.
• The advertisement was the main focus for General Mills. Apart from the TV adverts, the hit radio show 'Lone Ranger' was sponsored by Cheerios.
• Now, Usher and Richard Petty, the NASCAR Hall of Famer have even seen in ads supporting Cheerios.
• Eating oats have never been healthier. Oats are already gluten-free and Cheerios are made with oats.
• But Cheerios had to become gluten-free lawfully and in 2015 they did that.
• It was required to meet the Food and Drug Administration's strict guidelines, so General Mills found a way to remove the small amount of barley, wheat, and rye that got added to the cereal during transport or at the farm.
• A system was designed to sort out millions of pounds of oats in a single day to keep a check with every 15000 grains of oats not having more than one grain of barley, wheat, or rye.
• The oats are checked again for gluten once those are made into flour and then transported in gluten-free trucks.
• Cheerios are made with the shape O by a special process. Once the dough is mixed, the mixture is then put through a die-cut that makes the tiny hole in every single cereal. Those are then dried and put into the puffing gun. The puffing gun makes the cereal puffed and dry.

Nutritional Facts Of Cheerios

Cheerios have been a staple food for many households since their introduction in 1941. Now available worldwide, Cheerios have become popular everywhere due to their nutritional value.

• Cheerios are made of whole grain oats. Whole oats are gluten-free, but Cheerios went out of their way to remove all wheat, barley, and rye contaminants from the cereals.
• Whole grains provide more nutrients than refined grains.
• Fiber-rich whole grains are present.
• Cheerios are also low on fat and calories and if your kid can eat solid foods, cheerios might be a great option.
• Cheerios are fiber and vitamin D-rich.
• A cup of Cheerios gives around 45% of the daily value (DV) for iron.
• It is quite natural to see that nutrients like iron, vitamin B12, and vitamin D are added after processing and do not naturally occur with the cereal.
• Cheerios lack protein and fat and are very low on calories. A cup of 2% cow milk needs to be added to make a balanced diet. You will add 122 calories, protein 8 g, and some calcium, fat, and vitamin D.

Health Benefits Of Cheerios

You might think how can something that is that sweet can ever be a part of a healthy diet. Well, eating Cheerios has its benefits, and let us know a few of them here.

• You get fiber-rich whole grains that may help you to reduce the risk of heart disease and lower cholesterol levels.
• The presence of iron in Cheerios will help in oxygen transport throughout the body.
• Don't worry if you eat sweetened Cheerios as they have very few added sugars. It's almost negligible and healthier than other varieties.
• Regular classic Cheerios provide you with a good amount of fiber and are also low in sugar.
• The fiber content in Cheerios also helps relieve constipation.
• Alternatively, you can also go for all other options like Banana Nut Cheerios, Multigrain Cheerios, Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, and many others.
• Some studies state that multigrain cheerios lower cholesterol.

Cheerios Vs. Other Cereals Benefits

If you try and find the best breakfast cereals for you and your family, you will find hundreds of different options. The real question is which is the best among them for you.

• Most cereals are gluten-free. But to attain the highest standards and government recognition, Cheerios removed all contaminants from their products. It is one of the truest gluten-free products available.
• Low sugar content makes this a healthy alternative among most other cereal brands,
• This cereal adds essential vitamins and wholesome oats to your meal. Most other brands make their cereal from corn.
• To top it all, Cheerios can also be had as regular snacks while many other kinds of cereal cannot.