A Review of Post Live Active Nut Harvest Crunch Cereal

I have recently been introduced to a new Post cereal called "Live Active". This comes in either a Mixed Berry Crunch or a Nut Harvest flavor, the latter of which I am reviewing for you today. It comes in a small 13 ounce box, with the red 'Post" brand name clearly marked in the upper left hand corner. The front of the box reads "Live Active for Digestive Health with Prebiotic Fiber". The picture shows what looks like whole wheat flakes, surrounded by slices of almonds and pecans. The front of the box does describe the cereal as whole grain flakes with lightly sweetened crunchy clusters, pecans, walnuts and almonds.

I love crunchy cereals, and I love nuts in my hot as well as my cold cereals. Fiber and digestive health seem to be the new buzz words these days. We first saw it with yogurts, now we are seeing it with cereal. For years there have been high fiber cereals on the market, such as All Bran and Raisin Bran, but the Post Live Active is a completely new kind of high fiber cereal. Post Live Active contains fiber in the form of inulin. Inulin is also found in another product made by Metamucil called Fiber Sure. It is flavor free, grit free and non thickening, and you can add it to any foods cold or hot. Inulin is a 100% natural vegetable fiber.

One serving of this cereal gives you 3 grams of prebiotic fiber (inulin), and a total of 8 grams of fiver. It's thought that just 8 grams of inulin a day helps promote the growth of good bacteria in the body. Inulin is resistant to digestion in the upper GI tract, and when it reaches the large intestine, it is fermented by bacteria. Prebiotics causes healthy bacteria to form, and this helps support the health of the colon. It's also very low on the glycemic index, so people who are on restricted diets can enjoy inulin. In a nutshell, this natural cereal promotes the growth of active live cultures in our bodies, and can help strengthen the immune system.

All that is fine and dandy, but how does the cereal taste? Well, it doesn't taste as good as Post Great Grains, which I absolutely love, but I like it better than some of the Kashi cereals that I've eaten recently. The pecans and almonds add a great flavor and crunch, although the whole grain flakes are a little bit boring. Good news is it doesn't get soggy in milk, and I hate soggy cereal!

Nutrition wise, this is how the Live Active Nut Harvest stacks up. One cup contains 220 calories, 6 grams of fat (little saturated fat and zero trans fats), zero cholesterol, only 270 mg of sodium, 190 mg potassium, 39 grams of carbs, 8 grams of total fiber, and 5 grams of protein. It also provides vitamins A, D, B1, B2, B6, B12, Copper, Zinc, Magnesium, Folic Acid, Iron and Calcium.

All in all I feel this is a very healthy cereal and tastes much better than some of the all natural brands found in health food stores. The 13 ounce box retails for $3.79.