Welcome to “McDaniel’s Bite-Sized Reviews” | Happy Inside Cereal
It’s a weekly series we’re calling “McDaniel’s Bite-Sized Reviews!” Every other week, we’ll share a popular food, drink or supplement one of our MNT Registered Dietitians tried, reviewed and rated. With the growing number products on the grocery store shelves, figuring out which items are getting you the most nutritional bang for your buck can feel overwhelming? Our hope is that we can make grocery shopping at least 0.5% easier!
FYI – these posts aren’t sponsored. They are opinions of unpaid tastebuds.
Check Out Our Past Reviews:
- Week One: Banza Elbow Pasta Made with Chickpeas
- Week Two: Lifeway ProBugs Organic Pouches
- Week Three: Sports Research Collagen Peptides
- Week Four: Lúvo Planted Power Bowls
- Week Five: Kodiak Power Cakes Flapjack & Waffle Mix: Buttermilk
- Week Six: Beyond Meat Burger
- Week Seven: Litehouse Cilantro Greek Yogurt Dressing
- Week Eight: Clif Whole Lotta Bars
- Week Nine: Hippeas Organic Chickpea Puffs
- Week 10: Cauliflower Crackers
Product: Happy Inside
Happy Inside is the first cereal with the power of 3-in-1- prebiotics, probiotics and fiber – to help support digestive wellness. Each cereal contains 100% whole-grains, which were specially selected to stay crunchy in milk. The yogurty pieces provide probiotics, and do not include artificial colors or flavors. Choose from three different flavors: Coconut Crunch, Simply Strawberry or Bold Blueberry.
Why Did We Try Happy Inside?
Happy Inside appeared to be the complete package to provide our family with a fiber-rich start to our day. Part of the cereal fibers include inulin, a prebiotic, which acts as fuel for good gut microbes. It also includes 1 billion CFU of probiotics to support digestive health. Outside of yogurt, I’ve had a hard time finding a probiotic supplement that all of my kids enjoy, so trying this cereal afforded me a way to deliver probiotics, plus other nutrients that support good gut bug survival.
Nutrition Facts Label
Coconut Crunch
Simply Strawberry
Bold Blueberry
Where to Find Happy Inside
Use their store locator to find out where to Happy Inside. In the Midwest, you can find Happy Inside at Schnucks, Wal-Mart, Target, and and CostCo. Here is a link to their cereal from Amazon:
Happy Inside, Are They Worth the Bite?
Our 5 Star Rating
Taste: 4/5 stars
Of the three flavors, my family enjoyed the Coconut Crunch the best. The whole-grains didn’t get soggy in milk or yogurt, and the yogurt bites and freeze-dried fruit provided a sweet, yet not overwhelming flavor. We did find the freeze-dried strawberry and blueberry to have a slight artificial taste. Personally, I enjoyed the variety of textures in plain greek yogurt as a post-workout snack!
Nutrient Density: 4/5
With the ages of my kids (all under 8), the portion of cereal is more than they eat, so they did not get the full dose of pre and probiotics. That being said, this product isn’t tailored to kids.
Compared to other cereals, Happy Inside contains:
A hefty does of fiber (8-9 grams) compared to most other high-fiber cereals from whole-grains and inulin or chicory root fiber.
Prebiotics: One serving of cereal contains 2.5 grams of prebiotic fiber from chicory root fiber (inulin). 3 grams of inulin powder per day have been shown to benefit health.
Probiotics: 1 billion CFU of live and active cultures from the bacteria strain (Bifidobacterium lactis HN019) linked to digestive health and immune function. Happy Inside does not specify why they chose this particular strain, and I would love more information on their website regarding the health benefits of this particular probiotic.
Sugar: The sugar content at 9 grams is slightly above what I advise my clients (no more than 8 grams or 2 tsp of sugar).
Fat: The Coconut Crunch had significantly more saturated fat (6 grams) compared to 2 grams in the Simply Strawberry and Bold Blueberry. I do wish they would not have used palm oil for sustainability reasons.
Value: 2/5
As to be expected, while we can’t really evaluate apples to apples, this cereal is more expensive per serving compared to other “like” cereals.
Average cost per serving:
- Happy Inside Cereal: $1 per serving
- Bear Naked Granola: $0.33 cents per servings
- Special K Fruit and Yogurt Cereal: $0.24
Overall Rating of Happy Inside: 3.3/5 Stars
If you are looking for conveniently packaged nutrients to support gut health, this product may be worth the price. Or you could easily buy inulin powder and sprinkle it in on a high-fiber/whole-grain food like I do when I make the kids their Kodiak Pancakes.
Word of Caution
Start with half a serving of the cereal if you haven’t tried this much fiber or had chicory root fiber. Some people do experience stomach upset, loose stools, and cramping when they take too much inulin (chicory root).