We haven’t met a child who doesn’t love cereal. It could be the kid-friendliest meal ever: it’s sweet, it’s crunchy, it’s fast, and it takes just enough preparation that a child can feel a slight twinge of culinary accomplishment.

The only problem is that it’s a metabolic disaster in a bowl. Because most breakfast cereals are nearly 100% refined carbohydrate (over ⅓ of which is pure sugar) and nearly 0% protein, they substantially increase blood sugar and insulin without offering much satiety (aka, feeling full).

Consider giving high-protein, low-carb cereals a try.

What’s high-protein, low-carb cereal?

A whole new class of cereals have come on the market in the past several years. They all have a carb count that’s typically 80% lower than normal cereal, but—and here’s the kicker—they’re also packed with protein and fiber.

We’ll explain why that’s important in the next section. What you really want to know is, how do they taste? We’ve tried them all, and, while some are better than others, they’re all pretty tasty and way better than no cereal at all.

You might also want to know how much they cost. Well, because they’re not made with cheap corn and sugar, they can double or even more than triple the cost of normal cereal if you compare by weight. A 48 ounce box of Frosted Flakes on Amazon comes in at $0.67/ounce, while high-protein Catalina Crunch comes in at $1.07/ounce. Other brands are even more expensive.

Here’s a quick overview, with links to Amazon for purchase*. Because we have no affiliation with any of these companies, we’ll just go in alphabetical order:

Catalina Crunch

Macronutrients per 36-gram serving: 11g protein | 5g net carbs | 5 g fat

Kids review: “Soaks up milk really well,” “has a good texture.”

Best flavor: Maple Waffle

Cost: $1.32 per serving

High Key

Macronutrients per 28-gram serving: 10g protein | 1g net carbs | 5g fat

Kids review: “Loved it at first but the flavors can be overpowering”

Best flavor: Frosted

Cost: $1.47 per serving

Magic Spoon

Macronutrients per 28-gram serving: 11g protein | 3g net carbs | 5g fat

Kids review: “Really good flavors, nice texture after milk soaks in”

Best flavor: Cocoa

Cost: $1.57 per serving

Schoolyard Snacks

Macronutrients per 26-gram serving: 16g protein | 5g net carbs | 3.5g fat

Kids review: “Flavors are pretty good but doesn’t soak up milk as well as the others.”

Best flavor: Fruity

Cost: $2.74 per serving (each serving comes in an individual pouch)

Wonderworks

Macronutrients per 40 gram serving: 15g protein | 3g net carbs | 6g fat

Kids review: “Good with and without milk,” “They make good snacks just dry.”

Best flavor: Chocolate

Cost: $1.14 per serving

Why is low-carb, high-protein better?

Protein is the most important macronutrient in our diet. Not only is it necessary for building muscle and bone and is used in many other processes in the body, it’s the most filling of the macronutrients (carbs and fat are the other two macronutrients.)

As we explained in this article on the protein leverage hypothesis, our bodies need protein so when we eat meals low in protein, our bodies will still be hungry, searching for more protein.

When we eat higher-protein meals, we’ll be less hungry and our bodies will have more of the nutrients it needs.

Reducing net carbs in our meals also reduces the amount of non-protein calories that can slow fat metabolism.

Bottom line:

more protein, fewer net carbs = healthier metabolism