I have a confession to make. I’m not always great at taking my own eating advice, and I am a slave to my own cravings, especially when it comes to snacking.

Eating healthfully is not hard for me, because I happen to love the taste of healthy foods, but eliminating some of the bad foods on top of it, is where I could do better.

For example, I can go an entire day eating a healthy breakfast, the salad for lunch, fish and spinach for dinner, nutty snacks in between, and never once feel deprived that I didn’t have a bagel and cream cheese, or burger and fries. But when and if the craving hits to devour a bowl of Fruit Loops at 10 p.m., I cave. 

But I find that sometimes what I crave is a food texture as much as the flavor. There are great cereal substitutions for the junky types, whether you are eating cereal for a snack, or for breakfast, that might satisfy the craving while still being fairly healthy! I’ll give you my picks, along with a great list of top 10 overall healthy cereals:

If you crave Fruit Loops and Apple Jacks…….

Substitute Frosted Mini Wheats- high in fiber with a touch of sweetness, while still giving the crunchy texture of the others.

If you crave….. high fat granola, substitute Grape Nuts or Kashi Go Lean Crunch Honey Almond Flax - similar crunchy texture with much less fat and sugar.

If you crave…… Pebbles substitute Rice Krispies with a banana for sweetness - less sugar but a similar size and texture.

If you crave….. Sugar Crisp substitute Kashi Honey Puffs

See LivelyWomen.com for a top 10 list of healthy cereals. And visit FitTipDaily.com for a cereal comparison based on calorie, fat, sugar, protein, and fiber.