Post Alpha-Bits Cereal Provides Nutrients That Help Support Healthy Brain Development
EAST HANOVER, N.J., Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ — To mark its 50th anniversary, Post Alpha-Bits cereal is introducing a great way for kids to start smart with breakfast. The cereal parents and kids alike have enjoyed for half-a-century provides beneficial nutrients, iron, zinc and choline that help support healthy brain development. Iron helps deliver oxygen to the brain and body, zinc helps brain and body cells grow and develop, and choline helps the brain send messages.
“Good nutrition is important for healthy development, yet it can sometimes be challenging for parents to find foods their kids will actually eat,” says Joyce Siemers, registered dietitian for Post cereals. “It’s important that children eat a variety of different foods every day. But, while some foods like spinach, red meat, and seafood are naturally rich in either iron, zinc or choline, many kids won’t eat them. While it’s important to encourage children to try new foods — by giving them ‘try me’ portions — as a mother I know firsthand that including nutritious, fortified cereals like Alpha-Bits cereal, can be a fun and an enjoyable way to incorporate key nutrients into your child’s balanced diet.”
The sweetened oat and corn cereal provides 11 essential vitamins and minerals, and is a good source of whole grain with 15 grams per serving.
It’s Okay to Play With Your Food
Play and interaction at a young age are also important to brain and learning development. With letters from A to Z in each box, Alpha-Bits cereal provides parents with a great, delicious way to help their kids learn while getting nutrients that help support healthy brain development. Together with Post, Siemers has some tips for incorporating fun into breakfast … and beyond:
— Simple Spelling. Create placemats with words spelled out on them and encourage kids to match the letters. Try spelling their name, “d-o-g,”"c-a-t” and “m-o-m” to get them used to spelling.
— Top It Off. For a satisfying crunch and added nutrition, add a handful of Alpha-Bits cereal to kid-favorites like fat-free pudding or yogurt.
— A, B, C, D … For children just learning the alphabet, ask them to eat the letters from their bowl in the right order!
— Finger Foods. Toddlers love to feed themselves. Alpha-Bits cereal helps provide valuable nutrition they need, while helping to develop fine motor skills. Pour some into a container for an easy snack at home, between- meals or on-the-go and let small hands help themselves.
A Favorite for 50 Years
Alpha-Bits cereal first appeared on store shelves in August 1958. Its creator was inspired to make the cereal while enjoying spiral pasta for dinner one evening and noted that cereal in unique shapes didn’t exist.
Fifty years later, today’s Alpha-Bits cereal is still delicious and sports a fresh, new packaging look. It has nutrients that help support the development of healthy brains and bodies and all of the letters of the alphabet that add to the fun. And the colorful new box features simple games using Alpha-Bits cereal letters so kids can eat, play and learn!
For More Information
New Alpha-Bits cereal will be available in the cereal aisle of grocery stores nationwide beginning in August 2008. The suggested retail price is $3.69. To learn more about Alpha-Bits cereal, visit kraftfoods.com.
About Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods is one of the world’s largest food and beverage companies with annual revenues of more than $34 billion. For over 100 years, Kraft has offered consumers delicious and wholesome foods that fit the way they live. Kraft markets a broad portfolio of iconic brands in 155 countries, including seven brands with revenue of more than $1 billion, such as Kraft cheeses, dinners and dressings; Oscar Mayer meats; Philadelphia cream cheese; Post cereals; Nabisco cookies and crackers; Jacobs coffees and Milka chocolates. Kraft became a fully independent company on March 30, 2007, and is listed in the Standard and Poor’s 100 and 500 indexes. The company also is a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and the Ethibel Sustainability Index. For more information, visit the company’s website at http://www.kraft.com/.
Kraft Foods
CONTACT: Sarah Karl, +1-312-988-2093, skarl@webershandwick.com, forKraft Foods
Web site: http://www.kraft.com/