Uncle Sam Cereal
Encyclopedia
Uncle Sam Cereal is a ready-to eat breakfast cereal
, first introduced in 1908 by U.S. Mills of Omaha, Nebraska
. The company relocated to Needham, Massachusetts
sometime after the 1970s. Attune Foods out of San Francisco acquired Uncle Sam Cereal in 2009.
In 1908, company founder Lafayette Coltrin of Omaha
was instructed by his personal physician to add flaxseed to his diet. Coltrin enjoyed the taste of toasted flaxseed on whole wheat flakes that he ate during breakfast so much, he decided to market
the combination. Given his resemblance to Uncle Sam
, Coltrin named his new cereal after the mythical patriotic character. The top-hatted silhouette of "Uncle Sam" on the side of the box is actually Coltrin's, or so the story goes.
Uncle Sam Original cereal, since 1908 has consisted of toasted whole wheat berry kernels that are steamed, rolled and toasted into flakes. Whole flaxseed is then mixed with the flakes. This high-fiber
, ready-to-eat cereal has a low glycemic index
and has an exceptionally high amount of omega-3 per serving because of the flaxseed. It is marketd as a "natural laxitive" because of the presence of flaxseed, though clinical support for this assertion is scant.
Because of its nutritional profile, Uncle Sam Original has been recommended by several well-known dietitians and nutritionists, as well as top-selling diet books like Engine 2, Belly Fat Cure, Sugar Busters® and the South Beach Diet®.
Over the years, Uncle Sam has also featured instant oatmeal, and cereal bars that are no longer available. In 2010, Uncle Sam cereal introduced three new flavors: Strawberry, Honey Almond and Multi-Grain.
s, 40 from fat; total fat 5 g; trans fat
0 g; cholesterol
0 mg; sodium
135 mg; potassium
250 mg; total carbohydrates 38 g; dietary fiber
10 g; soluble fiber 2 g; insoluble fiber 8 g; sugars less than 1 g.
It contains the following daily values: vitamin C
2%; calcium
4%; iron 10%; thiamin 50%; riboflavin
50%; niacin
50%; phosphorus
20%; magnesium
25%.
Ingredients: whole wheat kernels, whole flaxseed, salt
, barley malt, niacin, riboflavin (vitamin B2), thiamin mononitrate (vitamin B1).
Breakfast cereal
A breakfast cereal is a food made from processed grains that is often, but not always, eaten with the first meal of the day. It is often eaten cold, usually mixed with milk , water, or yogurt, and sometimes fruit but sometimes eaten dry. Some cereals, such as oatmeal, may be served hot as porridge...
, first introduced in 1908 by U.S. Mills of Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
. The company relocated to Needham, Massachusetts
Needham, Massachusetts
Needham is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb of Boston, its population was 28,886 at the 2010 census.- History :...
sometime after the 1970s. Attune Foods out of San Francisco acquired Uncle Sam Cereal in 2009.
In 1908, company founder Lafayette Coltrin of Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
was instructed by his personal physician to add flaxseed to his diet. Coltrin enjoyed the taste of toasted flaxseed on whole wheat flakes that he ate during breakfast so much, he decided to market
Sales
A sale is the act of selling a product or service in return for money or other compensation. It is an act of completion of a commercial activity....
the combination. Given his resemblance to Uncle Sam
Uncle Sam
Uncle Sam is a common national personification of the American government originally used during the War of 1812. He is depicted as a stern elderly man with white hair and a goatee beard...
, Coltrin named his new cereal after the mythical patriotic character. The top-hatted silhouette of "Uncle Sam" on the side of the box is actually Coltrin's, or so the story goes.
Uncle Sam Original cereal, since 1908 has consisted of toasted whole wheat berry kernels that are steamed, rolled and toasted into flakes. Whole flaxseed is then mixed with the flakes. This high-fiber
Dietary fiber
Dietary fiber, dietary fibre, or sometimes roughage is the indigestible portion of plant foods having two main components:* soluble fiber that is readily fermented in the colon into gases and physiologically active byproducts, and* insoluble fiber that is metabolically inert, absorbing water as it...
, ready-to-eat cereal has a low glycemic index
Glycemic index
The glycemic index, glycaemic index, or GI is a measure of the effects of carbohydrates on blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates that break down quickly during digestion and release glucose rapidly into the bloodstream have a high GI; carbohydrates that break down more slowly, releasing glucose more...
and has an exceptionally high amount of omega-3 per serving because of the flaxseed. It is marketd as a "natural laxitive" because of the presence of flaxseed, though clinical support for this assertion is scant.
Because of its nutritional profile, Uncle Sam Original has been recommended by several well-known dietitians and nutritionists, as well as top-selling diet books like Engine 2, Belly Fat Cure, Sugar Busters® and the South Beach Diet®.
Over the years, Uncle Sam has also featured instant oatmeal, and cereal bars that are no longer available. In 2010, Uncle Sam cereal introduced three new flavors: Strawberry, Honey Almond and Multi-Grain.
Benefits
A 3/4 cup serving contains: 190 calorieCalorie
The calorie is a pre-SI metric unit of energy. It was first defined by Nicolas Clément in 1824 as a unit of heat, entering French and English dictionaries between 1841 and 1867. In most fields its use is archaic, having been replaced by the SI unit of energy, the joule...
s, 40 from fat; total fat 5 g; trans fat
Trans fat
Trans fat is the common name for unsaturated fat with trans-isomer fatty acid. Because the term refers to the configuration of a double carbon-carbon bond, trans fats are sometimes monounsaturated or polyunsaturated, but never saturated....
0 g; cholesterol
Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a complex isoprenoid. Specifically, it is a waxy steroid of fat that is produced in the liver or intestines. It is used to produce hormones and cell membranes and is transported in the blood plasma of all mammals. It is an essential structural component of mammalian cell membranes...
0 mg; sodium
Sodium
Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal and is a member of the alkali metals; its only stable isotope is 23Na. It is an abundant element that exists in numerous minerals, most commonly as sodium chloride...
135 mg; potassium
Potassium
Potassium is the chemical element with the symbol K and atomic number 19. Elemental potassium is a soft silvery-white alkali metal that oxidizes rapidly in air and is very reactive with water, generating sufficient heat to ignite the hydrogen emitted in the reaction.Potassium and sodium are...
250 mg; total carbohydrates 38 g; dietary fiber
Dietary fiber
Dietary fiber, dietary fibre, or sometimes roughage is the indigestible portion of plant foods having two main components:* soluble fiber that is readily fermented in the colon into gases and physiologically active byproducts, and* insoluble fiber that is metabolically inert, absorbing water as it...
10 g; soluble fiber 2 g; insoluble fiber 8 g; sugars less than 1 g.
It contains the following daily values: vitamin C
Vitamin C
Vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid or L-ascorbate is an essential nutrient for humans and certain other animal species. In living organisms ascorbate acts as an antioxidant by protecting the body against oxidative stress...
2%; calcium
Calcium
Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...
4%; iron 10%; thiamin 50%; riboflavin
Riboflavin
Riboflavin, also known as vitamin B2 or additive E101, is an easily absorbed micronutrient with a key role in maintaining health in humans and animals. It is the central component of the cofactors FAD and FMN, and is therefore required by all flavoproteins. As such, vitamin B2 is required for a...
50%; niacin
Niacin
"Niacin" redirects here. For the neo-fusion band, see Niacin .Niacin is an organic compound with the formula and, depending on the definition used, one of the forty to eighty essential human nutrients.Niacin is one of five vitamins associated with a pandemic deficiency disease: niacin deficiency...
50%; phosphorus
Phosphorus
Phosphorus is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. A multivalent nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus as a mineral is almost always present in its maximally oxidized state, as inorganic phosphate rocks...
20%; magnesium
Magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and ninth in the known universe as a whole...
25%.
Ingredients: whole wheat kernels, whole flaxseed, salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
, barley malt, niacin, riboflavin (vitamin B2), thiamin mononitrate (vitamin B1).