Every time I buy a box of Raisin Bran, I hesitate. “This is the second box of Raisin Bran I’ve bought this month. Where has my childlike whimsy gone? Have I gotten stuck in a routine? Stopped being spontaneous? Stopped growing? Stopped living? What is life?! What is a cereal?! How could I drift so far from them both?!?!”
Maybe it’s the shriveled raisins or the absence of a frosted coating, but I encounter this existential crisis every time, trembling to reach for the box as I come to grips with my mortality right there in Aisle 8.
But then I look at the purple box. I think of the whole grain, the slight honey sweetness of the flakes, the two scoops of raisins, and that happy-dappy little Sun-Man. How can I resist?
Obviously, I can’t. And I snagged a box of this new Raisin Bran with Omega-3 from Flaxseeds.
If you haven’t yet acquainted yourself, Omega-3s are high-octane fats that, according to oodles of researchers, Dr. Oz and my fishmonger, can do potentially great things like keep your heart in check, lower your cholesterol, and permit your brain and muscles to tick along, thus allowing you to pursue that dream you’ve always had to be an Olympian ice skater. Dare I say, Omega-3s are Magic Fats, and while flaxseeds may not be the most aesthetically beautiful seed out there, they hold plenty of Magic Fats, and what happens when you eat a Magic Fat? Well, let’s find out…
I poured a bowl and prodded a tentative spoon into the swamp of the dark brown whole grain. Would the flax give me an electric shock? Or make my body reel, cartoon-style, mutating me into an anthropomorphic animal bent on fighting for justice? I foresaw myself transforming into a crime-fighting llama. Or at least a My Little Pony.
Unfortunately, neither occurred. However, what did occur was pleasant enough to make me go back in for another spoonful. See those speckles above? Those are magical speckles of flax. While the flax itself doesn’t add much flavor, it does add a nice seedy texture, and, if I close my eyes, I can hear my cholesterol lowering with each flax-filled bite.
The old adage of, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” could be no truer than with Raisin Bran. It’s brown, shriveled, and, if you hold it at the right light, you may mistake it for mulch, but beneath all that roughage fringe, a layered flavor experience awaits. The flakes have a grainy, slightly nutty, almost rye-like wheatiness, a depth which is balanced well by a hint of honey sweetness. They’re more crispity than crunchity, mainly as a consequence of the slimmer flake profile.
With milk, the sweetness of the wheat, bran, and honey shine and the raisins plump up a smidge. While these flakes easily fall prey to the “Mushy glop of bran in milk” effect, they are well suited for a morning dry snack, especially with the chewy sweet of the red raisins involved in each handful.
And there are plenty of those little shriveled grapes. Each box holds the promise of “Two Scoops,” of raisins. While I can’t state for certain Kelloggs’ scoop size, I imagine it to be the size of at least five ice shovels, if not Muck the Bulldozer’s scooper. No matter the dimensions, the 1-3 raisins in every bite reinforces that the Sun Man is certainly delivering on his Two Scoops promise.
These new flakes reinforce one of the beauties of Raisin Bran: it’s a cereal not afraid to be itself. It doesn’t pretend to be a raisin-y Lucky Charms or bran-infused Cocoa Puffs. Nay, Kellogg’s Raisin Bran lets its grainy, bran-y Freak Flag fly, and the addition of flaxseeds, while not necessarily a milestone in cereal-making history, highlights that identity. It may not be revolutionary, but most of the time, I don’t need a revolution to be happy. I just need to plop my Cereal Lovin’ patootie into my sofa, watched some cartoons, and enjoy a bowl of crunchy goodness, and that’s what I did here.
If I get nit-picky, I’d say I could’ve used some more sweetness, maybe a little more crunch (Maybe some cinnamon almonds? Or peanut butter granola?), but if you’re in the mood for a quality Raisin Bran with some flaxseed mischief, you’ll love this.
(Nutrition Facts – 1 Cup – 180 calories, 10 calories from fat, 1.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 140 milligrams of potassium, 44 grams of carbohydrates, 5 gram of dietary fiber, 17 grams of sugars, and 4 grams of protein.)
Item: Kellogg’s Raisin Bran Omega-3 from Flaxseed Cereal
Purchased Price: $3.06
Size: 14.3 oz. box
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: Crispity flakes. A little honey sweetness. Fulfills promise of raisins. Not afraid to embrace its bran identity. Magic Fats. Muck the Bulldozer. Crime-fighting, anthropomorphic llamas.
Cons: Nothin’ bad, but nothin’ great. Could be too grainy for some. Could use one more crunch element. A little more sweetness wouldn’t hurt. Flakes get soggy in milk fast. Existential crisis in Aisle 8.
Just wondering if the amount of Omega 3 is the same as say 2 fish oil pills ?
There is something oddly alluring about Raisin Bran. I was sick a few years ago and couldn’t eat much at all for a couple of months, but developed an inexplicable craving for it. I kept a small jar with it by my bed and would nibble a little (dry) at a time… At least I kept it down, which for a while I wasn’t doing with anything solid or liquid. I’m not usually much of a cereal eater except for junky cereals occasionally as a safer substitute for cookies and donuts. I think they put something addictive in their raisins.
There is no advantage to eating flax seeds that are NOT ground. Your body cannot digest a whole flax seed.
where is the Raisin Bran with flax seeds available in zip code 78216?
Thank you.
Flaxseed is useless if it isn’t in powder from. Kellogs is ripping people off.
Like the others have said…flax seed is useless if it is not ground and ingested fresh. Flax seed hulls are EXTREMELY hard and cannot be broken down by stomach acids before they go through the digestive tract. Without being ground, the seeds are passed through the body without any of the lovely Omega 3 benefits Kellog’s is peddling. They should be ashamed for passing this cereal off as extra healthy for consumers since I’m sure they know that flax seed has to be ground. Too bad uninformed consumers will start eating this stuff thinking it will provide them extra benefits. Oh, and flax seed oil and pre-ground flax seed you can buy in the store is also useless, since the Omega 3 benefits disintegrate quite quickly after the seed is ground. You must grind the seeds yourself and eat right away for them to have any benefit.
Do you mean “powder form”?
Why is the box so damn small?
Dear Raisin Bran Omega-3 250mgALA From Flaxseed:
Coca-Cola called, they would like thier 1980’s new product marketing plan back.
Not feeling the love for flaxseeds.
In fact in a world where the total number of ceral selections has been pretty much halved since I was in my teens, I’m almost depressed . I have not been this upset about breakfast since Post got rid of Fortified Oat Flakes, which was my favorite cereal by far.
Let me put it plainly — Do Not Mess With My Raisin Bran.
I do not want little rat turd seeds on the flakes, and the flavor & texture is awful. I can only hope this is a marketing nightmare from which Raisin Bran Product Managers will awaken from soon, re-hire the Raisin Bran Master Fermenters and cancel the tons of Omega3 rat turd seeds they ordered from Dr. Oz.
Please for the love of wet flakes, I want my money back.
Mike
I agree!!! Didn’t notice that it contained flax seeds when I purchased it, and was shocked to see them floating in the milk. I honestly didn’t know what they were at first. If you bite down on them they taste horrible, and I had to use dental floss to remove them from my teeth afterwards. Won’t be buying any of this cereal again!
The first box of Kellogg’s Raisin Bran Omega-3 that I purchased was at Shop-Rite in Ewing, NJ @ $1.99 for the box. I fell in love with this cereal, went back to get more, and they no longer carry it. I then went to Walmart in Levittown, PA and saw several boxes on their shelf and bought 3 boxes. Now they are no longer carrying it. I am in the 08628 zip code area and would like to purchase more.
Where can I find “Kellogg’s Raisin Bran Omega-3” in my area (08628) ?
Thank you,
Linda
I’m having the Same problem. The product is extremely hard to find. I tried to order it on Amazon but they delivered it to another state and gave me a refund. I wanted the product, not a refund. When I tried to order it again they didn’t want to deliver to my rural area.
Debby
The reason I like this product is there is no Corn Syrup listed as an ingredient. If you check boxes of most other cereals you will notice Corn Syrup, which is extremely bad for you.
Regular Raisin Bran has corn syrup in it.
Just wish the product was easier to find on store shelves.
I think the whole flax is for aesthetic and I am hoping there is ground flax in the cereal as they are promising the nutrients in the cereal? Post?
As others have said, the flaxseed is useless in the hard seed form, and the darn seeds are hard on your teeth, too, and get stuck in between your teeth. At the bottom of my bowl of milk, I was left with a pile of floating seeds…..no thanks. I never will buy this again!!! Kelloggs, shame on you!!!
With 17grams of sugar there is nothing healthy about this. I’m Raisin Bran eater so I thought I’ll give this a try. It was so sickly sweet I threw it away. I was looking for healthy not to a children’s cereal.