Comparison: Bran Flakes

Despite my mediocre success thus far at Nutrisystem (due completely to my own weak, emotional eating), I want to be prepared for WHEN (not if) I lose the weight.  They offer "maintenance" plans including ordering foods a la carte.  So I've decided to start doing a comparision between Nutrisystem foods, homemade foods, and store bought foods to decide which items, if any, I will continue buying a la carte.

Comparison: Bran Flakes

 The contenders:

• NutriFlakes Cereal
• Safeway Bran Flakes

I was not about to spend time making my own cereal so there is no homemade contender for this comparison.

Nutrition

The most important comparison for me is nutrition.  In my brief review of all my Nutrisystem foods, the primary difference compared to "regular" food is the increased protein and fiber, and lower fat and sugar. 

*I increased the Bran Flakes serving size from 3/4 cup to 1 cup to make them more comparable.

Volume/Appearance

No big difference in volume between the two cereals.  Bran Flakes filled the bowl slightly more, but it also has 10 more calories.  Bran Flakes had larger flake sizes.

Left: NutriFlakes.  Right: Bran Flakes

Taste

NutriFlakes had a slightly sweeter taste, but it also absorbed the milk very quickly and was a bit soggy after only a couple minutes.  Bran Flakes was crunchy and slightly less sweet.  They both had a bit of a gritty texture and were basically what you would expect from a bran cereal.  I personally like bran, but to each their own.

Cost

Buying one serving of NutriFlakes a la carte costs $1.79.  The Bran Flakes cost $3.00 per box with approximately 12 servings or $0.25 per serving.

Other Considerations

NutriFlakes comes in it's handy, pre-measured serving bowl which is recyclable.  Bran Flakes on the other hand comes in a cardboard box and plastic bag like most cereals.  Environmentally Bran Flakes makes less waste, but you will need to deal with the minor inconvenience of measuring out your serving size, which could easily become too large of a serving size if, like me, you have a bad habit of pouring without measuring.

Left: NutriFlakes.  Right: Bran Flakes.

 Conclusion

Overall, Bran Flakes is a decent replacement for NutriFlakes with the cost alone making it well worth it.  This is one item I would not buy a la carte.