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Magic Spoon
- Magic Spoon is a delicious cereal for adults that’s high in protein but low in carbs and calories.
- The cereal is keto-friendly and non-GMO, and free from gluten, grain, wheat, soy, and artificial sweeteners.
- It gets its taste from allulose, a natural sweetener found in figs and maple syrup that has zero glycemic impact.
- Magic Spoon is available as a 4-pack for $39 or a monthly subscription for around $35 per month.
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As I write this, it’s 2 p.m. on a Saturday and I’m wearing sweatpants while eating frosted cereal straight from the box, and I feel no shame.
Well, I probably should have showered and put on some real pants by now, but at the very least, I can feel good about making solid nutritional choices. The cereal I’m chowing down on is actually healthy, thanks to the geniuses over at Magic Spoon.
The brand, which launched in April 2018, specializes in “high-protein, keto-friendly, non-GMO, gluten-free, grain-free, soy-free, wheat-free, nothing artificial, childlike cereal for grown-ups” — a direct quote from the side of the pastel-colored cereal box I’m staring at. That’s quite a mouthful, but then again, so is every bite of Magic Spoon.
Magic Spoon is delicious but it's made without any artificial sweeteners; instead, it has 12 grams of protein and only three grams of net carbs
There six flavors — Frosted, Cocoa, Cinnamon, Blueberry, Fruity, and limited edition Peanut Butter — and they are all delicious, especially for a product with no artificial sweeteners, 12 grams of protein, and only three grams of net carbs. But while the company has clearly cracked some sort of nutritious-meets-delicious code here, it's not magic. Just a mixture of innovation, vision, and a relatively new-to-market natural sweetener.
"Modern consumers, including us, have been eschewing classic breakfast cereal in favor of healthier options," Gabi Lewis and Greg Sewitz, the brand's founders, tell Insider Reviews. "The category is in decline only because everything in it today is high sugar, high carb, and full of junk. But most people still love cereal, so we set out to fix the problems with it."
Granted, there are some healthy cereals on supermarket shelves already. You know, anything that ends in "-bran" or boasts a name like "Fiber-Os." Diet-friendly but definitely not taste-bud-friendly, these options leave something to be desired.
And that's where Magic Spoon comes in. Made with "sugar" known as allulose, it's managed to recreate your favorite flavors from childhood, minus the sugar.
"We only use natural sweeteners: monk fruit, stevia, and allulose," Lewis and Sewitz say. "We spent months working on the perfect blend of natural sweeteners to create the same great taste you remember, without the sugar. We use them in a specific combination that doesn't result in the aftertaste people sometimes experience with sweeteners."
You're probably familiar with monk fruit and stevia, as they're widely used in the natural health food space, but allulose is a relative newcomer. "It's found in things like figs and maple syrup," the founders explain. "It tastes just like regular sugar" — a point I can personally and enthusiastically confirm — "but has zero glycemic impact and almost zero calories."
Even though allulose doesn't affect the body like other sugars, the FDA still requires it to be listed under the "Total Carbohydrate" category of the Nutrition Facts; don't let that scare you, though. "Not all carbs are created equal," Lewis and Sewitz say. "Some, like starches and grains, are metabolized and used by your body for energy — these are the sorts of carbs that people might want to limit."
Carbs like fiber and natural sweeteners, on the other hand, aren't digested and don't affect blood sugar or insulin levels. Strip away the two grams of fiber and three grams of allulose in a single serving of Magic Spoon, and that leaves just three net carbs per bowl, "which is seven to eight times less than most popular breakfast cereals," the founders estimate. "It's perfect for people who are on the keto diet or just trying not to overindulge on carb-heavy foods."
Each serving also boasts 12 grams of protein — or twice the amount of a single egg — to keep you fuller longer, help you sustain energy throughout the day, and even reduce cravings. "Nutritionists tend to disagree on many things — whether fats are good or bad for you, for example — but almost everyone agrees that protein is good for you, regardless of who you are," Lewis and Sewitz say.
The cereal boxes are cute and whimsical, there are even puzzles on the back of the boxes
Besides the good-for-you factor, Magic Spoon's cereal boxes are seriously cute.
"We looked at the current market and noticed that most 'healthy' breakfast options were really sleepy and dull," the founders share. "We wanted to transport people back to Saturday morning cartoons, so we created these really playful, colorful, character-based cereal boxes." My personal favorite features an illustration of a cowboy riding a dinosaur — so much more fun to pull out of the kitchen cabinet than that box of Fiber-Os, right?
Each box also has an old-school maze puzzle on the back, a great touch for families with kids (or just adults with a little too much time on their hands — guilty).
According to Lewis and Sewitz, "The Magic Spoon customer is really anyone who loves cereal but wants a healthier option."
"That could be a millennial who grew up on cereal but stopped eating it as they started paying more attention to their diet, or it could be a mom who's looking for a healthy breakfast to feed her kids that will actually excite them — and that she can enjoy, too," they say. Best of all, the cereal is a smart choice for those who are on more restrictive diets, like keto, and need to limit their carb intake.
I'm not on a particularly restrictive diet, nor do I have kids, but Magic Spoon has become my new go-to for one simple reason: It's good for me but tastes like it's not, which is the dream.
You can grab Magic Spoon in a 4-pack variety box or a 4-pack of an individual flavor for $39, or subscribe monthly and get 10% off ($35 per month).
Lewis suggests stocking up on his favorite flavor, Cocoa, while Sewitz is partial to Cinnamon. I'm a fan of Frosted and Fruity, so really, you can't go wrong. To borrow a phrase, they're all magically delicious.