REVIEW: Kashi GoLean Original Cereal

It's relatively easy to find a cereal with plenty of fiber nowadays- Fiber One (doy, it's even IN the NAME), All Bran, Shredded Wheat, Grape Nuts... Even cereals like Lucky Charms and Corn Pops are getting the "whole grain" treatment. Fiber in cereal is a pretty good deal, and I'm sure many people are aware of this by now.
But while fiber is fine and good and all, what about protein??? You expect me to eat a big bowl of carbs for breakfast (even if it contains all of my fiber for the day) and barely any protein to go along with it? No sir!!!  Well, yeah, I know there's protein in MILK, but only 8g per cup. You need MORE if you want big ol' muscles! (And who doesn't?! Unless you already HAVE THEM...... Then whoopie-doo to you!!!).
And so, that's where Kashi's GoLean Original cereal comes in. It probably has the highest protein content in cereal (13g per serving) I've ever seen so far. Due to this, I've made it a staple in my pantry. But what about the taste? I'm hear to offer an in-depth review of this protein-packed cereal today. One 13.1 oz. box costs about $5.29.

One 52g serving of this cereal contains 160 calories, 1g of fat, 90mg of sodium, 10g of fiber, 9g of sugar, and 13g of protein. Kashi's products are also organic, in case you cared to know.

This cereal is a literal mixture of fiber twigs, soy protein grahams, and honey-toasted whole grain puffs. The twigs are the things that look like- well -brown twigs, some stuck together in groups of three of six, some completely alone; the soy protein grahams are the little beige squares; and the whole grain puffs are the things that look like Honey Smacks stripped bare of their sugary coating.
Kashi GoLean is definitely a powerhouse cereal: For a serving close to twice the amount of other cereals, you get 13g of protein AND 9g of fiber. Both amounts are A LOT compared to most cereals out there. But how does Kashi's taste hold up?
Well, if you're like me, you don't exactly go into this cereal with high expectations of some sugary-delight flavor explosion, so luckily you won't be crushed when you find this cereal is a bit on the mild side.
The fiber twigs are crunchy, and have a subtle sweetness to them. They kind of taste like bran flakes. Still, very mild. The grahams are less sweet on the other hand, still as crunchy, and have this slight aftertaste I can't quite put my finger on. It's not necessarily BAD aftertaste, just interesting. The puffed rice is soft and light, and has a pinch of honey in its flavor. The puffed rice offers a nice counter-balance to the way crunchier and harder fiber twigs and soy grahams.
Kashi's GoLean is NOT sweet, but still tasty and appealing in an odd way. It could be the hearty, substantial feel you get when eating it. That's what I'D like to think anyway. Nevertheless, this cereal DEFINITELY requires a packet of sweetener or two sprinkled over it.

GoLean is a good cereal in milk. It's my favorite to eat on the weekends! Of course, the cereal is STILL very mild, and the milk doesn't add enough sweetness to change that, so I still through in some sweetener to make it- well, to be frank- tastier. Thankfully, this cereal loses some of it's crunchiness hardness when in milk, but still retains enough of its composition that it doesn't get all soggy and gross. Along with the sweetener, I like to add a pinch of cinnamon into my bowls of GoLean. It tastes REALLY GOOD with cinnamon. But what do I know? I'm a cinnamon addict!
Anyway, this cereal doesn't win any awards for sweetness, but it certainly does for it's three-hit combo of protein, fiber, and organic...ness. It has a strong, wheat-y flavor, and not much else, but the addition of sweetener fixes that problem up quite nicely. I suppose I could be harder on this cereal for having such a subtle flavor, but I just can't bring myself to bash on it. I've bough countless boxes of this cereal, you see. I'll be completely honest, I can never eat it without SOMETHING to sweeten it up, but I DO eat it frequently, and I enjoy it. I couldn't turn down a cereal with THIS much protein! Sure, it's not the sweetest, but like anything, a little doctoring up can make it allllll better.
I'd like to give this cereal a 7.75/10!

Have you tried Kashi's GoLean Original? What did YOU think???? Write down in the comments below!

Till' then, this has been RiRi ri-porting!