Magic Spoon and Catalina Crunch are two of the most popular healthy cereal options.
Both cereals are packed with protein, free from added sugar, and gluten-free and keto-friendly – everything you want in a cereal.
Additionally, both come in various tempting flavors such as dark chocolate, cocoa, fruit and more.
However, when choosing one, which comes out on top? Magic Spoon or Catalina Crunch?
Well, that’s what I am going to find out in this post.
I’ll compare the ingredients and nutrition of both cereals side-by-side to see how these cereals stack up.
However, here’s a short answer for those in a hurry.
Short answer: When comparing Magic Spoon and Catalina Crunch, there is no definitive winner. Magic Spoon packs high-quality protein and is a better source of healthy fats. While, Catalina Crunch offers less calories, sodium and a good amount of fiber. It all comes down to personal preference.
Read also: Magic Spoon vs Three Wishes: Which One Should You Choose?
Magic Spoon Vs Catalina Crunch: Ingredients comparison
Ingredients in Magic Spoon
Magic Spoon comes in various flavors, such as:
- Fruity
- Peanut butter
- Cocoa
- Frosted
- Blueberry muffin
- Cinnamon roll
Therefore, the exact ingredients can vary depending on the flavor.
In general, Magic Spoon cereal is primarily made from milk protein blend (casein and whey protein concentrate).
Other ingredients you would find across many flavors include:
- Sweetener blend (allulose, monk fruit extract)
- Oil blend (High oleic sunflower oil, avocado oil)
- Tapioca starch
- Inulin (from chicory root and/or agave)
- Natural flavor
- Salt
That’s it.
Ingredients in Catalina Crunch
Catalina Crunch comes in various flavors, such as:
- Fruity
- Pumpkin spice
- Dark chocolate
- Cinnamon toast
- Chocolate peanut butter
- Honey graham
- Maple waffle
- Mint chocolate
- Chocolate banana
Therefore, the exact ingredients can vary depending on the flavor.
Catalina Crunch cereal is primarily made with Catalina flour, which contains pea protein, potato fiber, non-GMO corn fiber, chicory root fiber and guar gum.
Other ingredients that you might find across many flavors include:
- Tapioca flour
- High oleic sunflower oil and/or Coconut oil
- Baking powder
- Natural flavors
- Sea salt
- Calcium carbonate
- Stevia and monk fruit extract
That’s it.
The verdict: Which is better?
There’s no doubt that when it comes to ingredients, both Magic Spoon and Catalina Crunch are packed with good ones.
But when it comes to choosing one, I would go with Magic Spoon.
Here’s why
- Magic Spoon’s main ingredient is milk protein, which is considered better than the pea protein found in Catalina Crunch.
- Magic Spoon uses allulose and monk fruit as natural sweeteners. Catalina Crunch uses stevia and monk fruit extract. Stevia can have a bitter aftertaste.
- Magic Spoon uses avocado oil, which is considered better than coconut oil in Catalina Crunch.
However, salt is one aspect where Catalina Crunch can be considered better than Magic Spoon.
Catalina Crunch uses sea salt, which is less processed than regular salt used in Magic Spoon.
But overall, Magic Spoon edges out Catalina Crunch ingredients-wise.
Let’s move on to the nutrition part.
Magic Spoon Vs Catalina Crunch: Nutritional comparison
Calories
Magic Spoon: 140-170 per serving
Catalina Crunch: 110 per serving
Both Magic Spoon and Catalina Crunch are comparable and lower-calorie options for breakfast.
However, Magic Spoon has more calories per serving than Catalina Crunch.
What’s good? None of the cereals provide empty calories, i.e., calories from sugar.
Fat
Magic Spoon: 7-9g per serving
Catalina Crunch: 5-6g per serving
With 7-9g of fat per serving, Magic Spoon edges ahead of Catalina Crunch’s 5-6g.
But a closer look tells the real story.
Magic Spoon contains heart-healthy unsaturated fats from avocado oil, with just 1g of saturated fat per serving.
Whereas Catalina Crunch contains coconut oil, supplying 4g of saturated fat across most flavors.
Though coconut oil contains beneficial MCTs, its high saturated fat content can increase triglyceride levels [1].
So, not only in terms of fat quantity but also quality, Magic Spoon wins out.
Protein
Magic Spoon: 12-14g per serving
Catalina Crunch: 11g per serving
Protein is essential for a healthy and nutritious breakfast, and both Magic Spoon and Catalina Crunch deliver that punch.
However, Magic Spoon takes the lead for both high protein and quality protein.
Magic Spoon packs protein punch from milk proteins, casein, and whey. These complete proteins deliver all nine essential amino acids your body needs.
On the other hand, Catalina Crunch uses plant-based pea protein, which is also a complete protein but is slightly less beneficial than casein and whey.
If you’re vegan, Catalina Crunch is the clear choice.
But if you’re focused on increasing your daily protein intake, Magic Spoon is the right choice.
Fiber
Magic Spoon: 1-2g per serving
Catalina Crunch: 9g per serving
When it comes to fiber, Catalina Crunch delivers a crushing 9g per serving, knocking out Magic Spoon’s just 1-2g.
To put that into perspective, a single serving of Catalina Crunch provides 36% of the daily recommended fiber for adults.
Catalina Crunch drives its fiber punch from multiple sources, such as potato, corn, chicory root, and guar gum.
All these sources supply soluble and insoluble fiber to feed your gut microbiome and promote regularity.
You might say that Isn’t too much fiber bad for digestion.
While true, Catalina Crunch combines multiple gentle fiber sources for optimal tolerance.
Sodium
Magic Spoon: 150-210mg per serving
Catalina Crunch: 110-150mg per serving
When it comes to sodium, Catalina Crunch knockout with just 110-150mg per serving versus Magic Spoon’s 150-210mg.
Even though 210mg is not very high, if someone limits sodium in their diet, Catalina Crunch is a better choice.
However, that’s not all.
Catalina Crunch uses sea salt, which is less processed and contains more trace minerals than regular salt used in Magic Spoon.
Vitamins and minerals
When it comes to vitamins, Magic Spoon and Catalina Crunch might not be superheroes. Still, they do bring some minerals to the breakfast table.
Here’s the table showing the levels of minerals in both cereals.
| Minerals | Magic Spoon | Catalina Crunch |
|---|---|---|
| Calcium (%DV) | 2 | 4 |
| Iron (%DV) | 10 | 8-13 |
| Potassium (%DV) | 0-2 | 0-2 |
Magic Spoon vs Catalina Crunch: For weight loss
Magic Spoon and Catalina Crunch are both good options to include on a weight loss journey. Both are free from added sugar.
However, with just 110 calories per serving, Catalina Crunch is a better option than Magic Spoon (140-170) for weight loss.
Every calorie counts on a weight loss journey, so Catalina Crunch gains the advantage.
That’s not all. Catalina Crunch also packs high levels of fiber. More fiber means more satiety.
Magic Spoon vs Catalina Crunch: Muscle-building
Magic Spoon emerges as a better choice for muscle building than Catalina Crunch.
There are two reasons for this.
Firstly, Magic Spoon has a slightly higher protein level.
Secondly, Magic Spoon contains dairy protein, which provides a better profile of essential amino acids to power muscle growth and recovery than plant-based protein.
Whey protein is high in leucine content, which is quickly digested by the body to boost muscle protein.
Though pea protein is also a complete protein and contains BCAAs (for muscle building), it has low leucine levels.
However, if you cannot tolerate dairy, Catalina Crunch isn’t a bad choice and can still be part of your muscle-building diet.
Final words: Which one is better?
After comparing ingredients, calories, fat, protein, fiber and more, there’s no clear winner between Magic Spoon and Catalina Crunch.
On the one hand, Magic Spoon packs high-quality protein and is a better source of healthy fats.
On the other hand, Catalina Crunch offers less calories, sodium and a tremendous amount of fiber.
In the end, it all comes down to personal preference.
However, I would say, if possible, incorporate both cereals into your breakfast lineup for optimal nutrition.
Magic Spoon for protein and Catalina Crunch for fiber.
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