True about ultra-processed foods, but I’m more skeptical about sugar depending on one’s activity level.

My box of Lucky Charms Smores (and I only bought this once for “fun”, it’s not a staple of my diet) has 12g of sugar in a 37g serving. That’s 1/3rd sugar. That’s ingested with a cup of milk.

Meanwhile a serving (138g) of Ben & Jerry Cookie Dough Ice Cream has 28g of sugar – and who only eats 1/3rd of the carton? If you eat half the carton, it’s 42g of sugar, 3.5x than in the cereal. It’s also 380-570 calories vs 215-290 (with half or a full cup of whole milk).

Especially with children, it’s not like if you take away the Lucky Charms they’ll eat scrambled eggs and veggies. They may instead end up with a bowl (or two) of ice cream.