Breakfast has long been noted as the most important meal of the day, and eating a healthy one has proven to increase performance at school and work, yield higher levels of energy, and help people make better eating choices as the day progresses. A good number of us turn to a trusty bowl of cereal for nourishment, but it's easy to be hoaxed by those marketed as "healthy" when they're really no better for you than a cinnamon bun.
Take Kellogg's Smart Start Strong Heart Antioxidants Cereal, for example. Based on its name, this cereal sounds exceptionally healthy to me, but is it really? The manufacture describes it as "lightly sweetened", but a quick glance at the nutrition label reveals that a single serving contains 14 grams of sugar. One bowl alone would cut pretty deeply into one's daily sugar allowance, taking up nearly 60% of a woman's recommended quota and 40% of a man's. I would be scared to find out what Kellogg's considers to be normally sweetened...
With all of the deceiving health claims used to advertise many cereals on the market, I've had a number of people approach me on how to stay above the trickery. After reading through a number of insightful articles on the topic, I've compiled a list of what I believe to be the best of the advice out there. This set of guidelines should help make your cereal selection fool-proof against the fraudulent claims.
Per serving, you'll want to choose a cereal by comparing its nutritional info against the following standards:
- Made with whole grains and/or bran (the outer layer of a grain)
- 5 grams of sugar or less
- Around 200 mg of sodium or less (your milk will add another 100 mg, or so)
- At least 3 grams of fiber (be wary of 'fake' fiber)
- At least 3 grams of protein
If you feel that your cereal isn't sweet enough, you can always sprinkle on some stevia or add in fresh fruit, such as bananas slices or berries. Try to stray from cereals that have dried fruit in them; they're usually covered in added sugars.
You'll also want to be mindful of how the grains are presented on the ingredients list. If they aren't listed as 'whole,' nix the box altogether (for example, 'whole wheat' as opposed to 'wheat'). If 'whole' doesn't precede the grain, it could actually be a refined grain disguised as its healthy counterpart, so just assume it's an impostor. The whole grains and/or bran should be first to appear on the list, with sugar falling towards the end.
To reassure you that there are options out there that fit the above criteria, I've provided a few prime examples that you're likely to find at your local market:
Kashi 7 Whole Grain Nuggets Cereal
Cheerios
Nature's Path Organic Multigrain Oatbran Cereal
Kellogg's All-Bran Complete Wheat Flakes
Cascadian Farm Organic Purely O's
Mini Wheats Unfrosted Bite Size Cereal
Nature's Path Organic Flax Plus Flakes
Post Shredded Spoon Size Wheat'n Bran
When you go to pour yourself a bowl of your ingredient-approved cereal, don't forget to pay attention to serving sizes (for tips on how to avoid overeating, check out my post here), and shoot for low-fat or fat-free varieties of dairy milk or unsweetened soy or almond milk. Next time you take a trip down the cereal isle, do so with caution. No longer will those cereal boxes be able to bluff their way into your pantry!
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