Contents:
- Medical Video: Cereal - Which Cereal is Healthiest? - Heart Smart® Grocery Store Tour
- Tips for choosing a healthy and nutritious breakfast cereal
- 1. Read the label for nutritional value information on the packaging
- 2. Choose made from whole wheat
- 3. Choose cereals that are low in sugar
- 4. Pay attention to the saturated fat content
- 5. Choose fortified with vitamins and minerals
Medical Video: Cereal - Which Cereal is Healthiest? - Heart Smart® Grocery Store Tour
On super busy days, cereal can be a practical breakfast menu choice. Just pour your favorite milk and cereal, voila! Breakfast is ready to eat in a short time. Even so, not all breakfast cereals are healthy. Most contain high sugar and calories which can actually make you fat and hungry quickly before lunch time arrives.
Quiet. You can still, how come, enjoy cereal without having to worry about your health. Check out the tips below to choose a healthy breakfast cereal to start the day.
Tips for choosing a healthy and nutritious breakfast cereal
1. Read the label for nutritional value information on the packaging
When buying cereal, make sure to always read the nutritional value information label first. It is important for you to estimate how many calories you have consumed for one meal, especially if you are trying to control your weight or have certain medical conditions.
Reporting from WebMD, according to Kristen Smith, RD, a dietitian at the WellStar Comprehensive Bariatric Program in Atlanta, good breakfast cereal should contains 200 calories per serving. Use a glass or measuring measure to maintain the calorie content in your food.
In addition, reading nutritional labels also allows you to know what nutrients are in the breakfast cereal.
2. Choose made from whole wheat
Not all breakfast cereals contain whole wheat. Some have been mixed with wheat flour or rice. Choosing cereals made from 100% whole grains is important because the product still retains most of the skin (bran) and germ attached to the seed. Bran and germ are the most nutrient-rich parts of wheat.
Whole wheat is very good for body health because it is rich in fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins and minerals that can help control weight, reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, and reduce cholesterol. Fiber from whole wheat also helps make the stomach full longer.
But be careful. Regardless of whether the cereal is whole wheat or not, you also have to pay attention to how much sugar is contained in it. Usually, the more sugar content in cereals, the less fiber content. Therefore, choose cereals that contain fiber as much as seven grams or more so that the sugar content is not excessive.
The higher the fiber content, the longer the taste will feel full.
3. Choose cereals that are low in sugar
Even though cereal packaging cereal is written as "low sugar" or sugar-free, the reality is not always the case. Maybe these cereals are really low in sugar, but contain hidden sugars that escape attention.
Avoid cereal products that contain 10 grams of sugar or about three teaspoons of sugar per portion. Starting a day with a high-sugar breakfast menu can make blood sugar soar and then drop quickly. This is what causes you to get hungry fast, even though you just ate.
Not only that. Getting used to eating sweet foods and high empty carbohydrates can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer in the future.
Therefore, choose cereals that only contain five grams of sugar per portion. To create sweetness in cereals, just add fresh fruits such as berries, raisins, or other fruits. This method is also suitable to do when you serve cereal as a little breakfast menu so that he still eats fruit.
4. Pay attention to the saturated fat content
When selecting a healthy breakfast cereal, note also the saturated fat content, aka trans fat. Saturated fat can increase cholesterol which can contribute to the risk of heart disease.
Choose cereals that are low in saturated fat or trans fat. No more than two grams. You can find this information on the nutritional label listed on the cereal packaging. Don't miss it!
5. Choose fortified with vitamins and minerals
Not all cereals contain vitamins and minerals. Most have experienced a long manufacturing process that burns their natural nutrients.
So, be more careful when buying cereal. Check the packaging and find out the alias "fortification" label fortified. This means that the cereal has been intentionally added by certain vitamins and minerals.
What and how much is added to each product can vary. We recommend that you choose breakfast cereals that have been enriched with additional calcium, vitamin D, folic acid, and vitamin C to meet your daily nutritional needs.
