Healthy Breakfast Cereals
When watching a television commercial for most breakfast cereals, you would come away thinking that they are a healthy way to start each morning. While it is true that breakfast cereals do have certain essential nutrients, it is stretching to suggest that they are healthy. Of course, some are going to better for you than others, but the vast majority of store-bought breakfast cereals are going to do more harm than good to your health.
What is in Breakfast Cereal?
Whenever trying to determine whether something is healthy or not, the first thing you want to do is look at what is in it. This means looking at the side of the cereal box, and going down to the ingredients section. What you’ll find in the vast majority of cereals is that they are made from highly processed wheat (even whole grain wheat is processed), sugar (or more likely, high fructose corn syrup), and a variety of artificial flavors, preservatives, and other items.
If you’re looking to avoid processed foods and eat more naturally, this is clearly not the way to go. Even once you get past the ingredients, you’ll find that these cereals get even worse. The ‘food’ is typically manipulated by machines to get the right shape, dried or frosted to get the good texture, and they often go through many other steps as well.
To put it simply, these cereals are among the most highly processed foods on the market today, and while they do contain some vitamins and minerals, they are mostly just sugar and refined carbs. Not surprisingly, breakfast cereals have been linked to some health issues including obesity.
Tips for Choosing a Healthy Breakfast Cereal
While most cereals are very unhealthy, there is no denying the fact that they are convenient. If you are unable to eliminate them from your diet completely, at least take some steps to get the healthiest options available. With a little work, you can find a healthy breakfast cereal that won’t cause you too many issues.
Watch for Sugar Content
The first thing to do is read the food label and determine how much sugar is in each serving. You want to find cereals that have about five grams or fewer of sugar. This will be difficult, and will likely eliminate about 90% of all the options in the cereal aisle (and all of the ones that your kids prefer!). Getting rid of the excess sugar will help you to avoid many of the health issues associated with high sugar intake as sugar can be very addictive.
Look for Fiber
Cereal provides you with a good amount of dietary fiber. Fiber is necessary for digestion, and helping you to feel full. Many people don’t get enough of this in their diets, so using breakfast cereal as a source of it can be a good idea. Look for cereals that have at least three grams of fiber per serving. By bumping up your fiber intake, you’ll take advantage of a variety of health benefits. Keep in mind that many foods are high in fiber and would be better for your health.
Choose Cereals with Protein
There are quite a few cereals on the market today that contain nuts, seeds, and even Greek yogurt. This helps to provide you with important protein, which can provide you with many great health benefits. Most people are well aware of just how important protein is, and if you can get it into your cereal, you’ll be much better off than choosing the other options.
Use Cereal as a Treat or a Portion of Breakfast
Even if you take these tips for a healthy breakfast cereal, you’re still not going to be getting all the essential nutrients you need to start the day. With this in mind, it is a good idea to limit cereals to only occasional consumption, and even then, make sure you’re eating other foods along with it. Having a small portion of cereal in the morning along with eggs, for example, can help you to improve your overall health.