CEREAL SOLUTIONS: HOW TO CHOOSE A HEALTHY CEREAL

Ample research indicates eating breakfast is associated with a healthier weight, lower rates of heart disease and diabetes, and overall better health.  Enjoying a bowl of healthful cereal for breakfast is an easy, no-brainer way to start your day with a serving of fiber-rich whole grains. But not all cereals are created equal, and some offer little more than a hefty dose of sugar and refined white flour. Here's some tips to ensure your bowl of cereal provides a healthy start.  

The milk - What to Look for:

Choose 1% or fat-free (skim):  Milk is naturally rich in protein and vital minerals including calcium and potassium.  It is also fortified with vitamin D and A.  Unfortunately whole milk is also high in unhealthy saturated fat.  To avoid artery clogging fats, choose non-fat/fat-free/skim or 1% fat milk.

Healthy options if you are lactose intolerant: If you find milk gives you gas and bloating, you likely lack the enzymes in your digestive tract necessary to breakdown the natural carbohydrate in milk, lactose.  In Lactaid milk (again opt for 1% or skim), the lactose has already been broken down and should be well tolerated.  Soy milk is also a healthy alternative to dairy milk as the fats in soy are healthy fats.  Just be certain when choosing a soy milk to opt for an unsweetened one as many are high in added sugar.  Compared to soy or dairy milk, almond milk is much lower in protein.  Look for a milk or milk substitute that has at least 7g of protein per cup. 

The cereal - What to Look for:

The front of cereal boxes are designed to sell cereal rather than provide you with the information you need to make a healthy decision.  Look at the Nutrition Facts label and ingredient list to size up a cereal.  The following nutritional criteria apply to ~1 cup of cold cereal or ~1/2 cup (dry) hot cereals (about 40g of cereal but note that in the case  of the finely ground cereals 40g is less than ½ cup dry) not including milk or fruit.

180 calories or less:  Note the serving size:  For cereals, the serving size listed on the nutrition facts labels ranges from 1/4 cup to 1 1/2 cups.  All the listed nutrition facts apply to the listed serving size, so when comparing cereals, first note the serving size.  Granola and muesli types of cereal often have small serving sizes listed.  For example, Kellogg's Special K Lowfat Granola has 190 calories per serving but a serving is only 1/2 cup - so that means per cup it has 380 calories!  Keep in mind that 1 cup of dense cereal contains more grain and will be more filling than an airier cereal so it is also useful to compare the grams per serving as well.  Note your portion size:  Another important factor in controlling calories is to watch your portion size.  Most bowls easily hold 2 cups of cereal.  If you are not mindful of your portion you may be having 2-4 times the listed calories per serving.  Using a small bowl has been shown to reduce the amount of cereal eaten.

4g of fiber or more:  Fiber helps with regularity, fullness, and slows digestion to help prevent blood sugar spikes.   The fibers that are best for regularity and health are intact fibers- fibers that are found in whole grain or bran (the outer layer of a grain that is richest in intact fiber) ingredients. Many cereals including the Fiber One line, have added isolated fibers such as inulin, polydextrose, oat fiber, or wheat fiber.  While these are also still healthy they do not help as much with regularity and may not contribute to heart health as much as intact fiber.  FYI, wheat bran is the best ingredient for regularity.

Whole grain or bran is first ingredient:  Looking at the number of grams of whole grains in a cereal can be misleading.  The ingredients are listed from greatest amount to least amount in a food, so look for options with a whole grain or bran (intact fiber) as the first ingredient.  In hot cereals all rolled oats or steel cut oats are whole.  If rice is not specified as brown than it is not a whole grain.  Grits and the original versions of Cream of Rice and Cream of Wheat are also not whole grain cereals. 

6g or less of added sugar per cup:  In some cereals, more than 50% of the calories per serving come from straight sugar!   When it comes to added sugar, less is better and none is best.  Keep in mind cane juice, honey, corn syrup, fructose, and brown sugar are all added sweeteners no healthier than sugar.  Instead of opting for pre-sweetened cereals, add your own fresh, frozen or dried fruits to give your cereal some sweetness.  You could also add your own sugar-free sweetener such as Splenda without adding calories.  Cereals with added raisins will have higher sugar content but may be low in added sugar.  Both Post and Kellogg’s Raisin Bran are good options.  If you want a pre-sweetened hot cereal, the sugar-free packets and Quaker’s line of “Lower Sugar” options are good bets. 

Less than 200g of sodium per cup:  Many cereals are very low in sodium while others have over 300 mg per serving.  The Kellogg's Chex line is one of the highest with as much as 425mg per cup!  Among hot cereals, many of the instant packets are higher in sodium.  For example the Quaker Weight Control packet has 240mg per packet while the Old Fashioned has 0mg per 1/2 cup dry.

Nutrition bonus - 6g or more of protein per cup: While cereals are grain-based and therefore mostly carbohydrate, many cereals are now formulated with added protein.  Protein is important for fullness and maintaining lean tissue when losing weight.  Special K Protein, Kashi Go Lean (cold cereal), and Kashi Go Lean Instant Packets are some of the healthiest options high in protein.

Here's a list of some of the healthier cold cereal options widely available in local grocery stores:

General Mills Cheerios Original

General Mills Fiber One 80 Calories Honey Squares

General Mills Fiber One Original

General Mills Fiber One Raisin Bran Clusters

General Mills Total Whole Grain

General Mills Wheaties

Kashi GO LEAN

Kashi Heart to Heart Warm Cinnamon Oat & Honey Toasted Oat

Kashi Squares Honey Sunshine

Kellogg's All-Bran

Kellogg's All-Bran Complete Wheat Flakes

Kellogg's Raisin Bran

Kellogg's Special K Protein

Newman's Own Sweet Enough Cinnamon Fiber Flakes

Post Bran Flakes

Post Grape-Nuts Flakes

Post Original Shredded Wheat Spoon Size or Big Biscuit

Post Raisin Bran

Post Wheat'n Bran Shredded Wheat Spoon Size

Quaker Life Crunchtime

Quaker Whole Hearts