National Cereal Day

Do you start your day with a bowl of hot or cold cereal?  Most Americans do, as cereal is the most popular breakfast today.  Approximately 294 million Americans enjoy cereal for breakfast on a daily basis.  The breakfast of choice used to be eggs with bacon or sausage.  Cereal offers a healthy alternative to the past popular breakfast of the 19th century.  In 1877 brothers John and Will Kellogg created what we know now as Kelloggs Corn Flakes by accident and the rest is history.

Today we are surrounded by rows and rows of cereal choices and of course, like most foods there are some that are healthier than others.  Whole grain cereals are the ones to look for as these offer a variety of nutrients and health benefits.  These cereals are an excellent source of iron, fiber, and B vitamins.  Research shows that individuals who choose whole grains have lower risks of heart disease and diabetes.

So what are the most important things to look for in order to get the most bang for your buck when it comes to cereal and your health?

* Fiber - Steer clear of cereals made with refined grains; instead look for whole grains and bran with at least 5 grams of fiber per serving.  Cereals with bran typically have the most fiber.  Bran is linked with weight loss and heart health.

* Avoid sugar - Some cereals are so full of sugar that you might as well eat a bowl for your dessert. Look for cereals with less than 10 grams of sugar per serving.  Also, don't just look at the grams of sugar on the nutrition facts label; check out the ingredient list for added sugars.

"The U.S. Government's Dietary Reference Intakes recommend that added sugars not exceed 25% of total calories (to ensure sufficient intake of micronutrients). And while there isn't a specific guideline for cereal, it makes sense to aim for a cereal that gets 25% or less of its calories from sugar. (If the cereal contains dried fruit, this could be a pinch higher.)

To calculate the percentage of calories from sugar in your cereal:

• Multiply the grams of sugar per serving by 4 (there are 4 calories per gram of sugar).
• Divide this number (calories from sugar) by the total number of calories per serving.
• Multiply this number by 100 to get the percentage of calories from sugar.

While you can find plenty of cereals with 5 grams of fiber per serving or more, some of them go a little bit over the "25% calories from sugar" guideline. But if the percentage of sugar calories is still below 30%, the first ingredient is a whole grain, and the cereal tastes good, it may still be a good choice overall.

 Here are two examples:

Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats Strawberry Delight, with 5 grams of fiber and 12 grams of sugar per serving (about 27% calories from sugar). The first three ingredients are whole-grain wheat, sugar, and strawberry-flavored crunchlets (sugar, corn cereal, corn syrup are the first three ingredients for these). A pleasant surprise: The strawberry coating creates a strawberry-flavored milk when you pour milk in your cereal.

Kashi GoLean Crunch, with 8 grams of fiber and 13 grams of sugar per serving (27% calories from sugar). The first three ingredients are Kashi Seven Whole Grains; Sesame Cereal (whole oats, long grain brown rice, rye, hard red winter wheat, triticale, buckwheat, barley, sesame seeds); textured soy protein concentrate; and evaporated cane juice. This is basically a kashi-fied version of granola, and 3 grams of the 8 grams of fiber is from soluble fiber (thanks to the oats and barley)."

My favorite healthy cereal is Post Shredded Wheat and Bran.  I can bet I am one of the only people that will say that, but I truly love the flavor and simplicity of this cereal.  I enjoy it even more with chopped bananas!  Adding fresh or dried fruit to plain high fiber cereals is a great way to boost flavor and sweetness without added sugar.  You could also use unsweetened vanilla soy or almond milk for a hint of flavor and natural sweetness instead of cow's milk.

Yes, dried fruit can be a healthy addition to cereal.  A quarter of a cup of raisins has about 1 1/2 grams of fiber plus 4% of the Recommended Daily Value for vitamin E and about 6% each of the Daily Value for vitamins B-1, B-6, and iron, magnesium, and selenium. The sugar from raisins is natural and not added like the sugary raisins you would find in cereals such as Post Raisin Bran. 

My favorite not-so healthy cereal is Cinnamon Life.  Unfortunately this cereal is low in fiber and contains added sugar.  Additionally it contains dyes such as Blue1 and Red40.  So that is why I choose an all natural cereal to satisfy me all morning. 

Here is a list of healthy cereals from Web MD

1. Post Grape-Nuts Trail Mix Crunch: 5 grams fiber, and 22% calories from sugar. The first three ingredients are whole grain wheat, malted barley, and sugar, followed by raisins and wheat bran.
2. Fiber One Bran Cereal: 14 grams fiber, 0% calories from sugar. First three ingredients are whole-grain wheat bran, corn bran, and cornstarch. This cereal only appeals to some people. I would suggest enhancing the flavor with cinnamon, fresh or dried fruit, and/or roasted nuts.
3. Fiber One Honey Clusters: 13 grams fiber, 15% calories from sugar. The first three ingredients are whole-grain wheat, corn bran, and wheat bran.
4. Quaker Oatmeal Squares: 5 grams fiber, 19% calories from sugar. The first three ingredients are whole oat flour, whole-wheat flour, and brown sugar.
5. Shredded wheat: 6 grams fiber, 0% calories from sugar (for a generic brand). The only ingredient is 100% whole grain cereal. I enjoy this with added fresh or dried fruit and nuts. If you opt for the frosted variety, it has 6 grams fiber and gets 23% of its calories from sugar.
6. Frosted Mini Wheats: 6 grams fiber, 24% calories from sugar. The first three ingredients are whole-grain wheat, sugar, and high-fructose corn syrup.
7. Raisin Bran: 7 grams fiber, 40% calories from sugar (in Kellogg's brand). The first three ingredients are whole wheat, raisins, and wheat bran). Sugar is listed fourth in the ingredient list, but many of the calories from sugar come from the raisins.
8. Kashi Heart to Heart Honey Toasted Oat Cereal: 5 grams fiber, 18% calories from sugar. The first three ingredients are whole oat flour, oat bran, and evaporated cane juice. This is a higher-fiber alternative to Cheerios. I think they taste better, too. But that may be because there is more sweetener added (the evaporated cane juice).

In my opinion shredded wheat (not frosted) and Kashi cereals seem to be the healthiest.  And don't forget about oatmeal and cream of wheat.  Both of these hot cereals are full of nutrients to promote good health.

Reference: WebMD