How to Choose a Healthy Cereal?
Spring has actually finally shown up! March happens to be National Nutrition Month®, and after a long winter season, it’s always a good idea to “spring clean” your consuming regular and focus on excellent nutrition. Mentioning nutrition, March 7 was National Cereal Day. To admire cereal, this week, we’ll take a look at some facts (and characteristics) about cereal, with pointers on how to choose the healthiest cereal.
Contents
How to Pick a Healthy Breakfast Cereal
Cereal history
• 1863: Cereal is created! James Caleb Jackson, an extremely religious vegetarian who ran a sanitarium in New York, produced a breakfast cereal from graham flour. The dough was really difficult and had to be taken in milk over night. Jackson called this cereal “granula.” Later on, John Harvey Kellogg, a surgeon, made his own variation and relabelled it “granola.”
• Early- to mid-1900s: Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, Quaker Puffed Rice and Puffed Wheat, Wheaties, Rice Krispies, and Chex cereals struck the scene. (Elizabeth Taylor graced the box of Chex cereal in the 1950s!)
• Sugary cereals top the list. According to information from IBISWorld and IRI, top-selling cereals include Honey Nut Cheerios, Frosted Flakes, and Honey Bunches of Oats.
• Cereal still rules. Sales of cereal have actually dropped over recent years, as customers search for much healthier higher-protein, higher-fiber breakfasts. But Nielsen information reveals that 90% of American homes nevertheless consist of cereal. Ninety-four percent of millennials have cereal in their houses — for them, cereal serves as a snack, in addition to breakfast.
See also: What is the Best Cereal for Diabetics?
Nutrition pointers for clever cereal options
Go to any grocery store and you’ll discover shelves (and aisles) dedicated to cereal. How do you select? It’s easy to spot the “kid-friendly” sugary cereals, however not so easy to discover the cereals that offer decent nutrition without all the sugar and other unwanted active ingredients, such as artificial colors.
Scan the serving size. A brand-new Nutrition Facts label is coming, which will (hopefully) make it simpler for you to make sense of what you’re actually getting in your food. No matter what type of food you’re purchasing, go right to the Nutrition Facts panel on the plan. Constantly take a look at the serving size. The serving size for cereals will vary — you may see 1 cup, 1/2 cup, or even 1/4 cup. If you eat basically than the serving, your consumption of calories, carbohydrate, fat, fiber, and other nutrients will vary, too. In general, cereals that are more energy dense, such as granola or muesli, will have smaller sized serving sizes due to the fact that the comparable amount has more calories than cereals like puffed grains or bran flakes.
Discover the fiber. Most of us only get about 15 grams of fiber each day, however we in fact need in between 25 (for women) and 38 (for men) grams of fiber. A fantastic way to get a jump-start on fiber is to eat a fiber-rich cereal. How do you understand which cereals are high in fiber? Once again, inspect the label. Choose cereals with at least 3 grams of fiber per serving. Better yet, choose a minimum of 5 grams of fiber per serving. Heavy-hitters consist of Kellogg’s All-Bran cereals, General Mills Fiber One, Kashi GoLean, and Uncle Sam Original Wheat Berry Flakes. Tip: Go simple with bran cereals if you don’t typically eat them. Too much fiber simultaneously can cause stomach distress!
Skimp on sugar. Keeping an eye on carbohydrate is very important when you have diabetes. When it pertains to cereals, for the most part, you’re getting carbohydrate. The secret is to eat cereals that get an excellent portion of their carbohydrates from fiber and a minimal quantity from sugar. You might not constantly be able to avoid sugar, but you can restrict it. Select cereals that have no more than about 8 grams of sugar per serving (that’s about two teaspoons of sugar). Keep in mind that if a cereal consists of fruit, the sugar in that fruit will contribute to the cereal’s sugar material. Also, check out the active ingredient list. Sugar in any type (sucrose, honey, maple syrup, evaporated walking cane juice, and so on) need to be further down the list. Considering that fruit in some cereals might be coated with sugar, it’s best to avoid these. Add your own fresh fruit, instead.
See also: Is Oatmeal Good for People with Diabetes?
Keep an eye on salt. It’s difficult to believe that cereal would even include sodium, however the majority of do. For instance, a half-cup of Grape Nuts contains roughly 290 milligrams of sodium. On the other hand, one cup of Shredded Wheat has virtually no sodium, and neither does 1/2 cup of cooked Quaker Old-Fashioned Oats. An objective to aim for is a cereal with no more than 240 milligrams of salt per serving. Kashi GoLean Original has 115 milligrams of salt per each 1 1/4- cup serving; Uncle Sam Original Wheat Berry Flakes has 140 milligrams per 3/4-cup serving.
Opt for the grain. When selecting healthy carbohydrate foods, you’re best option is to focus on whole-grain, unrefined carbohydrates as typically as possible. Whole-grain cereals (and breads, pasta, and crackers, too) have a lot opting for them. They have the tendency to have less of an influence on blood glucose; plus, they’ve been shown to help lower the risk of many types of illness and conditions, consisting of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, diverticulosis (a condition in which pouches form in the large intestinal tract), and some types of cancer. Take a look at the component list of your cereal: The first active ingredient needs to be some type of an entire grain, such as whole wheat, wheat berries, oats, or wild rice.
Fit in some protein. In general, cereal isn’t really understood for being a high-protein food. But some brand names do contain protein, specifically whole-grain cereals. You’re off to a great start if you can find a cereal which contains at least 3 grams of protein per serving. Kashi GoLean Original includes 12 grams of protein per 1 1/4- cup serving. Kellogg’s Special K Protein has 10 grams of protein per 3/4-cup serving.
Cereal add-ins
Choose wisely when it comes to what you add to your cereal. By itself, cereal can make a quite decent snack. If you’re adding milk, recognize that it, too, contains calories, carbs, and sodium, in addition to fat. Entire milk may not be as unhealthy as we as soon as believed, however it consists of more calories than low-fat or skim milk. Non-dairy milks, such as almond or rice milk, have the tendency to have very little protein, and may be high in carbs thanks to added sugar. Opt for unsweetened variations. To improve nutrition, think about adding some fresh fruit (berries are an excellent choice), a scattering of nuts or seeds (try chia seeds or ground flaxseed), or even a tablespoon of peanut or almond butter.
