Get the best from your cereal

You’ve been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? If you’re a breakfast skipper, here are a couple of things you should know:

• People who skip breakfast are more than 4 times more likely to be obese than people who don’t.
• People who eat whole grain cereal at least 7 times a week have the lowest chance of developing heart failure.
• The risk of having any heart-related problem is reduced by 10% for every 10 grams of grain fibre you eat a day.
• Eating lots of whole grain also reduces your risk of getting breast cancer, type 2 diabetes, colon cancer, high blood pressure and stroke.

(All this comes from various studies done worldwide including Harvard.)

One of the easiest ways to get a whole grain fibre boost is to start off your day with cereal. It’s convenient and comes in so many varieties that there’s sure to be something to please even the fussiest eaters amongst us.

This same variety can also be very confusing when it comes to choosing the right breakfast cereal which will give you the fibre you need without adding inches to your waistline.
Some tips:

• Oats, millet, quinoa and amaranth are wholegrain. Wheat, rice, corn and barley are often refined so make sure they have the word “whole” in front of them (e.g. wholewheat).
• Look for the words “high fiber” on the box which means there should be at least 5 grams of fibre per serving. Read the packet to check the fiber content and to make sure your fibre isn’t drowning in saturated fats and refined sugars.
• Watch out for the following : brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, invert sugar maltose, malt syrup, molasses, sugar and sucros. These should not appear amongst the first 3 or 4 ingredients listed on the pack. They are refined sugars which are really bad for you. Natural sugars present in grains and fruit are fine.
• Avoid artificial sweeteners which can cause bloating. Try fresh fruit sprinkled on your cereal to add a touch of sweetness.