Cereals made Simple.Doughnuts, danish, croissants, eggs, bacon sausage, bagels, biscuits, muffins, cereal bars, pancakes, waffles. When it comes to a healthy breakfast, a good cereal beats them all hands down. What gives a breakfast built around cereal the edge? * Whole-grain fiber. Bran bran (bran) the meal derived from the outer covering of a cereal grain; a source of dietary fiber. bran (br n)n. (and some other) cereals are packed with
fiber, which may cut the risk of constipation, diverticulosis diverticulosis /di·ver·tic·u·lo·sis/ (-lo´sis) the presence of diverticula in the absence of inflammation.di·ver·tic·u·lo·sis (d , heart
disease, and possibly cancer. And many people who never touch
whole-grain pasta or brown rice think nothing of eating whole-grain
cereals like Grape-Nuts or shredded wheat.* Little or no fat. As long as the milk is low-fat or fat-free, all fats (including saturated and trans) stay low in just about any cereal breakfast (except some granolas). What's more, the milk's got calcium and vitamin D that many American bones can use. * Fruit-op. Granted, you could add a glass of OJ to any breakfast. But people are more likely to slice bananas or strawberries into their cereal than onto their doughnut. * Vitamins & minerals. No, they don't turn a junky cereal into a health food. But the added vitamins and minerals in most cereals can mean the difference between too little and enough, especially if you don't take a multivitamin. Among the most critical nutrients added to fortified cereals: folic acid, vitamins B-12 and D, and zinc. There's no question that a good cereal makes a great breakfast. But finding a good cereal is more complicated than ever before, thanks to runaway cereal claims (see "Cereal Sinners," page 14). Here's how to get through the cereal aisle without a side-trip to the aspirin aisle. The More Fiber, the Better The average American consumes less than half of the 25 to 30 grams a day that experts recommend. With the possible exception of beans, no other food comes close to the amount of fiber in most bran cereals. But the-more-the-better doesn't mean that everyone has to tackle a bowl of Kellogg's All-Bran or Post 100% Bran every morning. Some folks just don't like the taste. For others, all that fiber may mean too many trips to the bathroom. A bowl of good cereal should have at least three grams of fiber. That's what you'd expect from a wholegrain cereal with no added bran (and little added sugar) like Wheaties or Cheerios. But which fiber? It depends. * Insoluble. It helps prevent constipation and diverticulosis. It also cuts the risk of colon cancer in animal studies, but in humans the jury is still out. Most high-fiber (bran) cereals are high in insoluble fiber. * Soluble. It helps lower cholesterol. The best sources (in the cereal aisle) are made with oats or (better yet) psyllium 1. a plant of the genus Plantago. 2. the husk (psyllium husk) or seed (plantago or psyllium seed) of various species of Plantago ; used as a bulk-forming laxative. psyl·li·um (s, the active ingredient in the laxative Metamucil Met·a·mu·cil (m t![]() -my . (It's the husk of a seed
native to India.)Studies suggest that eating three grams of soluble fiber every, day can lower average cholesterol levels by about five percent. A packet of instant oatmeal has one gram of soluble fiber. A bowl of regular oatmeal has two grams, thanks to its larger serving size. What's more, cereals that are rich in insoluble fiber--like wheat bran--may also protect the heart. In two large studies, men who ate the most cereal fiber--not necessarily soluble--had a lower risk of heart disease. The bottom line: If your cholesterol isn't high, just look for the most fiber, which means you'll get mostly (but not all) insoluble. That translates into cereals like All-Bran or All-Bran Bran Buds (which have the most fiber without being artificially sweetened) or bran flakes and raisin bran (which have less because they're part bran and part whole wheat). If you have high cholesterol, shoot for soluble fiber. To see how much you're getting, check the "Nutrition Facts" label. Soluble fiber doesn't have to be listed, but many cereals that have some disclose it voluntarily. In general, cereals with psyllium have the most soluble fiber. Kellogg's new Honey-Nut, Multi-Grain, and Apple-Cinnamon Ensemble cereals--which are just being introduced--have three grams of soluble fiber per serving (and two grams of insoluble fiber). All-Bran Bran Buds has four grams of soluble fiber ... and nine grams of insoluble. The only oat cereal that's in the same league is Quaker Oat Bran, with three grams each of soluble and insoluble. Shrink the Sugar Breakfast candy. That's a good name for most kids'--and some adult--cereals. In people who are insulin-resistant, high-sugar diets appear to raise harmful triglycerides in the blood. And sugar squeezes out the whole grain and fiber in cereals. Your best bet is to take a low- or no-added-sugar, whole-grain cereal--like shredded wheat, Wheaties, Nutri-Grain, bran flakes, or All-Bran--and add your own fresh (or frozen) berries, peaches, bananas, or other fruit for sweetness. You can do that with any of our Best Bites, which have at least three grams of fiber, no more than eight grams of sugar, and no artificial sweetners. If they're still not sweet enough, try a sweetened cereal that has at least five grams of fiber per serving. (That's how we got our Honorable Mentions.) The fiber guarantees that sugar isn't replacing too much good stuff. No sugar limit for Honorable Mentions leaves room for the naturally occurring sugar in cereals that come with fruit. Raisin bran, for example, typically has 18 to 20 grams of sugar per serving. Some of that comes from the raisins, but neither the "Nutrition Facts" label nor most companies will say how much. If there's a decent amount of fruit in the cereal--not just in the photo on the box--it should help boost the fiber to at least five grams per serving. The information for this article was compiled by Christine Donat. RELATED ARTICLE: The Cereal Bowl A serving of our Best Bites has at least three grams of fiber, no more than eight grams of total sugar (added and naturally occurring), no artificial sweeteners artificial sweetener: see sweetener, artificial., and no more than three grams of fat. Honorable Mentions have at least five grams of fiber, no sugar limit, no artificial sweeteners, and no more than three grams of fat. Cereals are ranked from most to least fiber, then least to most sugar and calories. The chart doesn't list most health food store brands. Many would be Best Bites. Check the labels.
Calo- Fiber sugar
6 grams of fiber or more ries (grams) grams
Kellogg's All-Bran
Extra Fiber (1/2
cup)(*) 50 13 0
General Mills Fiber
One (1/2 cup)(*) 60 13 0
[check][check] Kellogg's All-Bran Bran
Buds (1/3 cup) 80 13 8
[check][check] Kellogg's All-Bran
(1/2 cup) 80 10 6
[check][check] Post Shredded Wheat 'n
Bran (1 1/4 cups) 200 8 0
[check][check] Post 100% Bran (1/3 cup) 80 8 7
[check] Kellogg's Raisin
Bran (1 cup) 200 8 18
[check] Post Raisin Bran (1 cup) 190 8 20
[check][check] Quaker Shredded
Wheat (3 biscuits) 220 7 1
[check] General Mills Multi
Bran Chex (1 cup) 200 7 12
[check] Quaker Oat Bran
(1 1/4 cups) 210 6 9
[check] Kellogg's Bite Size
Frosted Mini-Wheats
(24 biscuits) 200 6 12
Kellogg's Cracklin'
Oat Bran (3/4 cup)(#) 190 6 15
5 grams of fiber
[check][check] Post Shredded Wheat
(2 biscuits) 160 5 0
[check][check] Post Spoon Size
Shredded Wheat (1 cup) 170 5 0
[check][check] General Mills
Wheat Chex (1 cup) 180 5 1
[check][check] Kellogg's Complete
Wheat Bran Flakes
(3/4 cup) 90 5 5
[check][check] Quaker Crunchy Corn
Bran (3/4 cup) 90 5 6
[check][check] Post Bran Flakes
(3/4 cup) 100 5 6
[check][check] Post Grape-Nuts
(1/2 cup) 200 5 7
[check] Healthy Choice
Toasted Brown
Sugar Squares (1 cup) 190 5 9
[check] Kellogg's Ensemble
(1 cup)(1) 120 5 10
[check] Kellogg's Frosted
Mini-Wheats
(5 biscuits) 180 5 10
[check] Kellogg's Mini-Wheats.
except Frosted
(3/4 cup)(1) 180 5 11
[check] Post Bite Size Frosted
Shredded Wheat (1 cup) 190 5 12
Healthy Choice
Apple & Almond
Crunch Mueslix
(3/4 cup)(#) 200 5 12
[check] Quaker Toasted
Oatmeal Squares,
Cinnamon (1 cup) 230 5 14
[check] Healthy Choice Almond
Crunch with
Raisins (1 cup) 210 5 15
General Mills Raisin
Nut Bran (3/4
cup)(#) 200 5 16
[check] Post Fruit & Fibre
(1 cup)(1) 210 5 16
[check] General Mills Total
Raisin Bran (1 cup) 180 5 19
[check] Kellogg's Raisin Bran
Crunch (1 1/4 cup) 210 5 22
3 to 4 grams of fiber
[check][check] Kellogg's Nutri-Grain
Golden Wheat
(3/4 cup) 100 4 0
[check][check] Weetabix (2 biscuits) 120 4 2
[check][check] Kellogg's Complete Oat
Bran Flakes (3/4 cup) 110 4 6
[check][check] Kellogg's Nutri-Grain
Almond Raisin
(1//4 cups) 180 4 7
Quaker Toasted Oatmeal
Squares (1 cup) 220 4 9
Post Bite Size Honey Nut
Shredded Wheat (1 cup) 200 4 12
Morning Traditions Great
Grains (2/3 cup)(#1) 220 4 12
Morning Traditions
Banana Nut Crunch
(1 cup)(#) 250 4 12
General Mills Oatmeal
Crisp.
Almond (1 cup)(#) 220 4 15
Quaker Sun Country
Granola (1/2 cup)(#1) 270 4 15
Healthy Choice Raisin &
Almond Crunch Mueslix
(2/3 cup) 200 4 17
General Mills
Oatmeal
Crisp. Apple
Cinnamon (1 cup) 210 4 19
General Mills Crispy
Wheaties 'n
Raisins (1 cup) 190 4 20
General Mills Oatmeal
Crisp, Raisin
(1 cup) 210 4 20
[check][check] General Mills
Cheerios (1 cup) 110 3 1
[check][check] General Mills
Wheaties (1 cup) 110 3 4
[check][check] Post Grape-Nuts
Flakes (3/4 cup) 100 3 5
[check][check] General Mills Whole
Grain Total (3/4 cup) 110 3 5
[check][check] General Mills
Multi-Grain
Cheerios Plus (1 cup) 110 3 6
[check][check] Healthy Choice Golden
Multi-Grain Flakes
(3/4 cup) 110 3 6
Quaker Toasted
Oatmeal (1 cup)(1) 190 3 12
Healthy Choice Low
Fat Granola (1/2 cup) 190 3 14
General Mills Basic
4 (1 cup) 200 3 14
Kellogg's Just Right
(1 cup)(1) 220 3 14
Morning Traditions
Cranberry
Almond Crunch (1 cup) 220 3 15
Quaker 100% Natural
Granola (1/2 cup)(#1) 220 3 15
Healthy Choice Low
Fat Granola
with Raisins (2/3 cup) 220 3 16
Quaker 100% Natural Low
Fat Granola (213 cup) 210 3 18
Nature Valley Low Fat
Fruit Granola (2/3 cup) 210 3 19
2 grams of
fiber or less
Quaker Life
(3/4 cup) (1) 120 2 8
General Mills Honey
Nut Cheerios (1 cup) 120 2 11
Morning Traditions
Blueberry
Morning (1 1/4 CUPS) 220 2 13
Kellogg's Smart
Start (1 cup) 180 2 15
Kellogg's Corn
Flakes (1 cup) 100 1 2
Post Toasties (1 cup) 100 1 2
Kellogg's Crispix
(1 cup) 110 1 3
General Mills Kix
(1 1/3 cups) 120 1 3
Kellogg's Product
19 (1 cup) 100 1 4
Kellogg's Special
K (1 cup) 110 1 4
Post Honey Bunches of
Oats (3/4 cup)(1) 130 1 7
Kellogg's Honey Crunch
Corn Flakes
(3/4 cup) 120 1 10
General
Mills Cinnamon
Toast Crunch
(3/4 cup)(#) 130 1 10
Post Oreo O's
(314 cup) 110 1 11
Quaker Cap'n Crunch
(3/4 cup)(1) 110 1 11
General Mills Grahams
(314 cup)(1) 120 1 11
General Mills Apple
Cinnamon Cheerios
(3/4 Cup) 120 1 13
General Mills Frosted
Cheerios (1 cup) 120 1 13
General Mills Lucky
Charms (1 cup) 120 1 13
General Mills
Trix (1 cup) 120 1 13
Kellogg's Frosted
Flakes (3/4 cup) 120 1 13
Post Alpha-Bits 130 1 13
Kellogg's Smacks
(3/4 cup) 100 1 15
Kellogg's Fruit Loops
(1 cup) 120 1 15
Kellogg's Apple Jacks 120 1 16
General Mills Rice
Chex (1 1/4 cups) 120 0 2
General Mills Corn
Chex (1 cup) 110 0 3
General Mills Total
Corn Flakes
(1 1/3 cups) 110 0 3
Kellogg's Rice
Krispies
(1 1/4 cups) 120 0 3
General Mills Berry
Berry Kix (3/4 cup) 120 0 9
General Mills Honey Nut
Chex (3/4 cup) 120 0 9
Kellogg's Rice Krispies
Treats Cereal
(3/4 cup) 120 0 9
Kellogg's Razzle
Dazzle Rice
Krispies (314 cup) 110 0 10
Post Honeycomb
(1 1/3 cups) 110 0 11
Post Waffle
Crisp (1 cup) 130 0 11
General Mills Honey
Frosted Wheaties
(3/4 cup) 110 0 12
Post Fruity
Pebbles (3/4 cup) 110 0 12
General Mills French
Toast Crunch
(3/4 cup) 120 0 12
Post Cocoa
Pebbles (3/4 cup) 120 0 13
General Mills Cocoa
Puffs (1 cup) 120 0 14
Kellogg's Cocoa
Krispies (3/4 cup) 120 0 4
Kellogg's Corn
Pops (1 cup) 120 0 14
Post Golden
Crisp (3/4 cup) 110 0 15
[check][check] Best Bite. [check] Honorable Mention. (1) average of all varieties. (*) contains the artificial sweetener aspartame (NutraSweet). (#) contains more than three grams of fat. The use of information from this article for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited without written permission from CSPI. Source: Manufacturers. |
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