The key is knowing what to look for when it comes to choosing a cereal because there is no shortage of selections promising a multitude of health benefits on almost every grocery store aisle in America.
So, how do you pick a "healthy cereal" when practically all of them are promising us something??? Check out these quick tips that I use to make a healthy cereal selection and would love to pass on to you:
- Watch for Whole Grains: Recent research suggests that those who eat whole grains may be at a lower risk of diabetes, heart disease, and weight gain - so make sure whole grains are in the first 3 ingredients of your cereal selection.
- Be Smart about the Sugar: Check the ingredients to see where sugar falls on the list - the U.S. Government's Dietary Reference Intakes recommend that added sugars not exceed 25% of total calories - so look for a cereal that gets 25% or less of its calories from sugar, and if the cereal contains dried fruit this can be slightly higher as dried fruits do add nutrition to your cereal. You can figure out the percentage of calories that come from sugar in your cereal by using the following formula from WebMD:
"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."
- Stay Full with Fiber: Cereals containing bran pack more fiber per serving so they keep you feeling full for longer periods of time, and recent research suggests adding bran to your diet and increasing your intake of fiber can help keep the pounds off too:-) So, try to aim for at least 5 grams of fiber per serving from your cereal of choice.
Ok, I hope these quick tips help you make sense of the cereal chaos and bring a healthy bowl your way:-)
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