How to Choose the Right Breakfast Cereal

Standing in the breakfast isle can be quite intimidating. How can you possibly select the best cereal out of the hundreds of different boxes? Choosing the absolute best might be a little difficult, but here are some guidelines to help you out.

Avoid sugar:

One of the main problems with breakfast cereal is that they can be packed with sugar. Sugar is a very small component that requires practically no digesting. It travels quickly to the blood streams and is used up by your cells just as fast. Although the sweetness might add extra tastiness, the sugar crash will leave you craving another sugar-filled food soon after your meal. Avoid that cycle first thing in the morning by choosing a cereal with lower sugar content.

Aim for less than 6 g of sugar per 30 g of cereal.

Increase fibre:

Instead, you want to make sure your cereal is packed with fibre. As opposed to sugar, fibre will help you stay satiated so you can keep going until your next meal. Fibre is known to slow down digestion, counteracting the effect of sugar. On top of that, fibre contributes to colon health; increasing your daily intake will have you feeling better all around.

Aim for more than 3g of fibre per 30g of cereal.

Increase protein:

Along with fibre, protein can really help with feeling fuller longer. Just a couple of grams can go a long way on providing satiety. Protein also plays an important role in maintaining your overall health.

Aim for more than 3g of protein per 30g.

Avoid long ingredient lists:

Always take a quick scan at the ingredient list. The shorter the list, the less chance you might find those undesirable artificial flavours and colourings, preservatives, etc. A long list is usually indicative of higher processing, something you should try to stay away from.

Finally!

Choose a cereal that you enjoy! Eating is not only about nutrition value, but taste as well!

Stefanie Rosser, P.Dt., nutritionist for Zero Diet

The Zero Diet brand is first and foremost the conviction that healthy eating is a primary factor to attaining a healthy weight and a balanced lifestyle. Thus, we offer nutrition counselling with nutritionists who are members of the OPDQ with our Zero Diet nutrition program in our centers and in companies. We have also developed a healthy frozen food product line that fulfills rigorous nutritional criteria as well as two healthy Zero Diet cookbooks.

Photo credit: Pixabay

How to Choose the Right Breakfast Cereal is a post from Nautilus Plus. The Nautilus Plus blog aims to help people in their journey to fitness through articles on training, nutrition, motivation, exercise and healthy recipes.
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