How To Choose A Good Quality Breakfast Cereal
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High Protein Protein helps keep you fuller for longer, as well as providing the building blocks for muscle. Choose a cereal high in protein – ideally over 10g per 100g, and the higher the better. High Fibre Fibre keeps your digestive system working effectively as well as helping you feel full after eating. Choose a cereal high in fibre – ideally over 10g per 100g, and the higher the better. Moderate Levels of Carbohydrate Grains are generally considered to be quite high in carbohydrate, however in their unprocessed form they contain only moderate amounts as compared to when they have been processed. If your goal is weight loss, choose a cereal with a moderate overall carbohydrate total – anything less than 60g per 100g is desirable, but preferably less than 50g. Low Sugar Sugars are carbohydrates in their simplest form. A high sugar intake will increase your insulin levels to undesirable levels, which in turn will limit your ability to burn fat. Choose a cereal low in sugar and preferably with no added cane sugar (the lower the sugar the better). Perhaps the exception is dried fruit (e.g. sultanas) which is a common ingredient in breakfast cereals and quite high in fructose (fruit sugar). Dried fruit is generally healthy for you when consumed in moderation. Low Glycemic Index The Glycemic Index (GI) is a measure of how quickly food is digested and absorbed by the body. Slower digestion is preferable because it helps keep you fuller for longer, as well as ensuring your insulin levels don’t get too high (which can block the burning of fat in the body). Low GI foods are those with a score of 55 or less – these are ideal for optimal health. Unfortunately not all products display their GI rating. Moderate to High Levels of Healthy Fats Fat is not always the villain it is made out to be. Unprocessed grains contain a reasonable amount of healthy fats, while highly processed grains often have these fats removed. The fats contained in natural grains are healthy for our bodies and we need them to function correctly. As a result, cereals made from mostly unrefined ingredients are often higher in fat, but are better for overall health. Weighing Up Your Options All cereals will have a different mix of protein, fat, total carbohydrate, sugars and fat. When considering a cereal you need to weigh up all these factors. Often cereals will contain ideal amounts of some things but not others. It is difficult to find products that tick all the boxes. Some people might find that the healthier cereals lack a little in taste, especially if you are used to highly processed foods. Adding some fresh fruit is a great way to add flavour and sweetness. Reading Labels An easy way to compare foods is to read the column “Average quantity per 100g” on the nutritional panel of any product. If there is a figure of say 19g of protein in this column it means that the food contains 19% protein. To recap, a good quality cereal should contain: Protein: Over 10g per 100g, and the higher the better. Fibre: Over 10g per 100g, and the higher the better. Total Carbs: Anything less than 60g per 100g is okay, but preferably less than 50g. Total Sugars: As low as possible. Table 1 – Healthiest Cereals (Your best choice!) This table contains a selection of very healthy breakfast cereals (in no particular order), based upon the criteria above. They are all high in protein and fibre, low in total carbs and low GI. Most of them are also low in sugar. Protein 1st is perhaps the exception, being reasonably high in sugar, however it is very low in total carbs and extremely high in protein and fibre which tends to make up for this. Note, there are other good cereals out there, but you will have to look hard for them (and they tend not to be the major brands). On average the cereals in Table 1 are also slightly higher in overall energy (compared to the cereals in Table 2), however their health benefits more than make up for this. Table 1 (Figures are in grams per 100g of cereal, unless otherwise specified)
All figures rounded to the nearest whole number. Note: Protein 1st is only available at Coles and Franklins. All other brands are available at Coles and I suspect probably Woolworths as well although I haven’t checked. For more product information, see links below: Goodness Superfoods – Protein 1st http://www.goodnesssuperfoods.com.au/products/protein Vogel’s – Ultra Bran Soy & Linseed http://www.vogels.com.au/Home/OurProducts/UltraBran/tabid/663/Default.aspx Uncle Toby’s – Traditional Oats http://www.nestle.com.au/uncletobys/#/products/oats/traditional_oats/ Carmens Muesli range http://carmansfinefoods.com.au/range.php Kellogg’s – All Bran http://www.kelloggs.com.au/Home/Products/Cereal/AllBran/tabid/321/Default.aspx Table 2 – Lesser Quality Cereals If Weight Loss Is Your Goal (Certainly not the worst, but not the best either!) This table contains cereals which are probably more recognisable to the average person. These are of reasonable quality when compared to other commercial brands (such as Coco Pops), however they are definitely not as good as the cereals in Table 1. They tend to be lower in protein, higher in total carbs, and lower in fats (either because they are more processed, or because they don’t contain any nuts or seeds which contain healthy fats). Some of them are quite low in sugar while others are high. Only 2 of them are lacking in fibre. These cereals also tend to have a higher GI score as well, which is not as favourable. Table 2 (Figures are in grams per 100g of cereal, unless otherwise specified)
All figures rounded to the nearest whole number. |
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