I'll admit, it's been a while since I've gone down the breakfast cereal aisle and actually stopped to check out what's new. So, I did a coles online and woolworths online search to check whether anything has changed. Not much. If anything, there is a wider variety of sugar in a box. I honestly almost cried seeing Nestle's colourful boxes of Kit Kat, Nesquik and Trix cereal even before I saw that sugar is listed in their top 3 ingredients for all. Second on the list for Nesquik. How does your breakfast cereal stack up, and how can you know if a breakfast cereal is relatively healthy? Learn to trust your known judgement more than the noise of advertising by learning what to look for. Remember, there are another 2 - 4 meals in your day and 5 pillars to wellness that your are responsible for, which impact your health outcomes. Breaking the fast is only the begning.
TIP 1: Aim for LESS than 15g sugar per 100g product (not the 'per serve' column!)
This one recommendation from the Australian Guide To Healthy Eating cuts more than half of the cereals in the aisle off the list. I understand some cereals and mueslis will have natural sugars from dried fruit (eg. Sultana Bran), however that is not ideal either. Dried fruit is actually a 'sometimes' or 'discretionary food' not meant to be eaten daily. You might want to consider alternating between a slightly higher and lower sugar option if you're not ready to go cold turkey.
TIP 2: Check the ingredients list for sugar, additives, preservatives, colourings (numbers)
None of that is doing your blood sugar levels, your gut microbiome or your cognition (brain) any good, and has been shown a correlation to ADHD. I'm just the messenger here, you get to choose what health outcomes you want. All ingredients in a food product must be listed on the label in order from largest to smallest by weight according to Food Standards Austrlaia and New Zealand. If sugar is in the top 3 ingredients, I would put the box down and walk away. You do you boo.
TIP 3: Protein and Fibre would be great
Overall you want a minimum of 20g protein in your breakfast. Aim for 5 - 10g per serve of product to help you get there. This one will be hard, you'll probaly be able to find 3 - 4g per serve. Use the tips I share below to increase protein content of your overall first meal. According to Eat For Health (AGTHE), you also want 3g or more per serve of fibre in your cereal.
TIP 4: Ignore the advertising and focus on Tips 1, 2 and 3
Let me demonstrate why. Nestle's new Trix cereal: Make breakfast time pop with the NEW TRIX cereal. With a delicious fruity taste and 6 unique fun fruity shapes including raspberry shape, orange shape, lemon shape, berry shape, grape and watermelon shape. No artificial colours and 3.5 health star rating TRIX sparks your family's morning with joy & excitement. Some features and benefits include: 6 unique fun shapes, fruity flavour, 3.5 HSR, made with whole grains, No artificial colours, with 8 vitamins and minerals.
Ufortunately, this NEW TRIX cereal has 26.9g sugar/100g product, and sugar listed as the 3rd ingredient followed by none other than glucose (another word for sugar). Fruit loops has a new 25% less sugar option with 28.2g sugar/100g product (38.8g sugar per 100g in the original version!) I'm kinda shook mum let me eat this stuff at one point in my life. Nutri Grain is also making an effort with 25% less sugar, but what's with the vanila malt flavouring?
Uncle Toby's is trying to keep up with all this new advertising by adding extra protein that is not worth it. Double in price for a few seeds. It even has a 5 Health Star Rating. I'll teach you how to pack your breakfast with protein below. Second ingredient in Corn Flakes advertised as 'simply 4 ingredients' is drum roll... Sugar.
Learn to trust your known judgement more than the noise of advertising by learning what to look for.
BEST OPTIONS
Low sugar, high fibre, not enough protein. Add flavour and protein with low fat unflavoured greek yoghurt and fresh fruit:
Traditional Oats (hot or cold)
Uncle Toby's Vita Brits (or Weetbix)
Kellog's All Bran Weat Flakes (or Guardian)
Uncle Toby's Shredded Wheat (or Be Natural Mini Bites, Woolworths only, a bit sweeter)
Uncle Toby's Vita Weeties
Interestingly, Uncle Toby's Vita Brits get 4.5 HSR and Sanitarum Weetbix get 5 HSR, yet Weetbix have added sugar (very little but still added, 3.0g/100g), and Vita Brits do not (0.4g/100g). Bias much? They're both Australian brands. "I'm a weetbix kid" is just so catchy.
Just a reminder: Cereal & milk is actually not a balanced breakfast... No antioxidants, no protein, no feeling of fullness unless you eat 3 bowls of it (and that is exactly how I grew up! Love you mum). As a result, you’ll get a large spike in blood glucose levels followed by the great crash… So how do we make breakfast cereal give us a sustained release of energy?
Example 1: Oats with a scoop of protein powder, frozen berries and a square of orange and almond Lindt excellence (melts so well) Why good quality chocolate? Fats & Flavour: the fat will help slow down digestion and it’s still low in sugar.
Example 2: You can also add Low Fat (Chobani plain or for some flavour ChobaniFit/ YoPro) Yoghurt to your oats or cereal to boost the protein content, REAL maple syrup (practice portion control, 1-2Tbsp) AND fresh FRUIT!
Banana, Blueberries, Kiwi Fruit, 2-3 dates, 1 Tbsp Goji Berries, apple, pear! CHANGE UP THE FRUIT VARIETY! Fresh is better but a small amount of dried will add sweetness in controlled amounts. When you buy a cereal with all this in it... you can't control the sugar amounts and end up with those ADDED processed sugars.
OKAY, I HEAR YOU… I know what you are thinking... What are my best options of actual cereals (because oats, weetbix and all bran is not 'real' cereal).
GOOD OPTIONS
Out of the 'breakfast pop culture' brands, I'd personally go with (none) Kellog's Nutri-Grain Vanilla Malt which has 17.7g sugar/100g, 8.1g protein and 3.3g fibre per serve.
You can alternate this with Uncle Toby's Plus Fibre which has 18.1 sugar/100g mostly from dried fruit, 3.9g protein and 6.9g fibre (but it does have preservative 223). Serve it with 200g low fat greek yoghurt to get a total of 20g protein. Instead of the Plus Fibre you could go with any of the Plus Range (Protein, Iron, Antioxidants) keeping in mind they all have added sugar and vegetable oil. Kellog's Just Right is in the running too, but with an acidity regulator.
If I haven't mentioned your favorite here, it probably has no nutrition in it worth mentioning (like cheerios, rice bubbles, milo, coco pops).
Summary:
Kellog's Nutri-Grain Vanilla Malt
Alternate this with Uncle Toby's Plus Range: Fibre, Protein, Iron, Antioxidants
Kellog's Just Right
BETTER OPTIONS
Freedom Foods Active Balance
Carmans 5 Grain & Seed Granola
Jordon's Low Sugar Granola (very expensive so watch for specials!)
Sunsol Muesli Almonds, Cashews, Macadamias & Walnuts
Uncle Toby's Plus Fibre
Woolworths Great Start 5 Seeds & Grains
THE KEY with 'REAL CEREAL' is portion control... And you will still need to ADD PROTEIN (either using protein powder in light milk or 200g LF Yoghurt) AND FRESH FRUIT for a balanced meal (you'll have some dried fruit/nuts/seeds in the cereal).
Remeber, there are another 2 - 4 meals in your day and 5 pillars to wellness that your are responsible for which impact your health outcomes. Breaking the fast is only the begning.
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Did you find this blog helpful and informative? Tag & Share with your friends who would love it too! Sign up for my Free NuFit Wellness Newsletter to stay in the loop. Attend my Wellness Workshops. Promoting consciousness in food choices helping people heal. Dietitian & Wellness Coach, Health Presenter, Gut Health Specialist - Kathy Ozakovic.
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