Cereals that are Good for You

The benefits of a healthy breakfast are constantly being extolled. One fact that may be an incentive to those in the habit of skipping a healthy breakfast, or loading up on sugar and fats, is that a good breakfast will help you concentrate better and have increased productivity throughout the day. Breakfast is especially important for children, as they need the nutrition to get through their activity packed days. Studies have shown that breakfast improves their problem-solving skills, hand-eye coordination, and creativity. It has also been observed that adults who ate breakfast and ensured that they had a balanced and healthy diet, were able to control their weight better than those who did not. If cereal is synonymous with breakfast for you, ensure that you choose cereals that are good for you. The first step to take to assess which cereals are good for health, is reading the nutrition labels and ingredient lists. The things you should be looking for are:

• Fiber: The recommended intake of fiber is 25 gm per day. Go through the ingredients list and pick cereals which are high in fiber, and contain at least 3 grams of fiber per serving. However, the best option would be one that contains 5 grams of fiber or higher, per serving.
• Sugar: A majority of cereals have added sugar, which doesn't automatically make them unhealthy. Nonetheless, try to pick cereals, which are low in sugar, containing 13 grams or less of sugar, per serving.
• Calories: For those on specific diets, which involve calorie counting, choose cereals lower in calories, ideally less than 120 calories per serving.

These tips should give you an idea of what cereals are good for you. However, one can still get overwhelmed at a breakfast cereal aisle, packed with rows of colored boxes proclaiming their superiority. To help you make the right choice, here are a few more guidelines:

Heart Healthy Cereals: If you've wondered about the genuineness of cereals claiming to improve heart health and reduce the risk of heart disease, there may be truth in what they say. However, to verify their claims, check the ingredients to see if they contain ingredients like whole grains, psyllium and oats, which improve heart health. Ideally, they should contain 100% wheat or bran, oat bran and barley. The added advantage of these cereals is that they take longer to digest, which should keep you going till lunch, without the need for an in-between snack.

Cereals with Fruits: A large number of cereals contain real freeze-dried berries, apples, and bananas. While this is a good thing, if they are added into low-fiber refined-grain cereals, the negatives may outweigh the positives. However, if you are using them in a bid to lure kids away from sugar-loaded frosted cereals, it may be effective. From this kind of cereal, you can make an easier transition to the best option: chopped fresh fruits added to high-fiber cereals.

Weight Loss Cereals: Cereals that advertise the ability to make you lose a certain amount of weight within a given period of time, are to be approached with caution. While they may be low in fat (which most are, whether they say it or not), they may not have any other benefits. In reality, high fiber whole grain cereals are more likely to help you in your weight loss journey, than any of these.

Novelty Ingredients: Under this category are cereals that contain pecans, almonds, flaxseed, or are made from soy. While the benefits of these ingredients are undeniable, one must not lose focus from the actual nutritional content of the cereal. Thus, ensure you that you read the nutritional fact labels, while paying special attention to the fiber and sugar content.

Read more on:

• High Fiber Cereals
• On Cereals and Whole Grains

A few cereals that are good for you are Kellogg's All-Bran Bran Buds, General Mills Fiber One, Kellogg's All-Bran Original, Kashi GoLean, Post Raisin Bran, Post Spoon-Size Shredded Wheat, General Mills Cheerios and Quaker Life Cereal (plain). A few tasty and decently healthy options are Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats Strawberry Delight and Kashi GoLean Crunch.