Are breakfast cereals as healthy as they claim to be?

Updated: Dec 22, 2021 | 17:25 IST
cereals
There's nothing like beginning the day with a bowl of cereal and milk. Apart from being very convenient, breakfast cereals also create an illusion of being good for health. To be fair, many brands come fortified with vitamins, minerals, iron, B complex and folic acid. However, they are not letting you on the whole truth about the darker side of breakfast cereals.

Let's take a realistic look at breakfast cereals from benefits to side effects.

Health benefits of cereals
It's unfair to say that there are no health benefits of eating breakfast cereals. Most store-bought cereal brands contain whole grains like wheat, rye, corn, barley, oats, rice, and millet. Studies have been able to pinpoint some advantages that cereal eaters have.

1. More intake of carbs: Cereal eaters end up having a higher intake of carbohydrates to draw energy from than others.

2. Enhanced micronutrient intake: Most breakfast cereals come fortified with added micronutrients. So, people who start the day with breakfast cereals also get more nutrients than those who don't. They also have improved nutritional status in comparison and get good amounts of dietary fibre, vitamin A and D, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc.

3. More fibre in diet: Breakfast cereal eaters also benefit from the fibre in whole-grain brands.

Nutritional composition of generic breakfast cereal

Every 100gm portions of cereal contain the following nutrients.

Nutrient

 Measurement
Calories

 379
Fibre

 10 grams
Manganese

 69%

Phosphorous

 15%

Thiamine

 14 %

Magnesium

 34%
Copper

 9%

Protein

 26%
Iron

 23%
Calcium

 5%

Why breakfast cereals can be unhealthy

Cereal companies may present "low-fat", "low-sugar" or "weight-loss" propositions to attract buyers and may stretch the truth about the nature of ingredients in the cereal. Sometimes, refined flour may be labelled as wheat. They may also add a small quantity of whole grains to evade any scrutiny or legal trouble.

Most of these cereals are marketed to kids and may be loaded with sugar and artificial flavours and colours. Sugar can create addiction, leading to chronic diseases and obesity in children.

Starting the day with high sugar can also lead to a spike in blood sugar and insulin levels, leaving you hungry after a few hours. This could fuel a cycle of overeating.

High sugar can also lead to the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart diseases and cancer.

Sugary-sweet cereals can also worsen dental health and lead to tooth decay in children and adults.

How to select healthy breakfast cereal

Make it a habit to read nutrition labels and ingredient lists. The ingredients are listed according to their quantity in the package. The top ingredients form the majority of the cereal.

Check for the quantity of sugar and opt for the low sugar varieties.

The best types are whole-grain cereals that have more fibre. Opt for unprocessed wheat, bajra, ragi and other whole grain based cereals instead of the sugary sweet processed ones.
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