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2005/05/08, 02:03 PM
This is an excerpt from AskMen.com for the Best Cereals to eat, and what to look for in a Cereal to make it good for you....
By Sabrina Rogers
Askmen.com Nutrition Correspondent
Let's face it: Guys love their cereal. Unfortunately, not all cereals are healthy, even though they may seem like they are. Apart from the general rule that you should avoid any breakfast cereal that turns your milk a fluorescent shade, there are a few things you should know when picking one out.
While some cereals may seem healthy because they have the words "grain" or "fiber" in their names and the picture on the box makes them look like they contain wholesome ingredients, don't be fooled. Many of these are packed with trans fats (which raise LDL -- or "bad" cholesterol -- levels and increase the risk of coronary heart disease), refined grains, sugar, and salt. For example, Kellogg's Mueslix and Post Fruit & Fibre both contain trans fats, while Rice Krispies and Special K are made from refined grains (as opposed to whole grains).
Read the Label
The only way to truly tell if a cereal is good for you is to read the label. The first ingredient on the list should be a whole grain, so you should literally look for the words "whole" or "whole grain." Next, you should choose a cereal that is high in fiber; it should ideally contain at least 10% fiber per serving size, or 3g to 6g of fiber per 30g serving; very high fiber choices have over 6g of fiber per 30g serving.
You should also be on the lookout for unhealthy ingredients to avoid. Don't buy cereals that contain the words "partially hydrogenated" -- which indicate that they contain trans fats -- or that have a lot of added sugar. As a general rule, avoid cereals with over 9% fat (or over 2.7g of fat per 30g serving), over 27% sugar (or 8g per 30g serving), and over 180mg of sodium per 30g serving.
Enjoy Your Breakfast
Many cereals are now fortified with essential vitamins and minerals, so you may want to choose fortified brands for an added health benefit.
Now that you know the basic guidelines for picking out a healthy breakfast cereal, let's take a look at some of the best brands out there. Although there are some healthier choices than those on this list, we chose to include brands that also taste good and aren't completely bland. I mean, come on, that would defeat the purpose of having cereal at all.
Note: Ingredients and nutrition facts vary from country to country and even from state to state, so read labels carefully before buying.
Whole Grain TOTAL
General Mills
This tasty blend of whole grains meets almost all the requirements outlined above to a "T." It is low in saturated fat (as are all the cereals on this list) and cholesterol, and contains only 97 calories, 1g of fat, and 5g of sugars per 30g serving. Whole Grain TOTAL slightly exceeds the recommended amount of sodium with 192mg, but this is hardly dramatic.
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In addition, TOTAL is a good source of dietary fiber, as well as an excellent source of many essential vitamins and minerals, such as B6, B12, C, and E, folate, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, pantothenic acid, calcium, iron, and zinc.
Frosted Mini-Wheats
Kellogg's
Believe it or not, those tasty little frosted wheat squares you've been enjoying since you were a kid are an excellent choice. However, make sure to stick to the original kind (hey, you still get tasty frosting!), as the Maple and Brown Sugar and Vanilla Creme flavors are packed with sugar. A 30g serving of the original kind contains only 102 calories, less than 1g of fat, 3g of fiber, 6g of sugar, and 3mg of sodium.
Mini-Wheats are a very good source of iron and manganese, and a decent source of other vitamins and minerals like B6 and B12, niacin, thiamin, and riboflavin.
Fiber One
General Mills
Granted, this may not be the tastiest option on this list, but it is by far one of the healthiest. If you just can't get used to the taste and texture of this cereal on its own, you can try mixing a small portion of it into your regular cereal for a fiber kick. In fact, with 59 calories, 1g of fat, 14g of fiber, no sugar, and 129mg of sodium per 30g serving, you'll get the benefits of adding fiber to your diet with hardly any extra calories (the amount of calories the fiber will burn will exceed the number you ingest from the cereal, anyway).
Fiber One is also a good source of many vitamins and minerals, such as B6 and B12, folate, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, iron, magnesium, and zinc.
Cheerios
General Mills
Yup, good ol' Cheerios are good for you. But steer clear of the frosted, honey nut and apple cinnamon varieties, as they are full of sugar; only the plain and multigrain kind are acceptable. A 30g serving of plain Cheerios contains 111 calories, 2g of fat, 4g of fiber, and 2g of sugar. The only downside is that they are slightly high in sodium, with 213mg of the salty stuff per 30g serving.
You also get a nice serving of vitamins and minerals like thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B6, folate, B12, iron, zinc, and manganese.
Post Grape-Nuts Flakes
Kraft
This cereal, which contains neither grapes nor nuts, is actually a healthy choice. However, make sure to buy the flakes and not the regular cereal, which contains a lot more calories, sugar and sodium. A 30g serving of flakes has 106 calories, 1g of fat, 3g of fiber, 5g of sugar, and 140mg of sodium.
It is also a good source of vitamins A, B6 and B12, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, and iron.
make a healthy choice
Now that wasn't so bad, was it? It's possible to choose healthy breakfast cereals that are tasty, too. If your favorite cereal doesn't appear on this list, refer to the criteria outlined at the beginning of the article to determine if it's good for you or not. Oh, and eat it with skim or soy milk, will you? Enjoy!
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