Majority of the individuals in the urban India are running short of time and prefer to have a quick breakfast. Ready to eat cereals have replaced the traditional home made breakfast because of the convenience factor and the status symbol.
The rage of having cereals for breakfast is extended to the children also. The catchy names, fabulous box designs and at times, small gifts like tattoos, cartoon CD etc attached to the cereal boxes make the parents a victim of ‘buy me that’ syndrome.
Breakfast cereals have never been more popular with kids than they are today. Mothers use it to feed kids before school and also as a quick meal before play or activity.
Some breakfast cereals highlight the inclusion of bran, fiber, vitamins and other ingredients that make it a healthy option but it is important to look behind the advertisement to find out which cereals have high overall nutritive values.
Nutritional information on popular breakfast cereals:
Wheat flakes features a host of important nutrients. It is a good source of carbohydrate and has high fiber content. Well Known Nutritionist, Vasudha Sainik explains “Wheat flakes contains 5 gm of sugar which is high in comparison to cornflakes, but wheat flakes are nutritionally better in terms of its protein, fiber and iron content and have a higher overall nutritive value which makes it more wholesome and favorable over cornflakes.”
Vasudha adds, “Kelloggs wheat flakes has more sugar and sodium than the other local brands available at the super market.”
Nutritionist Patricia Sadri says, “This cereal contains high amount of sugar. 100g of cereal contains 34g sugar; this means that 1 serving (30 g) would contain 10 g of sugar. There is also an added risk, where parents add sugar to the milk if the child has a sweet tooth. Too much sugar in a child’s diet makes the child hyper and overweight.
Kids can enjoy Chocos (without the addition of extra sugar) for breakfast once in a while, but not throughout the day or after coming home from school.”
Cornflakes has 8 g of sugar in 100 g of cereals, therefore per serving would contain a negligible amount of sugar. Vasudha says “Though cornflakes has low sugar and sodium levels, but it is made from corn that is starchy and high in fat content which diminishes its nutritive values.”
Patricia adds, “Cornflakes is not advisable for diabetics, as the high glycemic index of corn tends to spike up sugar levels.”
- Muesli with raisin and nuts:
Muesli is a breakfast cereal made with uncooked rolled oats and fruit. Vasudha Sainik says “Muesli is a good combination of all the essentials put together. It is packed with the goodness of oats, wheat flakes nuts and also raisins, which makes it a great option for kids. The line of caution is studying the label carefully to avoid, added sugars, added flavors & food colors.”
Having oats for breakfast is a perfect way to start your day. Oats is in itself a super-grain. Serving it with variety of colored fruits and milk should make it more appealing to kids and also enhance the nutritional content.
Oats is highest in its protein content in comparison to the other breakfast cereals, like cornflakes and wheat flakes. It is also high in soluble as well as insoluble fiber and thus helps to keep the children feeling full for longer. It also helps to stabilize blood sugars.