Every day for years I’ve been doing this. It got me healthy, and it makes me happy, yet lately I can’t stop hearing how bad it is for me.
Everyday I wake up and eat a bowl of cereal. It sounds harmless enough, yet with cereal’s high sugar content and lack of protein, its getting a bad name.
We live in a world where time is limited and cereal offers and easy choice for a quick start. So no matter what anyone says, I’m going to continue eating my cereal because it’s a no brainer and it’s quick.
There are certain rules to follow to ensure my cereal is as healthy as I can make it:
1. I choose 5 grams of sugar or less : Not only do I look at a label to make sure the sugar’s are 8 grams or under, but I also check the ingredients. Usually bad for you cereals have sugar within the first three ingredients. Then I won’t eat them.
2. I choose high fibre: If sugars are getting out of control, but I’m dying to eat it anyways, then the fiber has got to be high in order to balance out the sugars. Fiber reduces the speed that sugar travels in our body.
3. I choose real grains: I’m not just talking about whole grain cereal, I’m talking about pseudo-grains as well. Quinoa is packed full of both protein and carbohydrates. While many consider it a grain, it’s actually a seed.
4. I watch what I pair my cereal with: Many people find a healthy cereal only to add a huge amount of honey, agave or other sugars. Whether or not the sugar you add comes from a natural source, it still counts as sugar. Unless the sugar label is almost none, I refuse to add extra sugar.
The one issue I have with general nutrition advice such as “cereal is bad for you”, it doesn’t teach us how we can gauge or monitor what were eating to make healthier decisions.
Cereal in general is high in sugar. We need to understand this and watch what we eat, but it doesn’t have to be dismissed completely from our menu.
Follow the simple rules I posted above and keep on enjoying your healthy cereal options.