Dry breakfast cereal is a popular breakfast food in the United States, with 52 percent of households in one survey citing this as their breakfast food of choice. Containing 100 percent daily value of 12 vitamins and minerals, Total Whole Grain cereal is a good choice for people who wish to add nutrients to their diet. In addition, Total cereal is made from whole grain wheat flakes, rather than processed wheat grain, which also adds to the cereal's nutritional value.
Grain
The main ingredient in Total Whole Grain cereal is whole grain wheat. Whole grains are grains which retain their natural proportions of endosperm, germ and bran. These are opposed to refined grains, which have only the endosperm and contain less nutrients. Mypyramid.gov recommends that at least half of the grains in a person's diet should be whole grains.
Sweeteners
To sweeten the cereal, Total Whole Grain cereal contains both sugar and corn syrup. Corn syrup, also called high-fructose corn syrup, is a sweetener used in many foods. Fructose differs from regular sugar, or sucrose, in that is is cheaper and has a longer shelf life than sugar. MayoClinic.com describes that research is ongoing to determine whether a diet high in corn syrup has any effect on a person's health.
Vitamins and Minerals
Total Whole Grain cereal has many added vitamins and minerals. Added vitamins are vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D3, vitamin E acetate, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, calcium pantothenate and folic acid. Added minerals in Total cereal are calcium carbonate, zinc and iron. In fact, one serving of Total cereal contains 100 percent of the recommended daily value of all of these nutrients except for vitamin D, which is 40 percent of the recommended daily value.
Preservative
A chemical preservative called BHT is added to Total Whole Grain cereal as well. More formally called butylated hydroxyltoluene, BHT is found in many packaged foods including breakfast cereals, chewing gum, enriched rice, potato flakes and animal fat shortenings. The Food and Drug Administration allows dry cereals to contain up to 50 parts per million of BHT.
Food Coloring
A final ingredient of Total cereal is a food coloring called annatto extract color. Annatto extract is made from the seeds of a fruit grown on the Achiote tree in central and South America. Annatto extract made into food dye gives food a red or orange color. Since it is a natural coloring, it is exempt from certification by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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