A bowl of cereal is one of the most convenient breakfast choices available. Although many cereal products have similar packaging, the ingredients inside span a range of nutritional profiles, from healthy to nutritionally unsound. Choosing the right store-bought cereals for your diet often involves doing a little research before grocery shopping and examining the labels in the cereal aisle.
Fiber
A high-fiber content of at least 3 g per serving is one of the factors that determines a top-rated healthy cereal, according to "Fitness" magazine. A bowl of oatmeal, which provides 4 g of fiber, or a serving of raisin bran cereal, which contains 7 g, are good choices. Look for ingredients, such as oats, bran, nuts, raisins, dried cranberries and coconut, that increase the fiber content.
Low Sugar
A cereal that contains fewer than 5 g of sugar is a factor that positions a product among the top healthiest choices, according to the Mayo Clinic website. Other factors to consider include the fruit content, which increases the sugar total, but is healthier than added sucrose, or table sugar, because of fruit also provides healthy fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Low-sugar cereals often contain mainly grains. Finding these products in a natural foods section of a grocery store may be the best option.
Saturated Fat
A cereal that contains fewer than 2 g of saturated fat per serving is a factor that indicates a top-rated healthy product, according to "Fitness" magazine. Some cereals can be deceiving; they may seem healthy, but upon closer examination they contain a high amount of fat. Granola, for example, contains 7.6 g of saturated fat per 1 cup serving, which is more than the saturated fat found in a steak.
Calories
Another factor that indicates a healthy cereal is its calorie content. The Mayo Clinic rates a cereal as among the healthiest if it provides fewer than 120 calories per serving, which is about 6 percent of a standard 2,000-calorie diet. Manufacturers often indicate on the label if a cereal is low-calorie. Excess sugar replaces nutritionally important protein, complex carbohydrates and monounsaturated fats, which results in an empty-calorie, unhealthy cereal.
Member Comments