An entire aisle of cereal awaits you at your local grocery store. While major manufacturers including Kellogg's, General Mills, Quaker and Post are working to improve the nutritional quality of their breakfast options, you can't judge most cereals by their front panel. Only by picking up the box and checking the side "nutrition facts" panel can you discern healthy breakfast choices from those that are nutritionally weak. There are some key areas to compare.
Sugar
In the fall of 2009, the American Heart Association recommended that women consume no more than 25 grams of added sugar per day, and men no more than 37.5 g per day. These guidelines were set because high sugar intake is implicated in numerous poor health conditions and contributes no nutritional value to our diet. I recommend people use 8 g of sugar as the cut off point when selecting breakfast cereals. This assumes breakfast contributes between 25 percent of your daily intake, with lunch dinner and snacks contributing the remainder. Rich sources of natural sugar such as dried fruit and raisins are healthy but will cause a cereal to exceed the 8 g sugar limit.
Fiber
The Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) for fiber in healthy adults (19 years +) is 25 g per day for women and 38 g per day for men. Many Registered Dietitians recommend an "age plus 5" approach for children. The sum of your child's age + 5 g equals their daily fiber goal. For example, a 7-year-old should strive to get at least 12 grams of fiber per day (5 years + 7 grams = 12 grams per day). A diet rich in fiber may reduce your risk for heart disease, cancer, type two diabetes and improve your ability to successfully manage your weight. Choose a cereal that contributes at least 3 grams of fiber per serving so that you are able to make a good start towards meeting your daily requirement.
Fat
Most breakfast cereal is low in fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and trans fat free. This is it is such a great alternative to sausage, bacon, hash browns, commercial muffins, doughnuts, pastries and other less heart healthy options. Choose a cereal that has less 3 g of fat per serving. Make sure you top your breakfast cereal with nonfat or low fat milk, soy, rice or almond milk. If you choose non dairy toppers, make sure they are calcium and Vitamin D fortified.
Sodium
The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting sodium to less than 2300 mg per day or the equivalent of 1 tsp. of salt. A low sodium breakfast cereal selection contains less than 140 milligrams of sodium per serving. This can be rather difficult to achieve so compare the labels and understand the contribution your breakfast cereal makes towards your daily limit.
Portion
The "Serving Size" is located at the top of the nutrition facts panel. Even if you select a cereal that is low in sugar, fat, and sodium, you may still be overindulging by over pouring each morning. I always recommend that people measure out their cereal each time they open a new box. Make a mental note of what a serving size looks like in your bowl. If you think you think that your bowl contains 3/4 cup or 140 calories, but it actually contains 1-½ cups, you have just consumed 280 calories! Serving sizes vary on the label from ½ cup to 1-½ cups so always check, measure and finally, enjoy!
Breakfast Cereal Trends
Look for breakfast cereals to begin putting nutrition highlights on the front of the package, too. General Mills has already begun this practice, making it easier to shop and compare. Over the next year, manufacturers will continue to reduce sugar and sodium and increase fiber. The competition is heating up for your breakfast dollar and ultimately we consumers will win with a more nutritious box of cereal that does not sacrifice quality or taste.
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