Healthy Food Choices: Cereals

Cereals and grains, although not just a breakfast food, are great warm or cold in the morning. Try these tips for buying cereals in this healthy shopping video.

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Look for whole grain as number one ingredient
Avoid trans, saturated fats
Sugar should be at least third on ingredient list

About this Author

Michelle Cooper has been a registered dietician for more than 10 years. She currently works for the state of North Carolina for the New Hanover County School District in the Child Nutrition Department as the supervising registered dietician on staff. She specializes in child nutrition, child fitness and overall child health. She enjoys her job because it allows her to be a pivotal piece of child development.

MICHELLE COOPER: Next, we are going to talk about cereal. With a wide array of cereals available in the market now, there is no doubt that people are confused about which cereal is best. The first thing you want to look for when you are picking out a cereal is you want to find one that has its number one ingredient: whole grain. We now know that whole grain increases the fiber in our diet, helps lower the LDL cholesterol, which is the bad cholesterol, which reduces our risk of cardiovascular disease. Number two, you want to check the fats. If there are trans fats or saturated fat, put the cereal back on the shelf. Those are the bad fats that actually raise your LDL cholesterol or your risk for heart disease. And the third thing that I tell people to look for is sugar. You want sugar to be at least number three on the list, because those ingredients are listed by weight. And little or no added sugar is going to be the best. Now, expensive does not mean better. For example, Cheerios are 100% whole grain. That is a great cereal choice. Another cereal which surprisingly does not make a good list is Product 19. This cereal is made with refined products and not whole grains. So remember, number one, you want to check the ingredient list or the label on the side, look for something made with whole grains. Make sure there are not any trans fat or saturated fats that are in the ingredient list. And the third thing you want to look for is make sure that sugar is at least number three on that ingredient list. It is always wise, too, if you are counting calories to make sure that you follow the portion sizes that are also on the food label. And add skim milk, not whole milk, to make a nutritious, low-fat breakfast.

Healthy Food Choices: Cereals Video

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