| How nutritious are breakfast cereals? | Send to a friend |
| Saturday, 24 July 2010 15:57 |
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By Sunday Citizen reporter A bowl of cereal is often seen as a nutritious breakfast for most well to do families. Made from the goodness of corn and with no visible sugar, it is dimmed as a healthy option by unsuspecting parents when the reality is actually quite the opposite. What they do not know is that some of these cereals contain more sugar and salt than junk foods. Research indicates that in some cases it’s half a bowl of sugar and as much salt as a packet of potato crisps. The catchy words such as “wholegrain” and “antioxidants” – not to mention the health claims of added vitamins and minerals are some of the marketing gimmicks employed by manufacturers to seduce the consumer. Understanding a nutritional-information panel isn’t simple either but not that it would help anyway. Percentages of recommended dietary intakes appearing on the side of the packets apply to a 70-kilogram adult male, not a small child! Too salty What is even more shocking is that while a majority of parents may be aware that they are buying a sugary cereal, salt is often the hidden villain. A high-salt diet can lead to health problems such as high blood pressure and an increased risk of heart disease. One of the most challenging nutrition issues for Kellogg, a leading player in the cereal industry, as well as for other food manufacturers is finding ways to reduce sodium in our foods while maintaining great taste. Over the years, the packaged foods industry says it has found that promoting a sodium reduction on product labels typically leads to a drop in sales because consumers erroneously equate ‘reduced salt’ with ‘reduced taste’. Kellogg’s, in a corporate responsibility report released in April, conceded that publicly cutting salt could lead to a slump in sales. Cornflakes high on sugar Take a common cereal like cornflakes for instance nutritionists are warning that the carbohydrate in cornflakes affects the sugar levels in our bodies. Being a highly glycaemic food, the carbohydrate is digested rapidly and sugar is released rather too quickly into the blood. This is then followed by a sudden surge of insulin. Such sudden swings from high to low will commonly cause effects like shakiness or a feeling of light-headedness. Too much insulin in the blood-stream has also been associated with elevated blood fats, high blood pressure, polycystic ovaries, and even cancer. So what is a suitable breakfast for your child? If you insist on cereal then focus on the back of the pack rather than claims made on the front. Watch out for labels that say no preservatives yet contain artificial flavours and colourings. The healthiest options stand out as oat- and muesli-based cereals. Being wholegrain cereals, our digestive system has to break down the fibrous skin. This results in a long digestion process and thus lowers the Glycaemic Index-GI. In addition, low-GI carbohydrates are also packed with crucial vitamins, minerals, and fibre - excellent nourishment for the nervous system, resulting in less stress, as well as helping to slow down the ageing process. At the very least, advocacy is fast taking shape in the food manufacturing industry where food policy officers have called for traffic-light labeling. They suggest a product be rated with a red, orange or green light according to sodium, sugar, fat and saturated fat content. Till the time when the industry will not be regulated by rogue market forces, it will be wise to safeguard what goes into our children’s bowls Since other food groups like protein and fats also slow down the digestion of the carbohydrates (and thus lowers the GI), complementing low-glycaemic cereal with some nuts (rich in good fat) or seeds (a powerhouse of protein) is also a good idea. They won’t be hungry until lunchtime. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
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