Sneaky Ways “Healthy” Cereal Can Make You Fat

How to outsmart these unhealthy cereal choices: Borrowed from Lauren Gelman
Can cereal be dessert in disguise? Check your typical grocery store: There about 130 varieties of cold cereal, with each box claiming to be low sugar, high fiber, & a great source of whole grains. It’s easy to feel bowled over. Some cereals are truly healthy, while others are like having dessert, according to Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, author of The Flexitarian Diet. It's getting easier to find a really nutritious one. When your cereal is a sugar bomb! Pick up a cereal box & check the ingredient list: You may be shocked to see that some form of sugar appears, perhaps multiple times, in the first few ingredients. “Even if a cereal is made from whole grains or loaded with other healthful ingredients, a high sugar content disqualifies it from my list of top picks,” Today contributor and nutrition expert Joy Bauer, RD, says. Too much sugar adds unnecessary calories, and it, also, spikes your blood sugar as well as sets you for a mid-morning energy dip.  Healthy cereal choice: Expert recommendations vary, but most say look for fewer than 5 to 8 grams of sugar per serving. When your cereal skimps on whole grains... Whole grains are linked to weight loss & a decreased risk of diabetes as well as heart disease, and a bowl without them should be a deal-breaker. But it can be confusing. The Nutrition Action Healthletter, a newsletter from the watchdog group The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), warns that in roughly half the cereals that make those claims, the second ingredient is refined.  Healthy choice: The label you’re looking for is “Made from 100% whole grain.” Check the ingredient list, the first ingredient should be preceded by the word “whole.” One exception is bran, which can’t call itself 100% whole grain, but is still a great source of fiber. Ideally, the first two ingredients should be whole grain, bran, fruit, or soy, according to the CSPI’s “Best Bites” rating system. Some that make the cut include: Post Bran Flakes, Kashi GOLEAN, and General Mills Fiber One 80 Calories. When your healthy cereal contains "fake" fiber... Fiber deserves a place in the Nutrition Hall of Fame for its ability to promote fullness & lower the risk of certain chronic diseases. However, cereals that boast of super-high levels are probably using added isolated fibers, like chicory root fiber, soy fiber, or psyllium. The Nutrition Action Healthletter says that there “isn’t good evidence that these lower the risk of heart disease, constipation, and diabetes the same way intact fiber, the kind in the outer layer of whole grains, does.” And research suggests that inulin (chicory root) doesn’t give you the same fullness as innate fiber, according to Health magazine.  Healthy cereal makeover: Choose cereals with at least 3 to 5 grams of fiber, but be skeptical of claims like “40 percent of your daily fiber,” warns the Nutrition Action Healthletter, which is a sign the fiber isn’t the natural kind. Of course, the easiest way to pump up the fiber in any cereal: Top it with fruit. A half-cup of raspberries has 4 grams, about 17% of your daily need. When your healthy cereal is loaded with sodium... Sneaky sodium packed into foods that don’t taste saltysuch as cereal, tricks our taste buds into craving salt, which can lead us to other waistline-padding junk food.  Healthy cereal makeover: To make the cut for Self’s Healthy Food Award guidelines, pick cereals that have no more than 250 milligrams of sodium per cup. Kellogg’s Raisin Bran, for example, has 210 mg. However, be careful of eating more than the serving size. When your healthy cereal is lacking protein... If your cereal bowl is naked, just flakes & milk, may be too low on protein to keep you sufficiently satiated, which can impact how well you eat all day long. In a new University of Missouri study, people who ate a high-protein breakfast, like eggs or lean beef, felt fuller, had fewer cravings, and were less likely to snack on high-fat, and high-sugar foods at night, compared with a group who ate a calorically equivalent bowl of cereal or no breakfast.  Healthy cereal makeover: Add a tablespoon of nuts or flaxseed to your favorite cereal for an extra protein boost, or top Greek yogurt (an excellent source of protein) with a small handful of your favorite cereal flakes for crunch. When your cereal and milk don't mix well... The milk you add to your cereal helps make it a more nutritious meal by contributing protein, calcium, and other key nutrients. Harvard research shows that people who eat dairy foods frequently are 21% less likely to develop insulin resistance, and 9% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes. In addition, fortified vitamins & minerals are sprayed on cereal & dissolve in milk, according to Health. If you don’t drink all of the milk, you will miss them.  Healthy cereal makeover: If you don’t like milk, eat your cereal dry to get all of the added nutrients, and get a dairy boost from other sources, like Greek yogurt or low-fat cottage cheese, the magazine recommends. When your healthy cereal serving is too much... In a recent test of portion control savvy, Family Circle magazine volunteers poured cereal bowls that were twice as big as those recommended (1 1/2 cups and 240 calories compared to a 3/4-cup, 120-calorie serving). Do that with a calorie bomb like granola, and it could take a real toll on your waistline. Healthy cereal makeover: Don’t assume you know what a serving size is. Measure it & see how it fits into your bowl, so you know how tmuch is a healthy portion. Also, consider eating with a teaspoon instead of a tablespoon, recommends Women’s Health magazine. This can make you eat more slowly & cut your overall calorie intake. Another neat tip: Eat the cereal out of a coffee cup instead of a big bowl to trick your brain into thinking you’re eating more. When your cereal stays out... Believe it or not, keeping the box in plain sight may make you more likely to top off your bowl or take a couple of handfuls here & there all day long. Grazing like this can add up to a serving or more, says Women’s Health.  Healthy cereal makeover: Put the cereal away after you pour it. If you like to snack on your favorite flakes during the day, portion out the serving size you want in little snack-sized baggies. Consider mixing basic whole grain flakes with nuts, seeds, & mini dark chocolate chips for a satisfying trail mix.
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