Choose The Right Breakfast Cereals — The Best & Worst

When it comes to easy, quick, and healthy breakfast options, cereals are the best idea. They can be prepared in no time and when you choose the right ones, they are extremely healthy too. When it comes to a good weight loss diet, especially, breakfast cereals rich in fibre are highly recommended as they keep you feeling fuller for longer and prevent unwanted food cravings. 

Be it oats, muesli, or any other type of cereal for breakfast, there are a few important things that you need to know about them before you choose one. 

How are Healthy Breakfast Cereals Made?

Before we move on to the best kinds of breakfast cereals that you can include in your diet, here is a quick breakdown of how they are made. Typically, there are six steps that are followed with all types of cereals for breakfast:

1. The grains like oats are ground to make a fine powder and then cooked. 
2. These healthy breakfast foods are then flavoured with ingredients like cocoa and sugar.
3. These breakfast cereals are moulded into flakes or other shapes using a process called extrusion. They are subjected to high temperatures and a machine is used to create the desired shape. 
4. Some brands offer fortified cereals that feature additional nutrients, while others offer cereals like muesli mixed with nuts and raisins for added health benefits.  
5. Following this, the cereal is dried. 
6. If not shaped using the extrusion process, the cereals are also cut to make different shapes like rectangles and loops after they have been dried. 

Some brands also coat the breakfast cereals they offer in frosting and chocolate before drying them completely to give you tasty yet healthy breakfast options.  

What Are the Best Breakfast Cereals?

How do you know which breakfast cereals are ideal for your regular diet? Here are some tips that will help you pick healthy breakfast options that work for you:  

1. Look for Products that are High in Fibre

Your breakfast should be wholesome and filling. This keeps you going for longer periods of time without any unwanted cravings. Breakfast cereals made with whole grains like oats are the best weight loss breakfast for any diet plan that you choose. Oats price is also reasonable and well within most budgets.

Look for healthy breakfast products that have a high fibre content as they also keep your hunger pangs at bay. In this case as well, oats for weight loss work very well as their fibre keeps you feeling fuller for longer and also improves your digestion, allowing you to make the most of your meal plan.

2. Make Sure that They Have a Low Sugar Content

One of the biggest issues with most breakfast cereals is that they are loaded with sugar. The idea is to make the product tastier for consumers. However, this leads to empty-calorie consumption that can also increase the fat deposits in your body.

If you are looking for the best weight loss breakfast options, you must check for the sugar content in any product. Be careful to look for certain ingredients in your favourite healthy breakfast foods since these can be just sugar in disguise. If you notice ingredients like corn syrup, liquid glucose or even maltose, it means that the product is rich in its sugar content. Ideally, your cereals for breakfast should not have more than 3-5g of sugar per serving.

3. Count the Calories Per Serving

It is not just what product you buy that matters. You should also check how much of it you need to get optimal nutrition from it. To pick the best weight loss breakfast you must keep an eye on the recommended serving size and always ensure that you check the calorie intake with this recommended serving.

The best types of cereals are ones that give you maximum fibre, protein and other nutrients and minimum calories. This means that the calories included in the product are from clean sources that can actually be used by the body to carry out a series of different metabolic activities. 

4. Always Check the List of Ingredients

Whenever you buy any processed product for consumption, make sure you check the label for the list of ingredients and choose a high protein breakfast option. You must look out for any allergens that could cause adverse reactions. You should also look for any unhealthy ingredients that may defeat the purpose of consuming a healthy breakfast to lose weight.

Avoid products that contain soy, egg, dairy, peanuts and gluten that are most likely to cause allergies. If you have had a history of food allergies, you need to be extra careful with the product you choose. 

5. Choose Fortified Cereals Rich in Other Nutrients

To ensure healthy eating, you must choose a cereal for breakfast that has a good balance of fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals. This gives you a good start to your day, keeping you feeling energised until your next meal.

There are several fortified cereals that come enriched with the goodness of proteins, iron, essential vitamins and minerals, particularly Vitamin C and calcium. You can get as much as 10g of protein with these cereals that can be healthy breakfast options. This is also beneficial in helping you recover faster from a strenuous workout regime. 

What Are the Worst Choices of Cereals for Breakfast?

Now that you know which breakfast cereals are ideal for your diet plan, here are some products that you should stay clear of: 

1. Breakfast Cereals that Contain Added Sugar

One of the biggest issues with processed foods is that they contain high amounts of added sugar. If the product lists sugar among the top 3 ingredients on the label, it is a bad choice for you. When you begin your day with foods that are high in sugar, your insulin and blood sugar levels spike.

This sudden surge crashes after a few hours and your body will begin to crave a meal that is high in carbs. This makes it very difficult for you to follow a healthy diet.

2. Products that Contain Refined Carbs

Always choose products with whole, natural and unprocessed carb sources. Refined carbs add to the sugar consumption, making the product a bad choice for your breakfast. Look for breakfast cereals that contain unprocessed oats, wheat, millets and other grains for best results.

3. Breakfast Cereals that Have Misleading Labels

You will notice many breakfast cereals that are marked as healthy and even make claims like ‘low fat’. However, the labels list sugar and refined grains at the top of the chart. Only having a small portion of whole grains does not make for a healthy breakfast cereal. So, always read the label to make sure that you don’t fall prey to misleading claims made purely for advertising purposes.

Conclusion

Whenever possible, opt for single-ingredient, natural breakfast cereals like cooked oats. They can also be topped with fruits, nuts and other healthy foods that not only increase their nutritional value but also lend to the taste. In order to determine the best breakfast for weight loss and other fitness goals, you can consult a dietician as well.