Choosing the Right Cereals

The cereal aisle in the supermarkets is bursting with choices: with dried fruits or nuts, made of bran or ancient grains, rich in proteins, with less sugar added than the regular version… Which ones should we choose? Marketing can sometimes become overbearing it is important to keep a critical eye and pay special attention to both the nutritional value chart and the list of ingredients.

For each serving of 30 g (60 ml to 250 ml depending on the type of cereals), you should favour a breakfast cereal that corresponds to the following criteria:

• 140 mg or less sodium (5 % DV)
• 4 g or more fibres (16 % DV)
• 5 g or fewer sugars (6 g or less if they contain dried fruits)  
• 3 g and more proteins

On the ingredient list, pay attention to the following details:

• Avoid products with an ingredient list starting with any form of sugars.
• Avoid any cereals that contain poor-quality oils such as palm oil, or any partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oils.
• Favour cereals that are made of whole grains or bran.
• If we like cereals made of wheat of puffed rice, improve their fibre content by adding chia or flax seeds, nuts, sunflower or pumpkin seeds.

Remember, to start the day on the right foot, eating a complete breakfast is essential!