Best & Worst Cereals for the Morning

March 30, 2015 Dr. David Samadi

A new study from the Harvard Public School Health, eating cereal could lead to longer life. The study was published in the Jounal BMC Medicine.

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The study found that a diet high in whole grains and cereal fiber can help lower your risk for premature death as well as for chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease, respiratory disease and diabetes.

The Study

367,000 members of the AARP
From California, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Atlanta and Detroit
Participants were all ages 50 to 71
Researchers analyzed their eating habits
Answered questionnaires in 1993 about their diets and portion sizes
Researchers followed their health and diets over the 14-year span

Researchers found:

Participants who consumed the most cereal fiber were 19% less likely to die during the 14-year study period, compared with those who ate the least cereal fiber
People that consumed the most whole grains were 17% less likely to die over a 14-year period, compared with those who ate the least amount of whole grains
Those who ate the most whole-grains had an 11-48% lower risk of disease-specific mortality
Those who ate the most cereal fibers in the group had a 15-34% lower risk for mortality from disease

HEALTH BENEFITS OF CEREAL

What’s in the cereal that’s providing the health benefits? Whole grains and fiber. A diet with whole grains and fiber can help lower your risk for premature death. There's an association with people who eat cereal and those who get high levels of physical activity.

Can also lower risk for chronic diseases including:
- Cancer
- Heart disease
- Respiratory disease
- Diabetes
Not all cereals are created equally - consumers should go for cereals with high-fiber content instead of just high-sugar content
Lower BMI and waist circumference
Lower levels of total blood cholesterol and LDL cholesterol
Cereal eaten with low-fat fortified milk at breakfast promotes increased intake of calcium, which is associated with healthier body weights
May protect against cardiovascular disease risk
Adolescents who eat a healthy breakfast also tend to exercise daily

TOP 3 HEALTHIEST CEREALS

1. Kashi Honey Sunshine Squares

a. Still has honey sweetness

b. 5 grams of fiber, 6 grams of sugar, and 20 grams of whole grains

2. KIND Cinnamon Oat Clusters with Flax Seeds

a. 7 grams of fiber

b. Combo of whole grains and oats, brown rice, buckwheat, amaranth, millet, and quinoa

c. Great on top of high protein cottage cheese or Greek yogurt

3. Cascadian Farm Organic Fruitful O's

a. 3 grams of fiber per serving

b. Zero food colorings

c. Offers the "fun" colors without any artificial colors

TOP 3 LEAST HEALTHY CEREALS

1. Golden Crisp

a. Marketed to kids with the friendly "Sugar Bear”

b. Has only six ingredients on its food label – sugar, wheat, corn syrup, honey, caramel color, and salt

c. Adds up to 14 grams of sugar and just 1 gram of fiber

2. Honey Bunches of Oats Granola – Raspberry

a. Ingredients do include oats, but also brown sugar, oil, corn syrup, and sugar

b. Only 3 grams of fiber out of a total 40 grams of carbs

c. Contains 14 grams of sugar per serving

3. Fruit Loops

a. Banned in Iceland due to food colorings

b. High in sugar, partially hydrogenated oil (trans fat), and food colorings like red 40, blue 2, yellow 6 and blue 1

c. Food colorings may increase risk for hyperactivity in children, affect allergies, and possibly increase cancer risk

WHOLE GRAINS

Any food made from wheat, rice, oats, corn, or another cereal is a grain product.
o Bread, pasta, oatmeal and grits are all grain products.
* Two main types of grain products: whole grains and refined grains
* Whole grains contain the entire grain (bran, germ and endosperm)
o Ex: whole wheat, oats/oatmeal, rye, barley, corn, popcorn, brown rice, wild rice, buckwheat, triticale, bulgur, millet, quinoa, and sorghum.
* Refined grains have been ground into flour or meal which results in the bran and germ being removed.
o Gives grains a finer texture and improves their shelf life
o This process removes some important nutrients, including B-vitamins, iron and dietary fiber
o Ex: wheat flour, enriched bread and white rice
* Whole grains are nutritious because they have a lower glycemic index
o They lead to a smaller rise and fall in blood-sugar levels after a meal than refined grains do
* Including whole grains in your diet plan may help you reach or manage a healthy weight.
* Contains important source of many nutrients:
o Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3 and Vitamin B9
o Folate (folic acid & B vitamin) helps the body form new cells and can prevent certain birth defects
o Iron is used to carry oxygen in the blood
o Magnesium is a mineral that is involved in more than 300 processes in the body.
o Selenium is important for a healthy immune system and regulating thyroid hormone action
* Important to include a variety of grains in your eating plan because grains differ in their nutrient content.
* Whole grains can be a good source of fiber - refined grains usually are not
* Choose whole grain foods that contain one of the following ingredients first on the label’s ingredient list:
o whole wheat, graham flour
o oatmeal
o whole oats
o brown rice
o wild rice
o whole-grain corn
o popcorn
o whole-grain barley
o whole-wheat bulgur and whole rye
* How to identify whole grains at the grocery store:
o Is limited in saturated fat, trans-fat, sodium and sugars.
o More than half of the grains are whole grains.
o Does not contain partially hydrogenated oils.

DIETARY FIBER

Many whole grains are good or excellent sources of dietary fiber
Most refined grains contain little fiber.
Dietary fiber from whole grains may help improve blood cholesterol levels, and lower risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Dietary fiber can make you feel full, so you may eat fewer calories.
Dietary fiber is the term for several materials that make up the parts of plants your body can't digest.
Fiber is classified as soluble or insoluble.
Soluable fiber:
- Soluble fibers are able to swell and hold water.
- When eaten regularly as part of a diet low in saturated fat or trans-fat soluble fiber has been associated with increased diet quality and decreased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Soluble fiber modestly reduces LDL (“bad”) cholesterol beyond levels achieved by a diet low in saturated and trans-fats alone.
Oats have a greater proportion of soluble fiber than any other grain
Insoluble fiber:
- Insoluble fiber has been associated with decreased cardiovascular risk and slower progression of cardiovascular disease in high-risk individuals.
- Wheat, rye, rice, and most other grains are primarily composed of insoluble fiber.
- Legumes, beans, and peas are also excellent sources of both soluble and insoluble fiber.
Many processed oat bran and wheat bran products (such as muffins, chips, waffles) may be made with refined grains, not the whole grain.
- They also may be high in sodium, added sugars and saturated fat. Read labels carefully.
How many servings of grains do you need each day?
- Depends upon your age, gender and calorie needs

American Heart Association recommends:

At least half of your grains are whole grains
Obtain fiber from foods rather than from fiber supplements.
The daily value for fiber is 25 grams of fiber each day for a 2,000 calorie diet.
If you want to get the daily serving that these researchers say showed a difference in risk reduction, you need to eat at least 10.22 grams of cereal fiber per day based on a 1,000 kcal daily diet.
If you want to get your fill with just one serving of cereal, aim for those that have “fiber” in the title or list at least 10 grams of fiber per serving on the label.

OPTIMAL CEREAL SERVING SIZE

Serving size - the following count as 1 ounce-equivalent (or 1 serving) of whole grains:

1 slice whole-grain bread (such as 100% whole-wheat bread)
1 cup ready-to-eat, whole-grain cereal
1⁄2 cup cooked whole-grain cereal, brown rice, or whole-wheat pasta
5 whole-grain crackers
3 cups unsalted, air-popped popcorn
1 6-inch whole-wheat tortilla