Healthy cereal

With shelves stacked top to bottom with hundreds of brightly colored boxes competing for your attention, supermarket breakfast cereal aisles can sometimes feel like walking through a minefield.

Make the wrong choice and you or your child could end up with a breakfast cereal high in sugar, fat or salt.

If eaten too often, this can contribute to weight gain and health problems, including tooth decay and high blood pressure.

But whether it’s puffed, baked or flaked, cereal can still form part of a healthy, balanced diet.

The role of breakfast cereals in a balanced diet has been recognized for many years ¹. Dietary guidelines note that the high nutrient density of breakfast cereals (especially those that are whole grain or high in cereal fiber) makes them an important source of key nutrients ². In addition to providing an important source of vitamins and minerals, breakfast cereals are also potentially important sources of antioxidants ³ and phytoestrogens ⁴ and are one of the most important sources of whole grains ⁵.

Is cereal good for you ?

Table 1 summarizes findings from 11 intervention studies that incorporated additional breakfast cereal into subjects’ diets and shows the nutrients that were increased, decreased, or remained unchanged in the subjects’ total daily intakes. Those studies generally show an increase in vitamin and mineral intakes, and decreases in fat, but no consistent effect on daily energy, protein, or carbohydrate intakes.

The results from 51 cross-sectional studies and the randomized controlled trials reported on the nutritional impact of regular breakfast cereal consumption in those who eat breakfast.

The results from those cross-sectional studies and the randomized controlled trials showed children and adolescents who consume breakfast cereals regularly have daily diets that are ⁶:

• Higher in percentage of energy (%E) from carbohydrate, total sugars, dietary fiber, vitamins A and D, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc;
• No different in total energy intake, % energy from protein, or sodium; and
• Lower in % energy from fat.

Many of the micronutrient differences are related to the fortification profile of the breakfast cereals, but the increased milk intake would contribute significantly to the higher daily calcium and riboflavin intakes. In both Australia and the United States, approximately one-quarter of all milk consumed by children and adolescents is added to breakfast cereal ⁷.

Other findings from the studies show that children and adolescents who eat breakfast cereal regularly:

• are less likely to have vitamin and mineral intakes below the recommended daily requirements, especially for calcium ⁸, ⁹;
• have better diets overall, measured by the Healthy Eating Index score ¹⁰;
• have lower daily cholesterol intakes ¹¹; and
• have better nutritional status (assessed by blood measures), especially for the vitamins thiamin, riboflavin, and pyridoxine ¹² and iron ¹³.

Table 1. Intervention trials with added breakfast cereal consumption: impact on daily nutrient intake

Cereal nutrition facts

In food-insecure children in the United States, the percentage whose daily nutrient intake was below the Estimated Average Requirement was higher in those who did not consume breakfast cereal for several key nutrient, including 62.7% vs. 39.9% for calcium, 26.3% vs. 19.4% for magnesium, 33.4% vs 8.1% for vitamin A, 15.4% vs. 3.2% for zinc, and 9.4% vs. 0.1% for folate, respectively ¹⁰. The difference in total milk consumption (345 vs. 142 g for cereal consumers vs. non consumers) was significantly greater than the difference in food-secure children (324 vs. 161g)—that is, ready-to-eat breakfast cereal was even more important in food-insecure children in improving milk intakes. Comparing Healthy Eating Index scores, both food-secure and food-insecure children achieved better scores when they consumed breakfast cereals, but the improvement in total grain intake was significantly greater for food-insecure children ²⁴.

In the 1995 Australian National Nutrition Survey, breakfast cereals as consumed with milk and sugar contributed only 6–9% of total energy intakes of children and adolescents but provided >25% of the Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI) for thiamin, riboflavin, and iron (for boys) and >10% of the RDI for niacin, folate (for boys), calcium, iron (for girls), and magnesium ²⁵. In the 2007 Australian National Children’s Nutrition and Activity Survey, ready-to-eat breakfast cereal consumption provided 10% of total daily fiber intake ²⁶.

Adults who consume breakfast cereals regularly have daily diets that are:

• higher in % energy from carbohydrate, total sugars, dietary fiber, vitamins A and D, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc;
• no different in total energy intake, sodium, or %E from protein; and
• lower in % energy from fat.

The latest national survey from the United Kingdom found that whereas breakfast cereals contribute 3–5% of the daily energy intake and 2–5% of dietary fiber intake, they provide only 1% of fat and 1–2% of sodium in the total diet ¹. Similarly, breakfast cereals contribute only 2.1–2.6% of total sodium intake in adults in the United States ²⁷ and <2.5% in Australia ²⁸.

Other findings show that adults who eat breakfast cereal regularly:

• are less likely to have vitamin and mineral intakes below the recommended daily requirements, especially for thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and fiber ⁷;
• have better diets overall, measured by the Healthy Eating Index ²⁹; and
• have better nutritional status (assessed by blood measures), especially for the vitamins thiamin, riboflavin, and folate ²¹.

Those consuming whole-grain and high-fiber breakfast cereals, compared with those consuming other breakfast cereals, had significantly higher daily intakes of % energy from protein, fiber, niacin, folate, calcium, and zinc ³⁰; however, whole-grain cereal intake in particular is likely to be a marker of a healthy lifestyle and therefore potentially subject to residual confounding.

How many calories should breakfast provide ?

A helpful rule of thumb to maintain a healthy weight is to follow the 400-600-600 kcal approach.

That means having about:

• 400kcal for breakfast (including any drinks and accompaniments)
• 600kcal for lunch (including any drinks and accompaniments)
• 600kcal for dinner (including any drinks and accompaniments)

That leaves you with just enough left over to enjoy a few healthy drinks and snacks throughout the day. This advice is based on a adult’s daily recommended calorie intake of 2,000kcal.

You might get about 150kcal from a 40g serving of cereal. You could add a medium sliced banana and 200ml of semi-skimmed milk, which altogether would provide about 350kcals.

You need fuel in the morning, and starting the day with a filling breakfast can help you avoid reaching for a less healthy mid-morning snack to keep you going until lunch.

How to find the best healthy cereal

Nutrition labels on the back or side of packaging

Nutrition labels are often displayed as a panel or grid on the back or side of packaging. For example, the Figure 1 below shows the nutrition labels from some breakfast cereal boxes.

This type of label includes information on energy (kJ/kcal), fat, saturates (saturated fat), carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt.

It may also provide additional information on certain nutrients, such as fiber. All nutrition information is provided per 100 grams and sometimes per portion or per serving size.

Figure 1. Nutrition Facts from some breakfast cereals

Reading nutrition labels

Food and nutrition labels can help you choose between brands and avoid breakfast cereals high in sugar, fat and salt.

All nutrition information is provided per 100g and per serving, which can be helpful when comparing one cereal with another.

Some brands also use red, amber and green color coding on the front of the packet, sometimes known as traffic lights. The more greens on the label, the healthier the choice.

Most pre-packed foods have a nutrition label on the back or side of the packaging. These labels include information on energy in kilojoules (kJ) and kilocalories (kcal), usually referred to as calories.

They also include information on fat, saturates (saturated fat), carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt. All nutrition information is provided per 100 grams and sometimes per portion of the food.

Supermarkets and food manufacturers now highlight the energy, fat, saturated fat, sugars and salt content on the front of the packaging, alongside the reference intake for each of these.

You can use nutrition labels to help you choose a more balanced diet.

For a Balanced diet:

• Eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day
• Base meals on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates – choose wholegrain or higher fibre where possible
• Have some dairy or dairy alternatives, such as soya drinks and yogurts – choose lower-fat and lower-sugar options
• Eat some beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other protein – aim for two portions of fish every week, one of which should be oily, such as salmon or mackerel
• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads, and eat them in small amounts
• Drink plenty of fluids – the government recommends 6 to 8 cups or glasses a day

If you’re having foods and drinks that are high in fat, salt and sugar, have these less often and in small amounts.

Try to choose a variety of different foods from the four main food groups. Most people in America eat and drink too many calories, too much fat, sugar and salt, and not enough fruit, vegetables, oily fish or fiber.

How do I know if a food is high in fat, saturated fat, sugar or salt ?

There are guidelines to tell you if a food is high in fat, saturated fat, salt or sugar, or not. These are:

Total fat

• High: more than 17.5g of fat per 100g
• Low: 3g of fat or less per 100g

Saturated fat

• High: more than 5g of saturated fat per 100g
• Low: 1.5g of saturated fat or less per 100g

Sugars

• High: more than 22.5g of total sugars per 100g
• Moderate: between 5g to 22.5 g of total sugars per 100g
• Low: 5g of total sugars or less per 100g

Salt

• High: more than 1.5g of salt per 100g (or 0.6g sodium)
• Low: 0.3g of salt or less per 100g (or 0.1g sodium)

For example, if you are trying to cut down on saturated fat, limit your consumption of foods that have more than 5g of saturated fat per 100g.

If you’re trying to cut down on sugar, you should avoid foods that have more than 22.5g of sugars per 100g.

Some nutrition labels on the back or side of packaging also provide information about reference intakes.

Reference intakes explained

You’ll see reference intakes referred to on food labels. They show you the maximum amount of calories and nutrients you should eat in a day.

• Nutrition labels can also provide information on how a particular food or drink product fits into your daily diet.
• Reference intakes are guidelines about the approximate amount of particular nutrients and energy required for a healthy diet.

Daily reference intakes for the average adult aged 19 to 64 are:

• Energy: 8,400 kJ/2,000kcal
• Total fat: less than 70g
• Saturates: less than 20g
• Carbohydrate: at least 260g
• Total sugars: 90g
• Protein: 50g
• Fiber: 35g
• Salt: less than 2.3g

The reference intake for total sugars includes sugars from milk and fruit, as well as added sugar.

Reference intakes aren’t meant to be targets. They just give you a rough idea of how much energy you should be eating each day and how much fat, sugar, salt and so on.

Unless the label says otherwise, reference intakes are based on an average-sized adult doing an average amount of physical activity.

This is to reduce the risk of people with lower energy requirements eating too much, and to make sure information on labels is clear and consistent.

Where to find reference intakes on food packs

Most of the big supermarkets and many food manufacturers also display nutritional information on the front of pre-packed food. This is very useful when you want to compare different food products at a glance.

If you look closely at food packaging, you’ll see that it usually tells you what percentage of your daily reference intakes each portion of that food contains.

Front-of-pack labels, such as the label in the above image, usually give a quick guide to:

• energy
• fat content
• saturated fat content
• sugars content
• salt content

These labels provide information on the number of grams of fat, saturated fat, sugars and salt, and the amount of energy (in kJ and kcal) in a serving or portion of the food.

• But be aware that the manufacturer’s idea of a portion may be different from yours.

Some front-of-pack nutrition labels also provide information about reference intakes.

Color-coded nutritional information, as shown in Figure 2. below, tells you at a glance if the food has high, medium or low amounts of fat, saturated fat, sugars and salt.

• Red means high
• Amber means medium
• Green means low

In short, the more green on the label, the healthier the choice. If you buy a food that has all or mostly green on the label, you know straight away that it’s a healthier choice.

Amber means neither high nor low, so you can eat foods with all or mostly amber on the label most of the time.

But any red on the label means the food is high in fat, saturated fat, salt or sugars, and these are the foods we should cut down on. Try to eat these foods less often and in small amounts.

Figure 2. Reference intakes on food packs 

For example, the label above, taken from a box of pizza, shows that per half (1/2) slice of pizza will provide you with 4.7g of sugars, which is 6% of your daily reference intake for sugars.

The red color shows you that the pizza are high in saturated fat and salt.

Each pizza also contains 10.3g of saturated fat, which is 52% of your reference intake for saturated fat.

The amber color tells you that the pizza slices contain a medium amount (20.3g per 100 g of pizza) of fat.

Green means a food is low in a particular nutrient. These pizza slices, for example, are low in added sugars.

Ingredients list

Most pre-packed food products also have a list of ingredients on the packaging or an attached label. The ingredients list can also help you work out how healthy the product is.

Ingredients are listed in order of weight, so the main ingredients in the packaged food always come first. That means that if the first few ingredients are high-fat ingredients, such as cream, butter or oil, then the food in question is a high-fat food.

Figure 3. Breakfast cereal ingredients list (Oatmeal Crisp cereal)

What is dietary fiber ?

Dietary fiber, also known as roughage or bulk, is the part of a plant that the body doesn’t absorb during digestion. Fibre is the part of food that is not digested in the small intestine. Dietary fibre moves largely unchanged into the large intestine or colon where it is fermented by friendly bacteria that live there. The scientific community define dietary fibre as intrinsic plant cell wall polysaccharides of vegetables, fruits and whole-grains, the health benefits of which have been clearly established, rather than synthetic, isolated or purified oligosaccharides and polysaccharides with diverse, and in some cases unique, physiological effects ³¹. Generally speaking, dietary fiber is the edible parts of plants or similar carbohydrates, that are resistant to digestion and absorption in the small intestine. Fiber can be soluble, which means it dissolves in water, or insoluble.

Dietary fiber and whole grains contain a unique blend of bioactive components including resistant starches, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants. As a result, research regarding their potential health benefits has received considerable attention in the last several decades. Epidemiological and clinical studies demonstrate that consumption of dietary fiber and whole grain intake is inversely related to obesity ³², type two diabetes ³³, cancer ³⁴ and cardiovascular disease ³⁵.

• Eating fiber and wholegrain foods is linked to a lower risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease, and may also reduce the risk of bowel cancer.

• Eating high fiber foods can also help prevent constipation – this in turn can help to prevent hemorrhoids.

• Because high fiber foods are filling they may also make it easier to stay at a healthy weight.

• Foods high in fiber are generally good sources of vitamins and minerals, as well as other important nutrients.

How much fiber do you need ?

The recommendations for fiber intake for adults for most European countries and for countries like Australia, New Zealand and the USA are in the order of 30–35 g/d for men and 25–32 g/d for women. Overall average intakes do not reach this level of intake for any country.

For children, recommendations vary quite markedly from country to country; for example, for those aged 10–12 years, France recommends 5+age, equivalent to 15–17 g/d, for Poland, 19 g/d, for Australia and New Zealand, 20 g/d for girls and 24 g/d for boys (for 9–13 years) and for the USA, 26 g/d for girls and 31 g/d for boys (for 9–13 years). Other countries have no official recommendation for children. Hence it is difficult to say if recommendations are being met overall, although for most countries, intakes are lower than the recommendation, with few reaching an average intake of 20 g/d for boys or 18 g/d for girls. For teenagers, recommendations are similar or slightly higher than for younger children.

Most Americans eat less than this. Getting sufficient fiber isn’t just about adding unprocessed wheat bran to breakfast cereal – it’s important to include different types of fiber from a variety of plant foods.

To get enough fibre every day, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ³⁶ recommends that an individual eats:

• at least 4 serves of wholegrain or wholemeal foods every day (or ensure about half of your daily serves of breads and cereals are wholegrain or wholemeal varieties)
• at least 2 serves of fruit daily
• 5 serves of vegetables daily including legumes (also known as ‘pulses’)
• wholefoods rather than dietary fiber supplements as the benefits of fibre from food may be from the combination of nutrients in food working together.

Table 2 Below is an example of how an adult may meet their daily dietary fiber requirements:

How much sugar is good for me ?

The health department recommends that free sugars – sugars added to food or drinks, and sugars found naturally in honey, syrups, and unsweetened fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies and purées – shouldn’t make up more than 5% of the energy (calories) you get from food and drink each day.

Table 3. Current Guidelines for Sugar Intake

The American Heart Association ³⁸ recommends no more than half of your daily discretionary calorie allowance come from added sugars. Your daily discretionary calorie allowance consists of calories available after meeting nutrient needs. This is no more than 100 calories per day for most American women and no more than 150 per day for men (or about 6 teaspoons a day for women and 9 teaspoons a day for men).

This means:

• Adults should have no more than 30g of free sugars a day, (roughly equivalent to seven sugar cubes).
• Children aged 7 to 10 should have no more than 24g of free sugars a day (six sugar cubes).
• Children aged 4 to 6 should have no more than 19g of free sugars a day (five sugar cubes).
• There is no guideline limit for children under the age of 4, but it’s recommended they avoid sugar-sweetened drinks and food with sugar added to it. Find out more about what to feed young children.

Free sugars are found in foods such as sweets, cakes, biscuits, chocolate, and some fizzy drinks and juice drinks. These are the sugary foods we should cut down on. For example, a can of cola can have as much as nine cubes of sugar – more than the recommended daily limit for adults.

Products are considered to either be high or low in sugar if they fall above or below the following thresholds:

• High: more than 22.5g of total sugars per 100g
• Medium: more than 5g but less than or equal to 22.5g of sugar per 100g
• Low: 5g or less of total sugars per 100g

If the amount of sugars per 100g is between these figures, that is regarded as a medium level.

Figure 4. Carbohydrate and sugar content food label

The “Total Sugars” figure describes the total amount of sugars from all sources – free sugars, plus those from milk, and those present in fruit and vegetables.

For example, plain yogurt may contain as much as 8g per serving, but none of these are free sugars, as they all come from milk.

The same applies to an individual portion of fruit. An apple might contain around 11g of total sugar, depending on the size of the fruit selected, the variety and the stage of ripeness. However, sugar in fruit is not considered free sugars unless the fruit is juiced or puréed.

This means food containing fruit or milk will be a healthier choice than one containing lots of free sugars, even if the two products contain the same total amount of sugar. You can tell if the food contains lots of added sugars by checking the ingredients list.

Sometimes you will see a figure just for “Carbohydrate” and not for “Carbohydrate (of which sugars)”. The “Carbohydrate” figure will also include starchy carbohydrates, so you can’t use it to work out the sugar content. In this instance, check the ingredients list to see if the food is high in added sugar.

Ingredients list

You can get an idea of whether a food is high in free sugars by looking at the ingredients list on the packaging.

Sugars added to foods and drinks must be included in the ingredients list, which always starts with the ingredient that there’s the most of. This means that if you see sugar near the top of the list, the food is likely to be high in free sugars.

Watch out for other words used to describe the sugars added to food and drinks, such as cane sugar, honey, brown sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrate/purées, corn syrup, fructose, sucrose, glucose, crystalline sucrose, nectars (such as blossom), maple and agave syrups, dextrose, maltose, molasses and treacle.

No added sugar or unsweetened

• “No added sugar” or “unsweetened” refer to sugar or sweeteners that are added as ingredients. They do not mean that the food contains no sugar.

The ingredients lists on food products with “no added sugar” and “unsweetened” labels will tell you what ingredients have been used, including what types of sweetener and sugar. You can often find information about how much sugar there is in the food in the nutrition label.

No added sugar

• This usually means that the food has not had sugar added to it as an ingredient.

A food that has “no added sugar” might still taste sweet and can still contain sugar.

• Sugars occur naturally in food such as fruit and milk. But you don’t need to cut down on these types of sugar: it is food containing added sugars that youe should be cutting down on.

Just because a food contains “no added sugar”, this does not necessarily mean it has a low sugar content. The food may contain ingredients that have a naturally high sugar content (such as fruit), or have added milk, which contains lactose, a type of sugar that occurs naturally in milk.

Unsweetened

This usually means that no sugar or sweetener has been added to the food to make it taste sweet. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the food will not contain naturally occurring sugars found in fruit or milk.

Sugar by Any Other Name

You don’t always see the word “sugar” on a food label. It sometimes goes by another name, like these:

• White sugar
• Brown sugar
• Raw sugar
• Agave nectar
• Brown rice syrup
• Corn syrup
• Corn syrup solids
• Coconut sugar
• Coconut palm sugar
• High-fructose corn syrup
• Invert sugar
• Dextrose
• Anhydrous dextrose
• Crystal dextrose
• Dextrin
• Evaporated cane juice
• Fructose sweetener
• Liquid fructose
• Glucose
• Lactose
• Honey
• Malt syrup
• Maple syrup
• Molasses
• Pancake syrup
• Sucrose
• Trehalose
• Turbinado sugar
• Isoglucose
• Levulose

Watch out for items that list any form of sugar in the first few ingredients, or have more than 4 total grams of sugar.

Best carbs to eat for weight loss

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) ³⁹, which looks at food consumption in the US, shows that most of us should also be eating more fiber and starchy foods and fewer sweets, chocolates, biscuits, pastries, cakes and soft drinks with added sugar. These are usually high in sugar and calories, which can increase the risk of tooth decay and contribute to weight gain if you eat them too often, while providing few other nutrients.

It’s important to choose carbohydrates wisely. Your best carbohydrate-containing foods are nutrient-packed foods in several of the basic food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, and milk and milk products. Choosing these foods within your calorie requirements daily may help your heart stay healthy and reduce your risk for chronic disease.

Fruit, vegetables, pulses and starchy foods (especially wholegrain varieties) provide a wider range of nutrients (such as vitamins and minerals) which can benefit our health. The fiber in these foods can help to keep your bowels healthy and adds bulk to your meal, helping you to feel full.

Cutting out a whole food group (such as starchy foods) as some diets recommend could put your health at risk because as well as cutting out the body’s main source of energy you’d be cutting back essential nutrients like B vitamins, zinc and iron from your diet.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Choose fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, and whole grains often.
• Focus on fruits: Eat a variety of fruits. Make most of your fruit choices fresh, frozen, canned, or dried, rather than fruit juice.
• Vary your veggies:
  • Eat more dark green veggies, such as broccoli, kale, and other dark leafy greens. And try more orange veggies, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and winter squash.
  • Legumes—such as dry beans and peas—are especially rich in dietary fiber and should be consumed several times per week.
• Make at least half your grains whole grains: Eat at least 3 ounces daily of whole grains. Examples of whole grains are whole-grain cereals, breads, crackers, and pasta. Other examples are brown and wild rice. One slice (1 ounce) of whole-grain bread, 1/2 cup brown rice, and 1/2 cup of oatmeal is equivalent to 3 ounces of whole grains. If you eat a 2,000-calorie diet, you will need approximately each day: 2 to 2 1/2 cups of fruit, 2 to 2 1/2 cups of vegetables, and 6 to 8 ounces of grains (at least 4 ounces should be whole grains). In addition, you should eat nuts, seeds, and legumes 4 to 5 times per week.

Many packaged foods have fiber information on the front of the package.

• For example, the package might say “excellent source of fiber,” “rich in fiber,” or “high in fiber.” The Nutrition Facts label will list the amount of dietary fiber in a serving and the % Daily Value (% DV). Look at the % DV column: 5% DV or less is low in dietary fiber, and 20% DV or more is high.

Check the product name and ingredient list.

• For many, but not all “whole-grain” food products, the words “whole” or “whole grain” may appear before the name (e.g., whole-wheat bread). But, because whole-grain foods cannot necessarily be identified by their color or name (brown bread, 9-grain bread, hearty grains bread, mixed grain bread, etc. are not always “whole-grain”), you need to look at the ingredient list. The whole grain should be the first ingredient listed.

The following are some examples of whole grains:

• whole wheat
• brown rice
• quinoa
• buckwheat whole
• oats/oatmeal
• whole rye
• bulgur (cracked wheat)
• sorghum
• whole grain
• barley
• popcorn
• millet
• wild rice
• triticale

What is the healthiest cereal

Try looking at the nutrition label and compare brands so you opt for the healthier version.

For a healthier option, choose breakfast cereals that contain wholegrains and are lower in sugar, fat and salt.

Examples include:

• Wholewheat cereal biscuits
• Shredded wholegrain pillows
• Oats
• Barley

Wholegrains contain fiber and B vitamins, among other nutrients. Fiber helps keep our digestive systems healthy.

Research suggests a diet high in fiber may help reduce the risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

• Avoid always going for the same brand, as manufacturers regularly modify their recipes.

Oats, barley, or psyllium-based cereals can help lower cholesterol concentrations (excellent evidence and can be trusted to guide practice), and high-fiber, wheat-based cereals can improve bowel function ⁶.

Mueslis, which usually contain wholegrains and fruit, are often seen as a healthier option, but check the label first – many can be relatively high in fat, added sugar and, in some cases, salt.

Serving cereal with milk or yogurt

Having breakfast cereal is a good opportunity to add calcium to the diet if you serve it with milk or yogurt. Go for semi-skimmed, 1% or skimmed milk, or lower-fat yogurt.

Milk and yogurt are good sources of calcium and protein. Alternatives to cow’s milk include fortified soya, rice and oat drinks.

Adding fruit to cereal

Having cereal is also a good opportunity to get some fruit in the diet. Raisins, dried apricots, bananas and strawberries are popular choices and can be added to any cereal, depending on your tastes.

Adding fruit to cereals is a great way to get kids to eat more fruit. It also helps them enjoy less sugary cereals, as you get sweetness from the fruit.

I don’t have time to sit down for breakfast

It’s a sign of the times that people are increasingly abandoning breakfast cereals, one of the earliest convenience foods, for more convenient “on-the-go” options, such as a breakfast muffin and a latte.

If you’re short on time in the morning, how about setting the table the night before ? You could also grab a pot of porridge on your way to work or have your cereal when you get in.

Cereals are still one of the best value breakfasts out there. A bowl of fortified breakfast cereal with milk gives you more nutrients for your penny when compared with most on-the-go breakfast options.

You could try:

• Muesli, fresh fruit and low-fat yogurt – fruit added to your muesli counts towards your daily requirements. Low-fat yogurt provides calcium and protein, and is low in fat, but watch out for the sugar content. Go for muesli with no added sugar.
• Porridge with mashed banana and dried blueberries – put oats and a handful of dried blueberries in a bowl and add semi-skimmed milk. Heat in the microwave for 3-4 minutes, stirring every so often. When cooked, stir in the mashed banana. The mashed banana is a healthier substitute for sugar or honey. For best results, use a very ripe banana.
• Overnight oats – combine oats and apple juice and let it sit overnight in the fridge. In the morning, add low-fat yogurt, honey to taste, and fresh fruit such as berries.
• Quick porridge – making porridge is easier than you think: combine 50g of rolled or instant oats with 200ml (or more for runny porridge) of semi-skimmed milk in a bowl and microwave on full power for two minutes. Top with dried fruit or nuts.
• Baked beans (low sugar & low salt variety) on wholemeal toast – not only are they naturally low in fat, baked beans are also packed with fibre and protein, making them a vegetarian source of protein. Look out for reduced salt and sugar ranges.
• Banana bagel sandwich – mash a ripe banana and serve it between two halves of a toasted (preferably wholemeal) bagel. Mashing instead of slicing the banana gives the filling a creamier texture, meaning you won’t need low-fat spread.
• One-minute omelette – combine one beaten egg, a few spinach leaves and some chopped lean roast ham in a bowl. Microwave on full power for a minute or until the egg is set.
• Baked eggs – put an egg (with yolk unbroken) and some crème fraîche in a ramekin. Put the ramekin in a baking dish and fill with hot tap water so it comes 3/4 of the way to the top of the ramekin. Bake for 15 minutes or until the egg yolk is set to your liking.

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