Benefits of Cereal

Incorporation of breakfast cereals as part of a balanced breakfast provides a great opportunity to include important benefits of grains in the diet. Cereal provides complex carbohydrates including dietary fibre and proteins. They are typically low in fat, nutrient dense and in most cases fortified with many essential vitamins and minerals. They are not only convenient but also provide the much needed nourishment.

Why Cereal?

Breakfast cereals represent a nourishing breakfast choice which is widely accepted.

Regular breakfast cereal consumers¹ :

• Have higher daily milk intakes as they are most often consumed together
• Have better intakes of dietary fiber
• Have lower intake of fat and cholesterol
• Have enhanced micronutrients intakes in particular, B vitamins, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc
• Are more likely to meet their recommended nutrient needs

Ready-to-eat breakfast cereal eaters also tend to have healthier body weights and have reduced risk of developing lifestyle related disorders like CVD, type 2 diabetes, hypertensions etc.¹

Cereal is a morning rock start because it…

• Tastes great. Across the globe, ready-to-eat cereal is the most frequently eaten food at breakfast!
• Puts the “fast” in breakfast. Pour a bowl of cereal. Add fat-free milk and a handful of strawberries/chopped banana/dry fruits. Done.
• Can help meet your daily fibre quota. Pick a cereal that’s a source of fibre (at least 3 grams per 100 grams) or high fibre (at least 6 grams, per 100 grams).
• Is nutritious. Cereal is low in calories and nutritious and delivers valuable essential nutrients including B vitamins and iron.
• Is typically low fat, cholesterol free food which fits into healthy eating recommendations.
• It enhances general well-being. People who regularly eat cereal tend to be less stressed, less anxious and are less likely to be depressed.
• It helps incorporate milk into the diet. 95% of the ready-to-eat cereal in developed nations is eaten with milk, making breakfast cereal an important driver for milk intake and thereby a terrific gateway to calcium, vitamin D and protein.

What a cereal and milk breakfast can do for you!

1. Rebuild – Protein is a building block for the body and helps you rebuild.
2. Recharge – Grains have carbs that provide energy to help you recharge.
3. Refuel – A nutritious breakfast isn’t about proteins or grains when you add the two together you get a powerful combination that helps recharge your body.

Break out the breakfast bowl!

A serving cereal with fruit and milk makes a great balanced breakfast. But you can enjoy cereal in many other ways.

• Pack cereal in a re-sealable plastic bag for an on-the-go snack.
• Eat cereal and skim milk along with a fruit or dry fruits for dinner or a bedtime snack when you get home late.
• Cereal can be used as a topping for hot chocolate, cold coffee, ice-cream and desserts.
• Add cereals as a crunchy inclusion in bhel, salads, or make it into the good old chivda. Can also be used a topping for baked dishes or coating for baked cutlet, patties, chicken, fish.

Therefore, ready to eat breakfast cereals can be recommended as part of a healthy balanced diet and on active lifestyle.