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Break your fast with cereals

Know all about cereals that make wholesome breakfast

HEALTHFOOD Morning breakfast is a must

"Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar," is an adage that can be identified with the current waistline conscious generation.

The ideal Kerala breakfast generally comprises of Idli, dosa, puttu, and parattas etc. But the British legacy has given us a western breakfast culture too. Now most families reach out for Kelloggs and Nestle breakfast cereals on the shelves of the supermarkets. But are cereals as ideal a breakfast as they promise to be?

Regardless of the salt content breakfast cereals give you a good nutritional launch for the day. It is a fact that those who depend on cereals for breakfast on a regular basis have slightly more nutritious diet over all.

As most of the cereals are fortified with vitamins and minerals they do not require additional dose of that and adding milk to it completes the dietary nourishment. This is ideal for the figure conscious who wish to eat and remain healthy.

Young teenager requires a good amount of iron and calcium and cereals provide that in correct measure. Cereals provide 20 per cent of our micronutrients intake and about the same proportion of our iron needs. They are ideal with a glass of fruit juice, as vitamin C aids iron absorption. Tannins in tea, by contrast, inhibit it.

High fibre

High fibre cereals of this nature are likely to keep you fuller all through the day and you are less likely to rely on snacks. However, younger children should not be given a high fibre or bran cereals as this makes them feel full and prevents them from getting the required nutrition through the day. Diets rich in whole gram foods may assist to trim down the menace of heart disease, stroke, type-2 diabetes and certain cancers .

There is also a threat of the presence of sugar in cereals. But the risk of dental decay is reduced by the presence of milk, which prevents de-mineralisation. But sugar in cereals is on a safer side compared to the sugar in fizzy drinks that actually causes tooth decay. Cereals with high sugar levels generally have no more calories than those with lower levels, which tend to contain more starch and are unlikely to contribute greatly to obesity. But sweet cereals are at par with sweet nutritious confectioneries.

Little fat

With exception to crunchy oats all the others contain little fat. Crunchy oats are baked in oil to give that crispy texture. Overall breakfast cereals account for 5 per cent of the total intake in our diet. No meal should have more than a quarter of the recommended daily maximum of 6 gms. All-bran provides 17 per cent and has about the same amount of salt as a slice of bread.

Browsing your way through the shelves of the supermarket what you may be aiming is for the low fat, low sugar, low salt and highest fibre etc, on the cereal packet's label.

But any cereal is good especially for the younger ones. Studies have reported that eating a wholesome breakfast improves the behavioural pattern and the performance at the school. But make sure that the children are aware of its worthiness.

JESSINA ABOOBACKER, ARPARNA KETAN

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