Eat Up: Cereal Has Its Advantages

In an environment where eating hot foods in the scorching summertime is considered more healthy than consuming soothing cold meals, you might have trouble convincing your ayi to perform the following:

Grab a bowl and fill it to the brim with sweet, crunchy flakes, colorful fruity shapes, rich chocolately pebbles or any of the other cereal varieties available at your local supermarket. Add some cold milk, grab a spoon and violà, breakfast is served.

With recent research, you can safely explain to your protesting ayi—who might also be concerned with the high sugar content in this day-starter—that this classic Western fare has significant health benefits.

The study compared those who skipped breakfast to those who had a bowl of cereal in the morning. Cereal eaters gained a significant amount of their daily vitamins and nutrients, whole grains, protein and fiber, whereas those who refrained received their energy from “added sugars” and had higher BMI (body mass index) levels, according to an article in the China Daily.

Cereal, the article explained, provides a quick and easy way for children to eat a quality breakfast, or they could face long-term health risks if they wait for a midday meal.

Still not convinced? If the high amount of sugar in many cereals remains an issue, opt for cereals lower in sugar. Most brands won’t contain more than the recommended daily amount, so don’t fret if the marshmallows and peanut butter puffs are the only munchies that encourage your child to eat breakfast. Just be sure to keep sugar intake low during lunch, dinner and snack time.

Read the full article here.

Photo by TheBusyBrain of Flickr.