BETTER CHOICES IN THE CEREAL AISLE

On your next trip to the grocery store, grab a box of cereal that you like. The box will attract you either because it looks healthy or you think it tastes good. That’s fine, but you should completely ignore the front of the box and go to the nutrition label. Look for a couple of things: first, let’s talk about serving size. Basically, a serving size for cereal is going to be about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup.

Second, go straight down to the ingredient list. Your ingredient list should say whole or some kind of bran.

Third, on the nutrition label subtract the total grams of fiber from the total carbohydrates. The goal is to have one serving be close to 15 grams of total carbohydrate. Also, you're looking for a cereal that has at least, 6 grams of fiber in a serving. Some of the highest fiber cereals are: Shredded wheat, Fiber One, All Bran, Kashi Go-Lean and Grape-Nuts. If you absolutely hate the taste of these high fiber cereals, mix them half-and-half with something you like. That way, you still get more fiber.

The exception to this rule is a cereal with oat bran, like Cheerios. The total grams of fiber will be below 6, but it is the type of fiber that is heart-healthy.

Also, if your cereal choice is over 6 grams of sugar, it's not your best choice.

Now look at the total fat content. Choose a cereal that has 30 % calories from fat or less.

Does this mean you can never have your favorite kind of cereal? No. Most of the time, choose a cereal that meets these guidelines.

Now what do you do if you like a higher sugar cereal like a Raisin Bran type? It would be best to make it yourself by mixing bran flakes with a small box of raisins. You don’t have to eat cereal with milk only. Some people don’t like it that way. Another way to get in the high fiber cereal is to make it into a trail mix. For example, take _ cup of a high fiber cereal and mix it with a tablespoon of chopped almonds and a couple of tablespoons of raisins.

Let’s talk about hot cereal. Most people with high cholesterol usually start to eat oatmeal. Oatmeal has been shown to lower cholesterol, because of the type of fiber in it. You can have oatmeal, but it is recommended that you buy the kind that you flavor yourself. Not the kind that comes pre-flavored. For example, you could add a cut up apple, some cinnamon, use your artificial sweetener, and it’s just like getting the pre-flavored cinnamon apple kind. For people that have diabetes, this homemade version won’t raise your blood sugar as much as the store bought pre-flavored brand.

If you have high cholesterol or high triglycerides, an even better choice would be something called hot oat bran cereal. You can usually find it where they sell the cream of wheat and the oatmeal. It’s like taking the best stuff off the oatmeal flakes and putting it in a box. It has the consistency of cream of wheat and tastes kind of like oatmeal.
Flavor it yourself and you will lower your cholesterol more than with plain oatmeal.

If you do not like hot cereal or don’t eat hot cereal during the summer because it’s hot outside, take a tablespoon of dry hot oat bran cereal and sprinkle it on other things. Stir it into your casserole, onto your salad or in your applesauce. It’s another way to make a difference.

People with diabetes often ask: When you flavor oatmeal can you flavor it with something like honey? Honey is a carbohydrate, so it can raise your blood sugar. Whenever possible, use your artificial sweetener to flavor foods, because it won’t raise your blood sugar.