There are plenty of breakfast options these days in the market. From muesli to flakes and granola to breakfast bars. Make sure you fuel your body with a healthy start and choose a wholesome and nutritious breakfast cereal for yourself and for your family. Many recipes can be made at home too, you can almost find all the ingredients you need at a health food store. Nutritionists recommend that you should not skip this meal as it helps keep you feeling energised and perform better during the day.
Grains have existed for thousands of years. Millets, sorghum, oats, whole grain and many others have been part of our diets for a very long time. However these days we have the research to back up the benefits of the grains that we find in our cereals for breakfast these days.
One of the most popular grains that nutritionists recommend is the whole grain. Really this should be should be a part of all meals, filling about a third of your plate. Whole grains come in two forms, these are refined or unrefined. Whole grains are unrefined and whole, while the refined grains have been stripped of their outer bran coating and inner germ. A healthy breakfast cereal should contain whole grain.
There are many benefits of the whole grain. One benefit of whole grain is that it is full of fiber and unrefined whole grain forms provide far more nutrients than the refined grains. Another great fact is that they are also rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants, which help to protect against heart disease.
Our main source of whole grain is from whole meal bread or whole grain breakfast cereals such as porridge, muesli or whole wheat cereals. It would be advisable to choose cereals for breakfast that contain whole grain. Not only does it help you start the day well, it also contains essential vitamins and nutrients including iron and the B vitamins.
Another grain that is also most beneficial the heart is oats. Oats are known to help to maintain and reduce cholesterol levels. For cholesterol nutritionists also recommend cereals that are fortified with the vitamin Niacin, which is a B-complex vitamin. This vitamin helps increase good cholesterol levels while lowering bad cholesterol levels. This is found in many whole grain cereals naturally as well but can be fortified in cereals.
Oats play a big role for healthy heart function cereals. Oats are most helpful for the heart function, as well as for reducing cholesterol and for maintaining sugar levels. Oats has seen an increase in its popularity over the recent years. Granola is made from rolled oats, among many other ingredients, and is very nutritious as well. Although it can be high in sugar so make sure you opt for a healthy version of granola made with honey or natural sweeteners.
These days with the busy lifestyles we lead and the long work hours, many of us need a quick health fix. This is where the healthy muesli and granola bars are much in demand. Easy to carry with you and easy to eat wherever you are, they are wonderful and healthy snacks too and perfect for people on the go. You can get many options, fruit mixes and healthy choices these days. Breakfast cereal bars are now much healthier than they used to be as consumers are aware of many manufacturers using too much sugar and salt. Read the label carefully and know what you are eating. You could also attempt to make your very own muesli or granola bar at home too./ There are many recipes available on the internet.
The cereal market is now moving towards more functional foods for health. There are new cereals available from slimming, energy to digestion. Many cereals these days are fortified with all the essential vitamins and nutrients that your body needs.
