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Amanda:
Oatmeal is considered the perfect food by many nutritional experts because it is a good stable carbohydrate that provides long lasting energy.

However there are many people like you that just can’t hack the bland taste. Therefore most cereal manufactures now offer healthy choice products for those of us that are trying to watch our diet. Unfortunately good taste is often more important than high quality. This makes choosing a good cereal difficult because many companies advertise their products as healthy alternatives when they contain unhealthy ingredients such as white flour, sugar and sodium.  Therefore it’s important to follow a few simple rules when making your choice.

The first rule is to choose a cereal that is made with whole grains. Whole grain means that the product is made up of all parts of the grain: the bran-outer shell, the endosperm – middle of the grain and the germ or seed of the plant. Eating whole grains insures that you get all the nutritional benefits that grains offer.

Many manufacturers disguise the ingredients of there product by advertising it as being made with whole grains and then add refined grains such as white flour to make it taste better. Buyers beware! Just because a product includes grain does not mean it’s the best choice. To test quality of a product look at the order of ingredients. The first and second items listed are always the primary ingredients. If the first ingredient doesn’t start with the words whole grain, oatmeal, whole wheat, graham flour, corn or cracked wheat there’s probably a better choice.

Rule number two is finding a cereal that is low in sugar. This is where a lot of people go wrong. They choose a product that is made of whole grain, low in fat and loaded with sugar. Guess what? As the body digests the meal, the excess sugar will eventually be converted to fat. Try choosing a product that has only a few grams of sugar per serving. Look out for other fancy words that are used to disguise sugar such as Fructose, sucrose and high maltose corn syrup.

Rule number three is look for a cereal that is low in sodium. Why ruin the healthy benefits of a good breakfast by eating a product containing large amounts of salt that can elevate blood pressure. High amounts of sodium can also cause you to retain water and make you feel bloated and soft. Instead choose a cereal that has less than 250 mg of sodium per serving.

The fourth and final rule is choosing cereals that are high in fiber. High fiber foods help control you appetite by making you feel full and satisfied. They also contain lots of nutrients that help reduce cholesterol and promote stable insulin levels. A stable insulin level gives you energy and keeps your body burning fat. Several studies conducted by the American Dietetics association have stated that eating fibrous carbohydrates help keep children from becoming obese.

Try using these rules when choosing a good cereal. Stick with products with basis ingredients. Steer clear of those with additives and chemicals.