Cereal is synonymous with breakfast in most homes for a reason. There is no other option as convenient, and for most people, as affordable. You only need to be careful to avoid taking in too many calories. The cereal market has been infiltrated with high-calorie sugary options posing as healthy alternatives. You, therefore, need to be vigilant about the choices you make. High protein cereal is now in the market and serves as the perfect solution to your breakfast and even daytime snacking needs.
Not Just Convenience
Cereal has always been sought as a great source of protein, fibre, as well as vitamins and minerals from the fortified types. Such benefits are best enjoyed from options containing plenty of fibre and proteins and as little of the added sugars and preservatives as possible. It is even better if you can get one with fats from nuts and seeds.
Below are a couple of simple guidelines to help you pick a good cereal for your breakfast and snacking needs:
- Go for cereal made from whole grains. Check the ingredients list to confirm this.
- Check the amount of added sugar. Aim for ones with a total that is less than 10 grams.
- Each serving should ideally contain not less than 3 grams of fibre.
- The serving should also contain no less than 3 grams of protein.
- Be wary of additives in the cereal. Words like corn syrup, dextrose, crystals, syrups, and concentrates should worry you.
Healthier Choices
Apart from delivering the essential nutrients to start your day, high protein cereals also encourage you to make healthier dietary selections throughout the day. Consuming a good amount of proteins early in the morning has been linked to the consumption of healthier foods throughout the day. Think of a day when you ate something sugary in the morning, like a chocolate bar. How were you feeling mid-morning? What else did you eat that day? You most likely started off highly energized, but you were soon crashing. You felt fatigued and needed a booster in the form of another sugary food choice. It must have been downhill from then on.
Let’s Talk Benefits
You owe your health and wellbeing the decision to go for a healthier breakfast. While cooking such a meal would be ideal, most of us lack the time and patience to go through that process. The convenience of breakfast cereal thus wins. Only we can make sure it is the right kind of win.
Watch Your Weight
When you eat a breakfast cereal packed with protein, you feel fuller for longer. You get all the nutritional elements you require, and you avoid snacking too much in the day or eating too much during lunch. Covering all the key nutrients in that first meal of the day also ensures you are not at a loss in case you get too busy during the day. All these factors lead to better overall body weight management. Whole grains, which are naturally low in saturated fat with more polyunsaturated fats, are ideal for weight management. The tendency to also add healthier ingredients such as slices of fruit in the cereal further leads to better weight management.
Keep Heart Disease at Bay
If you have high blood cholesterol levels, you are at risk of developing heart disease. The high fibre content of the best breakfast cereal helps minimize cholesterol levels in your bloodstream, thus ensuring you do not suffer heart disease. While high protein cereal is effective in this manner, it should not be taken as a cure for heart disease. You need to aim to eat it while you are still healthy, to improve your chances where heart disease is concerned. Prevention remains the better option, and what better way to keep your body fit and healthy than to make the right food choices.
Good for Your Bowel
The high fibre content in whole grains is essential in the movement of food through your digestive tract. You end up with softer stool in the right size and more frequent bowel movements. The cereal makes for the best environment for good bacteria in the bowel while minimizing the bad bacteria. It also discourages the piling up of carcinogenic compounds. As you get older, your bowel movements and overall gut capabilities diminish. You, therefore, need to start eating this healthy breakfast now and keep doing so to improve your bowel health and functioning.
Keep Your Sugar Levels Consistent
You have seen what a sugary breakfast does to your body. A whole grain high protein cereal does not have excess sugars in it, which is ideal for your body. Feeling fuller for longer also eliminates the danger of you taking too much sugar from another type of food. This is why such cereals are recommended for those with diabetes. Over time, such a cereal even helps them with their insulin sensitivity issues.
Takeaway
An excellent high protein cereal is the best choice you can make for your breakfast needs, from virtually all points of concern. Its convenience and ease of use only add to an already excellent food choice.