Cereal the healthy way to start your day? Fat chance
A study has found a bowl of some cereals is similar to having five chocolate chip cookies for breakfast.
Many brands at the luxury end of the market were found to have high levels of sugar and saturated fat and low levels of fibre. In a number of cases, the cereals were nutritionally similar to eating chocolate sponge cake or biscuits. The Food Commission, which carried out the study, is worried consumers may be buying the cereals in the belief that they are a healthy way to start the day.
The British-based organisation is particularly concerned about products with high levels of saturated fat, linked to heart disease, and low fibre levels.
According to the study, the cereal with the highest level of saturated fat was Quaker’s Harvest Crunch with red berries with 6g in a 50g bowl, excluding milk. It also contains 13g of sugar, 9g of fat, and just 2g of fibre. In contrast, five of a supermarket’s own-brand chocolate chip cookies had the same amount of saturated fat and fibre, slightly more fat, but less sugar.
Marks & Spencer’s Decadence cereal was found to be high in saturated fat, with 5g per 50g bowl and Tesco’s Choc and Nut Crisp was one of a number containing just 2g of fibre per bowl, 2g fewer than a slice of Marks & Spencer carrot cake.
The Food Commission says the 10 cereals included in the study should be found alongside cakes and biscuits in shops. A Tesco spokesman said their Choc and Nut Crisp cereal should be seen as an “indulgent” product, not necessarily eaten every day.
“We offer customer choice and label cereals with nutritional information so they can make an informed choice.”
Senior nutritionist with the National Dairy Council of Ireland Dr Anne-Marie Tully said people should be aware that if their cereal of choice is sugar coated or contains chocolate, it probably has a higher fat content. Anyone concerned about having a healthy breakfast should opt for higher fibre cereals with fruit. Dr Tully pointed out that three out of four people here do not get enough fibre in their diet and a high fibre cereal can help address that, particularly if it contains fruit.
“Having a breakfast is very important for a balanced diet. Ordinary cereals with a little fruit and toast are a great way to start the day and you can consume one third of your calcium requirements for the day if you use milk. Most cereals are fortified with vitamins and minerals such as folic acid and Vitamin B which are very beneficial.”
