What every dieter should know about breakfast foods

You have to give it to vendors who are trying to sell health conscious “healthy” food. A while ago, we were seduced by the “low fat” advertising. Today, they take what we think of as traditional diet foods and make them tastier and less healthy. However, the proof is in the pudding and with that said, we can look at food labels to see the real deal.

cereals– Everyone agrees that breakfast is perhaps the most important meal of the day. Most of us can assume that chocolate cereals and sugary cereals are bad. And we’ve come to believe that eating almost any grain is better than no grain at all. However, most cereals are nothing more than a glorified version of a dessert, since most are loaded with sugars and have virtually no fiber.

So what should you look for when choosing a cereal?

• The higher the fiber, the better the cereal.– The reason is that fiber actually slows down digestion and makes you feel more satisfied throughout the day. A high-fiber cereal will also help keep your blood sugar level even. And the less your blood sugar spikes, the less likely you’ll pick that Krispy Kreme donut by the water cooler mid-morning. Check the back of your favorite cereal and make sure it has no less than 4 grams of fiber.
• Choose a cereal with less sugar– Now here comes the doozy. Almost all cereals have too much sugar. If you can find a cereal you can live with that has less than 6 grams of sugar, then you’ve found a winner.

best bet- If you have time, I suggest trying oats, as even instant will offer 4 grams of fiber and most will have less than 6 grams of sugar per day.

Best bet-Personally, I actually combine protein with my oats. In other words, try something like a serving of oatmeal with an egg and a banana. While in terms of calories this may seem higher than eating oatmeal itself, it’s actually not as much as you’d think. One serving of oatmeal has approximately 120 calories. Adding the protein (egg) will actually make you feel fuller because, like fiber, protein digests slowly and makes you feel fuller. And that will help keep those mid-morning cravings at bay.