Is cereal a healthy breakfast option?

Breakfast is often called the most important meal of the day, as a good meal can set you up for a long time. So, whenever you chose to break your fast, having a balanced meal is your best bet. There are lots of breakfast options available, but what makes a great breakfast?

Is a bowl of cereal a balanced breakfast? 

A bowl of cereal may be your go-to breakfast but depending on what cereal you have; it might not be the best choice. A lot of breakfast cereals tend to be high in sugar and/or low in fibre, which is the opposite of what you’d want.

Having a sugary breakfast cereal will lead to a rapid rise in our blood sugar levels before a downwards crash as your body tries to counteract this. It does this by releasing insulin to bring your blood sugar back down. This can lead to you feeling hungry or tired soon after the meal. Fibre would help to slow down the blood sugar spike and lead to a gentler decline.

What cereals should you choose?

There are some more nutritious cereal options to pick as your everyday breakfast. If you want a higher fibre option, multigrain cheerios, or all bran can be a better choice. Some lower sugar cereals include cornflakes, special K, and rice krispies.

If you want the best of both worlds, bran flakes, Weetabix, shredded wheat, oats, and low sugar muesli/granola are all higher in fibre and low in sugar. These may seem bland, but you can always add flavours like fruit, nut butters, and spices (think cinnamon or ginger) to make it tastier.

Most cereals also contain added vitamins and minerals which is a good way for us to get these nutrients. So, picking a low sugar, high fibre option will also provide vitamins and minerals and set you up for the day.

Breakfast biscuits and bars aren’t always the best option either: 

Breakfast biscuits like Belvita have a great marketing team. I don’t know how they managed to convince us that eating biscuits for breakfast was a nutritious option. While they do contain added vitamins and minerals, a sugary biscuit wouldn’t be my first choice when I picture a balanced meal. 

The Belvita website describes the biscuits as ‘lightly sweetened’. A 4 biscuit serving of the Belvita Milk & Cereal biscuits has 9g of sugar. They really emphasise the wholegrain ingredients but not the fact that the biscuits would count for 1/3 of your free sugar intake for the day.

The Belvita packaging does suggest having the biscuits with yoghurt, fruit, and a hot drink but it’s not on the front of the pack. So, you may have thought the biscuits alone would be a sufficient meal. While breakfast biscuits or bars are a quick and easy option, it’s not the most balanced.

What makes a breakfast balanced? 

If you want to balance your breakfast, it’s a good idea to include some protein and fibre to keep you going.

Protein takes a long time to digest and so it stays in your gut for longer, which helps you feel full. Fibre stays in your gut for longer and slows down the speed at which your stomach empties. This also helps you feel full. 

There’s lots of breakfast options that provide protein, think eggs, milk, and yoghurt. There’s also lots of fibre containing options like wholemeal bread, porridge, or nut butters.

Protein and fibre will also help to keep your blood sugar levels stable after the meal. This will stop you from getting hungry soon after eating, as a drop in blood sugar triggers our appetite. As they take longer to digest, it will also slow down the digestion of any carbohydrates in the meal. And it’s carbohydrates that affect our blood sugars.

Another thing to include in your breakfast are some fruit and vegetables. These are a great source of fibre but also vitamins and minerals. Fruits are generally easier to include as you could have yoghurt and granola with berries or porridge with a banana. But if you have more time in the mornings, something like an omelette with tomatoes or mushrooms is a nice way to include some veg. 

Balanced breakfast ideas: 

A balanced breakfast should ideally have a source of protein, and fibre. Plus, some fruit or veg if you can. Here are some examples:

• Oats – peanut butter – flaxseed – berries
• Bran flakes – yoghurt – almonds – raisins
• Wholemeal toast – egg – avocado
• Toast – tofu scramble – baked beans
• Scrambled egg – cherry tomatoes – avocado
• Yoghurt – granola – flaxseed - apple
• Potato hash – eggs – beans
• Multigrain cheerios – milk – nuts/seeds - blueberries

These are just some examples of how to include all the food groups at breakfast. Your breakfast may look slightly different but that's okay!

Key points:

• Breakfast cereals tend to be high in sugar and low in fibre. Cereals like Weetabix, bran flakes and shredded wheat are more nutritious options.
• Breakfast bars like Belvita are high in sugar and aren’t a balanced meal on their own.
• A balanced breakfast should aim to contain protein and fibre, as well as fruit or veg.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post; I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Bye for now! 👋

References:

Fibre and gastric emptying: https://apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/APJCN/23/2/210.pdf

Protein takes longer to digest: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8878356/

Mixed meals slow rise in blood sugar: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30218140/

Appetite and hunger signals: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4796328/#CR6

https://www.belvitabreakfast.com/

https://www.statista.com/statistics/301915/leading-breakfast-cereal-brands-in-the-uk/