The
most important meal of the day is likely to be packed full of simple
carbohydrates, salt, little fibre and artificially restored nutrients to a
stripped grain. The typical breakfast cereal of corn, wheat, honey, dried
fruit, added sugar and salt provides the ideal foundation for weight gain,
sugar diabetes, Candida albicans, sweet cravings, tooth decay and many other
degenerative diseases. In short, the typical boxed cereal that you will find in
the British supermarket is bad for you.
Read
about my shocking findings on breakfast cereals after garnering information
from the back of cereal boxes in my local Asda Superstore. Their slogan ‘Chosen
by You’ would seem to be an absolution of any responsibility on their part.
These unhealthy boxed cereals were certainly not chosen by me. However, the
majority of these bright coloured boxes emblazoned with Disney characters and
superheroes would appear to be aimed at kids too young to understand the
contents can cause tooth decay and weight gain.
I have taken the carbohydrate percentage of each cereal and then deducted the fiber figure (fiber is also a carbohydrate, but cannot be digested by the body). The figure left is digestible carbohydrate, the sort that will be converted into glucose by the body.
I have taken the carbohydrate percentage of each cereal and then deducted the fiber figure (fiber is also a carbohydrate, but cannot be digested by the body). The figure left is digestible carbohydrate, the sort that will be converted into glucose by the body.
High
Sugar Content in Breakfast Cereals
Don’t
be fooled by the labels ‘no fat, no added sugar’ or ‘fortified with vitamins
and minerals.’ Such health claims becomes meaningless when looking at the back
of the box to establish the amount of carbohydrate packed inside.
The
carbohydrate level of your average boxed cereal per 100g will give you an idea
of how much glucose your body is being fed by the contents within. You see,
glucose is the end result of energy, whether it comes from sugar, honey, dried fruit
or the grain itself. And it is likely to be of the simple sort, the sort that
is easily and quickly converted into glucose.
To
your body, such carbs might as well be sugar.
 |
| Net Carbohydrate of Cereals |
The
amount of glucose your body is being provided by the cereal is likely to be
between 70 and 85 percent. Imagine, 70 to 85 percent of the cereal comprising
of sugar. The source of carbohydrate might be from the grain, fruit, honey or
nougat. To your body, it will make no difference. It will be converted into
glucose in your blood. Just the same as though it were sugar.
How
Sugar Makes you Fat
No
fat in the cereal? Well, the surplus glucose in your body will be converted
into fat anyway. In short, sugar will make you fat, even if there is no fat in
the cereal whatsoever.
Even
the supposed ‘healthy’ cereals of wheatabix, allbran and Special K have sugar.
The combination of sugar, the harsh and glutinous kernels of wheat and milk
protein over years have been found to contribute to IBS as well as food
allergies and candida albicans, an overgrowth of yeast in the gut.
Rice
crispies, Frosties and cornflakes contain no or little fibre and therefore
comprise of simple carbohydrates, the ideal recipe for a harsh blood sugar
spike mid morning followed by a slump in energy levels followed by sugar
cravings.
The
Most Unhealthy Breakfast Cereal
It
seems a crime to add even more unhealthy ingredients to the already denatured cereal
grain. Chocolate, nougat, corn syrup, sugared dried fruit, grape nuts, roasted
oats, roasted nuts and caramel. The brightly-coloured boxes festooned with loud
cartoon characters, Disney endorsements and action heroes aimed at young,
impressionable children would seem a marketing ploy of the lowest order.
Worse,
the marketers sell the image of sunshine, energy and feeling good with the
emblazonment, ‘fortified with vitamins, iron and calcium.’ Sadly, these
nutrients have been artificially added after being stripped away in the first
place. This is no comparison to the nutrients originally found in the grain.
The
Rise of the Breakfast Cereal
A
hundred years ago, the staple British breakfast comprised of simple grains in
the form of porridge or homemade rye bread. Now the grain has been processed,
stripped, moulded, flavoured, sugared and repackaged.
Shockingly,
Special K is one of the worst offenders in my research, having around 75% net carbs
within. Puffed wheat, rice crispies, shreddies, cornflakes, Frosties, Granola,
Cheerios, Golden Grahams and cereal bars are packed with carbohydrates and
added sugar. None of them will contribute to a healthy heart or a giver of
energy. In fact, the opposite is true.
High
Sugar Content in Breakfast Cereals
Consider
tooth decay, weight gain, diabetes and associated degenerative diseases. No
added sugar? The net carbohydrate percentage tells the true story of how bad
these cereals really are for you. Few foods contain such a high level of
carbohydrate as the British boxed cereal.
The
best of the bunch remains the good old porridge oat or pure untampered wheat
grain. Not the instant type, but the whole grain that is cooked in a saucepan
with a little milk. Alternatives can be found in Quinoa, Buckwheat, whole grain
or rye bread or a high protein breakfast.
