Ready-to-eat cereals

The word cereal connotes different things to different people. A child or teenager thinks of a ready-to-eat breakfast cereal such as cornflakes as cereals; an older person, on the other hand, will think of porridge.

Cereals, also called grains, are types of grass whose fruit seeds are very nutritious and are relied on worldwide for energy in the diet. These grains in their unprocessed state are rich in carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamin and minerals. Processing removes the bran and germ from the grain, leaving the endocarp which is rich in carbohydrates. Popular cereals are wheat, corn, rice and oats.

All of these cereals are used to make ready-to-eat breakfast products which only require the addition of milk as they are precooked as part of the processing. These processed cereals can make quick breakfast options for adults and children.

Consider sugar content

Care should be exercised, however, when choosing a quick-cooking cereal; for example, consider the sugar content as many are high in sugar and low in fibre (roughage). Many companies are now using wholegrain cereals to make their products. These ready-to-eat cereals are usually enriched with vitamins and minerals to compensate for those lost during processing. However, they might be expensive and so the option of preparing porridge from scratch is always a good one.

Although these cereals contain protein naturally, adding milk or fortified soy will increase the protein content and other nutrients in the dish, making the breakfast more nutritious.

Oats is the most nutritious

Based on the nutrient profile of these popular cereals, oats is the most nutritious weight for weight and is easy to prepare. Oats more than doubles the protein, fat and calcium content when compared to these other cereals. Did you know that whole wheat flour makes a delicious and nutritious porridge; yes I had the porridge recently. Whole wheat flour outranks rice and cornmeal in nutrient quality, falling just a little behind oats.

We, traditionally, use some starchy fruits such as plantain and bananas to make porridge. These are tasty and, with the addition of milk or soy, will make a substantial meal, but are far less nutritious than cereal porridges. This is especially important to note if they are the main breakfast foods for children who are growing and developing.

Porridge makes an economical option, not only for the traditional breakfast, but for lunch and supper. A fruit or fruit drink can add missing water-soluble vitamins to the meal.

Rosalee M. Brown is a registered dietitian/nutritionist who operates Integrated Nutrition and Health Services; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.