Nutrition
Breaking Down the Bowl: Choosing a Healthy Cereal BY TRACY WRIGHT
When it comes to busy mornings, nothing is quicker and easier than having a bowl of cereal. A stroll down the cereal aisle suggests that there are many healthy cereal options. Unfortunately, labels are highly misleading—breakfast cereals can be highly processed and often packed with added sugar and refined carbohydrates. Let’s break down the “bowl!”
WATCH OUT! Some of the most popular breakfast cereals out there today—many times marketed to children or as “healthy”— contain unhealthy or potentially toxic ingredients. Nutrition experts from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center advise that the cereal you choose should be made from a short list of easily recognizable ingredients. Added sugar is probably the most common harmful ingredient found in many cereals. Potentially labeled as sugar, high fructose corn syrup, corn sugar and evaporated cane juice, added sugars have been linked to chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes and obesity. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found an association between a high-sugar diet and a greater risk of dying from heart disease. Other hidden dangerous ingredients include hydrogenated oils, which contain saturated and trans fats, as well as artificial colors and flavors. Testing performed by the independent Environmental Working Group found that many popular cereals contain traces of glyphosate, an herbicide that is the main ingredient in the weed killer Roundup.
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WELLNESS360 | MARCH/APRIL 2020