Intestinal woes and heart disease should be enough to persuade you to choose a high-fiber cereal for breakfast -- but there's more. Harvard researchers report that whole grains are associated with a 38 percent lower risk of diabetes and a 31 percent reduction in strokes. And the Health Professionals Follow-up Study found that men who ate whole grain cereals regularly enjoyed a 17 percent lower death rate than those who ate them infrequently.
You don't have to munch on bran fiber from dawn to dusk; men benefited from 29 grams a day, women from just 23 grams. Take a look at the table below to see how various cereals stack up. Even better, read the fine print on your cereal's nutrition label before you open the paper at breakfast tomorrow.
Fiber and flavor are the main criteria for a cereal, but other factors may influence your choice. An ideal cereal should have almost no fat; that rules out many "healthy" granola-based brands. Sugar adds calories at the expense of health; pick a cereal with less than 10 grams of sugar per serving. A high potassium content is a plus, but sodium and iron are not. Whole grain cereals also provide selenium, the mineral that's been linked to a reduced risk of prostate cancer. As for vitamins, FDA mandates ensure that all cereals are fortified with folic acid. It's a good thing, since research has already demonstrated that folate-rich cereals substantially reduce blood levels of homocysteine, the amino acid that has been linked to heart attacks, strokes and even dementia. Other added vitamins may be a slight advantage, but if you take a daily multivitamin diligently, you don't have to depend on your cereal.
It may take a while to get used to a truly high-fiber breakfast cereal. You may find the transition easier if you start out with 2 percent milk, then gradually switch to 1 percent or nonfat milk; all will provide some of the calcium and vitamin D you need. Bananas, berries or even apple slices can go a long way toward turning your cereal into a treat -- and fruit will add valuable vitamins and minerals.
Cereal now also comes in bars. They can be useful as snacks or for people who simply can't sit down for breakfast. All Bran bars, for example, provide 5 grams of fiber -- quite good for a snack, but only half as good as All Bran cereal and with nearly twice as many calories.
Comparing Some Cereals
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