Introduction
Choice of the best cereal for breakfast is quite tricky and requires some important comparisons of the essential ingredients. Healthy eating should be the first thought whenever one is having meals. For instance, most people prefer cereals for breakfast (Grosvenor and Smolin, 2010). The contents of these cereals should abide by the FDA requirements and much more than the doctor’s requirement. Looking at the two choices given I would go for the blue label.
Good cereals should contain no saturated and Trans fats components. In addition, the cereal should contain little sugar content and the type of grain should be whole grain instead of refined grain. The refined grain has lost a lot of ingredients hence not healthy at all (Hurrel, 1999). Whole wheat grain and wheat bran that contains other parts of wheat are not bad choices for healthy cereals. However, it is important to check the fiber content of the wheat components.
Wheat Bran and fiber
This is a part of the wheat that is highly fibrous. It is the part of wheat that is tough and composes the outer shell. In addition, wheat bran contains antioxidants, lots of fiber, vitamin E and B, minerals, and starch (Grosvenor and Smolin, 2010). These components are essential for the body’s health rather than having wheat that is not nutritious. Fiber is a very good component of every food that is being consumed. One would rather have it higher compared to any other ingredient.
The green label is a preferable choice because it has more fiber content and less sugar content. If a healthy choice is to be made then the green label gives a better choice (Wardlaw and Smith, 2009). The blue label cereal ingredients include high sugar in a ¾ full cup compared to the relatively low sugar in a full cup of the green label. Lots of sugar can result in diseases such as weight gain that results in obesity and diabetes too. These diseases make someone’s health susceptible to too many complications. The high fiber content and low sugar content just give a perfect health product.
However, very high fiber content is not healthy. It is important to complement the high fiber with lots of fluid. Taking high fiber food content and less fluid results in constipation that may lead to the obstruction of the intestines. Consequently, the condition might lead to surgery hence high fiber is not good. On the other hand, minerals are very good but the quantity should be balanced as per the Food and Drug and Administration (FDA) requirements. Both labels contain essential requirements but, the green label has got relatively high amounts of minerals such as phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, and potassium (Hurrel, 1999). These minerals are very essential in body function as shown below.
Figure 1. Showing minerals and their function.
Another reason that makes green label cereal to be a good choice is that it lacks hydrogenated fats. This means that there are saturated fats. These processed fats are not healthy for the health of every individual whether young or old. Saturated fats do lead to heart disease after they have accumulated for a long time in the blood.
Therefore, the cereal with a green label gives better nutritional options that are healthier and good. The cereal can be recommended to anyone whether young or old. It is very important to check on labels when purchasing cereals for breakfast. No one wants to be sick hence having the nutritional discipline and being conscious about one’s health can help prevent a lot of visitation to the doctor and other risks too.
Reference List
Grosvenor, M. B., & Smolin, L. A. (2010). Good nutrition: Choice for Everyday. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Hurrel, R. (1999). Mineral Fortification of Foods. London: Leatherhead Intn. Ltd.
Wardlaw, G. M., & Smith, A. M. (2009). Nutrition: Contemporary Nutrition (8th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.