How Well Do You Know Cereals

It might be the last thing on your morning to-do list, or it might not be on your list at all! But a healthy breakfast with cereal refuels your body and jump-starts your day. So don’t overlook this important meal. Grain foods—cereals–are dietary staples in Indian cuisine. Research all over the world has approved the remarkable health benefits that cereal foods can offer, particularly in reducing the risk of diseases such as coronary heart disease and breast or colon cancers.

Study says that adults require about 30 grams of fibre a day, while children need their age plus 5–10 grams.

The typical cereal food is:

o Low in fat
o Cholesterol free
o High in both soluble and insoluble fibre
o An excellent source of carbohydrates, protein and vitamins

Top seven breakfast cereals
1. Daliya or cracked wheat dominates breakfast time. It can be had sweet, salted, with vegetables or with milk. Because cracked wheat is made from whole wheat berries, it carries a great deal of nutrition and fiber since it includes the fiber and nutrient rich outer bran and germ of the wheat. Daliya is rich in antioxidants and vitamin E.
2. Suji or semolina is the inner, granular, starchy endosperm of wheat that has not been ground. Popularly had as kheer or porridge it can also be made into upma with lots of veggies for breakfast. It has a low glycemic index, which means your blood sugar level will remain on an even keel, and this is good news for weight watchers and diabetics. Supports healthy kidney and heart function too.
3. Poha or rice flakes. Made from paddy, poha is an easily digestible cereal that is eaten in large parts of India with milk or yoghurt as breakfast. Sautee poha in the company of peas and onions and it transforms in a delicious snack. Throw in generous helping of veggies while cooking soggy poha and it becomes a weight watcher’s delight.
4. Murmura or puffed rice is to rice what popcorn is to corn. It is widely used as a snack food and breakfast cereal. Popular snack item—bhelpuri is made of puffed rice. It’s easy to digest and is enriched with iron.
5. Gram flour or sattu makes a nourishing breakfast drink when combined with sugar/salt and water that helps cool off the summer heat. Enriched with fibre and beta glucan it helps lower the cholesterol too.
6. Oat’s consumption by human being dates back to 400 BC where it was described as a bulk former and a healing agent. Oats are consumed mainly as a breakfast food and snack product. A granola bar, made from oats with a glass of milk is an interesting option too. Oats lower cholesterol and typically the bad one.
7. Cornflakes. You can have cornflakes with hot or cold milk. They are packed with folate—a B vitamin that prevents birth defects. Cornflakes have a high glycemic index, hence they are unsuited for diabetics. You can add fruits to cornflakes to lower the glycemic index, so that blood sugar remains at an even keel.

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2. Oatmeal – a Fat Burning Food
3. Diet Plan for Diabetics
4. Cholesterol:Top 10 Foods to Lower Your Numbers
5. Diet Plan for Growing Children