Diabetes Management
Published on: Jun 22, 2018
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Choosing Cereal Variety – The Key to Good Health
Cereals have been the most important component of a balanced diet for thousands of years.
Children are fond of cereals and their consumption keeps them filled for a long time.
However, people tend to use similar type of cereals in their children’s diet on a daily basis either
being
●unaware of the variety of cereals available or
●being unacquainted about their health benefits or
●due to lack of their usage information.
Our FitterFly Team of Nutrition will try and enlighten you with the information about the variety of cereals available, their health benefits and their usage.
Know the different types: Apart from Wheat and Rice, the list include Oats,
Barley, Corn, Rye, Jowar, Bajra, Ragi and the recent favorite Quinoa.
Exquisite variety of flours, instant flour mixes, brown rice, parboiled rice, rice flakes, puffed rice,
sooji, vermicelli, bread, biscuits, pancakes, muesli and bakery products are also available.
Benefits of Cereal Consumption: Cereals provide for a good calorie intake boosting the energy
levels and are an important source of complex carbohydrates and vitamins like thiamine,
riboflavin and niacin.
Eating a variety of cereal grains is beneficial since each type of cereal has its own
phytochemical composition which is beneficial for the human being.
Whole grains in particular are important sources of nutrients, fiber, vitamins, minerals (due to
their intact germ and bran) and antioxidant phytochemicals. Getting enough fiber from your
diet prevents constipation, promotes bowel movement and supports the health of your
digestive tract. Soluble fiber also lowers levels of cholesterol and helps keep blood sugar
balanced.
Why to explore diverse cereals: Essential fiber, vitamins, phytochemicals and minerals are
removed in processes like milling leading to reduced nutrient content of processed cereals as
compared to whole grains. Hence, the trick is to select whole grain cereals or multigrain
cereals and create a balance along with consuming the refined cereals.
Ways to include more fiber rich cereals in our daily diets:
●Try and incorporate whole wheat flour, bajra, jowar and ragi flour in your chapatis.
●Whole grain oats, brown rice, wheat macaroni, whole wheat breads, oats, corn flakes
and even quinoa are all healthy cereal options for a power breakfast.
●Whole wheat pizza bases, pastas, noodles and pitas can be preferred instead of the
refined cereal options. It’s a lovely way of converting junk food into a healthy one!!
●Choose healthy varieties of cakes and other bakery products available these days made
up of oats mixed with other healthy whole multi-grains.
●Steamed Idlis or dosas can be made by replacing the rice with brown rice or by adding
ragi.
●Whole wheat popcorns also are a healthier snack option for children.
Thus, choosing a variety of cereals helps to make meals more interesting, less monotonous and extremely healthy.
Opting for the right cereal for your child is very important and so is maintaining a balance by giving variety
even more necessary. One of the mantras for your child’s healthy life lies in the inclusion of diverse cereals in the
daily diet.
- By Fitterfly Health-Team
