Healthy Breakfast Ideas

 It was announced by the UK Government that a range of measures would be implemented within the food industry and supermarkets to help reduce the obesity epidemic that is sweeping the UK at the moment, (well over the last decade to be honest!!) One of the measures is to ban breakfast cereals that are high in sugar being advertised on the TV before 9PM, another example is to remove foods high in sugar from the checkout aisles. This is one of a few things the Government are doing to tackle this.  I do welcome these decisions as some of the foods does contain an extreme amount of sugar, however I do support the food manufacturer as well. I do believe in treats and there is nothing wrong with treats here and there, but not to have them on a daily basis 365 days a year. Also over the years (over the last ten years really!) food manufacturers have made a few tweaks to try to reduce their contents which are high in sugar, salt and saturated fat, but also welcoming the recommendations, by bringing in new innovations, products and ideas. One of the ways is reducing their portions of their products, adding new flavours, as well as changing the manufacturing  process. So personally I am on the fence with this, as I believe that if people want to pick up a chocolate bar from the aisle, they should be entitled to do so, When I go to checkout my food, and I notice all the sugary food at the aisles, it is not like there are in short supply? Yes people buy them, but it has not like ran out, or out of stock, so I am thinking are people still buying them? There has been so many campaigns into the dangers of these nutrients that I feel that people are now aware of this, and now just buy them, as and when. The pandemic has also made people think about their health more, and are more conscious to look after themselves, which is more important. As the saying goes "Your health is your wealth!" 

So this is the reason for this week's blog post, which is breakfast ideas. It was on the news the other day that Kellogg's lost a recent court battle with the Government to stop the ban of their breakfast cereals, which some of them were high in sugar. Kellogg's argued that the Government needs to take into consideration the sugar that is in Milk (called Lactose), which is part of their cereals,  however this was dismissed by the Government. 

Kellogg's actually have a granola breakfast cereal which contains almond, coconut and cashew nuts, great product as it stated on the food label that this is low in salt, contains a medium amount of sugar and saturated fat, however it does contain high in fat, but that is because of cashew nuts, as naturally it is high in fat, however it contains good fats, which is great for fibre, protein for building new cells, and rich in magnesium, which helps to reduce fatigue. When this is compared to the other popular Kellogg's breakfast cereals, the granola is a better option. 

Another option to go for is Lizi's Granola or any granola that is even lower in sugar, but packed full of nuts and seeds. This is a great product as when I look at the ingredients list it states it contains oat flakes, desiccated coconut, as well and seeds. Oats are packed full of fibre, which is great for bowel movement, lowering cholesterol, and reducing the chances of blood pressure. This can not only be used for breakfast, but can be used to make oaty flapjacks, or granola bars as a quick snack. I consume this at lunchtime, or as a snack if I am feeling peckish. Looking at the label this product is low in salt, and high in Fibre. The product has more sugar than Kelloggs granola, however this is because of the desiccated coconut in this, which has other nutritional benefits too. Like the Kellogg's granola, Lizzi granola has a high fat content of the product because of the nuts which is contained in this. Various nuts also contains a range of minerals and vitamins. Always look at the labels when choosing better cereals, as this can assist on making a decision. 

Another recommendation, (and a safe option) is porridge oats. If there is no cereals that takes your fancy then just go for that option instead. Oats are the best breakfast cereal, they are so cheap to buy, can be adapted to add a range of fruit, or sweeteners to increase the taste. I have this at least every day. I have Quaker oats with Apple, but of course any porridge, no matter how cheap it is , is fine. 

Finally good old seeded toast is a great option with a choice of cashew or almond butter. Peanut butter is also fine however just watch out for the sugar content in them. Other choices including Nutella and other spreads, again just check the sugar content in them, and try to use them as sparingly as possible to reduce the portions. 

So to round off nothing wrong with these cereals, but always look at the labels to make decisions, have more of the ones that have so much goodness in them, and the items which are not so great, have them as a treat