Build a Better Bowl of Cereal

As I said in my Supermarket Survival Guide on cereal, there are a lot of Sneaky Peters out there in the cereal aisle - cereals that promise low-fat, wholesome goodness but rarely deliver. Don't get me wrong - I think cereal is an easy, nutritious way to start the day, as long as you build your bowl right. The following are some tips I got from Mairlyn Smith and Liz Pearson's great book, The Ultimate Health Eating Plan That Still Leaves Room for Chocolate. Though it was published in 2002, it's packed with meticulously researched nutrition information (conveniently decoded for the regular Joe), sensible, non-neurotic advice for eating well and delicious recipes.

Here's an easy way to build your best breakfast:

Supermarket Surivival Guide: Cereal Aisle

One of the trickiest aisles to navigate in the supermarket is the cereal aisle. This is because, like yogurt, cereal has a "health halo", which is food industry-speak for the aura of health that sounds a particular food (whether it deserves it or not.) People often think it's a lot healthier than it is. 

Another reason it's tricky is because it's full of spit and polish - beautiful, inviting colours, pretty fonts, photos of luscious berries tumbling into those wholesome flakes. But when you turn the box around, what you see is that most cereals are made up of wheat, rice, corn and sugar, followed by a long list of non-pronounceable ingredients.

So how do you navigate this minefield of good and not-so-good choices?

Here are some guidelines::

Look for cereals with 4 grams (1 teaspoon) of sugar or less

I know:  you know enough to stay away from sugary cereals. Let me just say this - it is not just the blatant Choco-Caramel Rings and the Cupcake Crispies that you need to watch out for. Many of the more wholesome sounding cereals aren't exactly good choices either, as this video from the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity points out. To stay on the safe side, look for cereals with 4 grams (1 teaspoon) of sugar or less per serving.

Look for cereals with at least 3-5 grams of fibre

The Dietitians of Canada recommend 25 - 38 grams of fibre per day to help lower cholesterol, manage blood sugar levels and help keep you regular. I know - that is a WHACK of fibre and most of us don't even get half of that. Breakfast is an easy way to get some. (Note - if you don't like high fibre cereal, sprinkle 1-2 teaspoons of bran, chia seeds or flax seeds on your regular cereal. It's a great way to sneak in fibre)

Ignore the 'low fat' claim

So many cereals carry the claims 'low fat', 'fat free' or 'saturated fat free' these days. That's a good thing, right? After all, you want to fit into that red dress!

Guess what? Almost every plain cereal is low in fat. That's because it's made up mostly of flour or rice or corn, which are low in fat. So choosing a cereal because it is low in fat is like choosing a cheese because it is made with milk. Companies only market it that way because they know that will make people buy it. 

Will it help you lose weight? Well, if you eat the serving specified and it fills you up and keeps you going until lunch, then it might. The problem is that most cereals are highly processed and made from white flour or white rice or corn, which means they don't actually fill you up.  You are basically having a bowl of white rice with some sugar on it. And because it doesn't fill you up, you end up having a second (or in my case third) bowl, or you give in to that muffin at 10 am. So much for the red dress.

Better, I say, to have some fat - good fat, of course, which will keep you full and going until lunch. Put some nuts on that high-fibre, low sugar cereal and enjoy. 


And as always, follow the three simple rules: never believe the front of the box, the ingredient label never lies, and read the nutritional panel. 


I know, I know: high fibre, low sugar cereal doesn't exactly scream hedonism. I hear you. In fact, I love cereal - anything that is carb-laden practically has my name tatooed on it. So I indulge occasionally. But I see those overly sweet, 'diet' cereals that I love for what they really are: dessert, not breakfast. Eating a bowl of sweetened, flaky cereal to get me going in the morning may not work, but having a bowl instead of the butter-rich cookies I was going to have for dessert is a good trade off to me.

You can read my other Supermarket Survival Guide here:
Supermarket Survival Guide: Yogurt

Find the best and worst choices in the supermarket here:
Top 5 Hidden Gems in the Supermarket
Healthy Pretenders: the Most Overrated foods in the Supermarket

Read my other articles on navigating the supermarket here.

Creamy Amaranth Porridge

Amaranth porridge with figs and walnuts

I’m of the opinion that if you live in Canada, you have two choices. You can bitch and moan about how hot it is in summer, or you can bitch and moan about how cold it is in winter (I guess a third choice would be not to bitch and moan about the weather at all, but frankly, that’s just un-Canadian.)
 
I am of the bitch-and-moan-during-winter persuasion. Even though I’ve lived here my whole life, the first day of winter never fails to shock me like a cold shower. I emerge from my car, tugging my woefully flimsy cardigan around me, trying in vain to keep the wind from whipping my hair, and I think, ‘Here we go again.’

But summer? Summer, I love. I love lazy, languid strolls past shops with open doors. I love sitting on the steps watching the ants go about their busy work. I love hurriedly licking popsicles while they drip purple pools on the sidewalk.

But this year, even I’m starting to get tired. Tired of the way my car feels like the inside of a barbecue if I’m parked for even ten minutes. Tired of sun always blazing down on my neck, even if it’s only 10 am. Tired of sticky skin and puffy hair and stretched-out jersey dresses.

So today, I’m going to wake up early, when it’s still nice and cool out. And I’m going to pretend that it’s a perfect crisp fall day. I’m going to make myself a bowl of warming, stick-to-your-ribs amaranth porridge and a cup of steaming chocolate tea. And for a few minutes, I will try to forget that there’s a heat alert and a smog alert and that it will be 33 degrees outside in a few short hours. I will just take a bite of that creamy, warming porridge topped with figs and dream of days to come.

Creamy Amaranth Porridge

Adapted from Julie Daniluk's Meals That Heal Inflammation (a great, information packed book, by the way)

Serves 2

⅔ cup amaranth
1 cup water
1 cup milk
1 tsp cinnamon
Fruit and nuts for topping
Maple syrup or honey

Directions:

1. Pour amaranth into a saucepan that has a thick bottom (to prevent burning.) Turn heat to medium and toast amaranth, stirring frequently, until the grains become a golden brown colour and they give off a nutty, roasted scent.

2. Take off heat and add water, milk and cinnamon. Return to heat.

3. Once the mixture is heated through, turn to low heat and cover. Simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every ten minutes or so to make sure the amaranth doesn’t stick to the pot. The amaranth is ready once all the liquid has been absorbed.

4. Pour into bowls, drizzle with maple syrup and top with fruit and nuts (I used figs and walnuts to complement the earthy taste of the amaranth. Blueberries, peaches, apples and pears work well too.)

Note: As I mentioned in my previous post, amaranth makes great leftovers. Just store remainder in an airtight container and warm it up in the microwave the next day along with a little milk.

Supermarket Snack Hacks – Plain Yogurt

Fresh cherries in coffee-chocolate flavoured yogurt. See? I told you yogurt wasn't boring.

As I promised in this post, I am back with a list of ideas on how to add some snazz to your plain yogurt.  Since most flavoured yogurts include sugar and fillers, a much better option is to buy plain yogurt that you doctor up yourself. It may may seem as dull as mud, but the trick is to think of it as a blank canvas. Because of its creamy texture and mild flavour, plain yogurt is the ultimate versatile ingredient. With a few easy switch-ups, there are a ton of possibilities! I’ll present a few of my favourites in the coming days – hopefully some of them will be new to you. I'll start with some sweet options:

Yogurt + baby food

Say what?!? You heard me, baby food. If you want your fruit-on-the-bottom fix, this is the way to do it. Baby fruit purees are essentially the same as the fruit in the fruit-flavoured yogurt but without all the pseudo-sugars and yucky additives. Keep some in the fridge and you can mix it in with your yogurt in a snap. As with many flavoured products, stick to the basic flavours - the more exotic ones (pomegranate, mango, lychee) are usually mostly apple or banana anyway. 

Yogurt + fruit puree

If the thought of taking baby food to the office is mortifying, try fruit purees, which are usually beside the puddings in the supermarket. The ones with no sugar added are a perfect complement to yogurt.

Yogurt + jam
Another great mix-in is plain old fruit jam, which is basically the fruit on the bottom without the additives. Deee-licious, people. Just watch how much of that jam you spoon in as it is very high in sugar (a teaspoon is usually enough.) Also, choose a jam that lists fruit first in the list of ingredients (you'd be surprised how many have more sugar than fruit!)

Yogurt + frozen fruit
My favourite way to jazz up plain yogurt for work is to pop in some frozen fruit before I leave in the morning. By the time I am ready for my snack, the fruit has thawed, leaving all the delicious juices to meld with the yogurt and make it really tasty. You can do this the night before and keep the yogurt in the fridge for a really flavourful snack, or even do 5 of them assembly-line style on Sunday night for the week ahead - it takes 5 minutes, tops. I always buy the pre-chopped frozen fruit to make things as simple as possible, and if I'm feeling ambitious, I'll top with nuts, honey, vanilla...whatever I have handy. Instant parfait. 

Yogurt + coffee (+ chocolate...)
There's lots of different options if you are among the fruit-averse. Pour some of your morning coffee into your yogurt, or mix some instant coffee with water and a touch of sugar and add it in. If you're feeling adventurous, add some cocoa powder or even some dark chocolate chips - it's a creamy, indulgent snack with zero guilt.

Yogurt + chai spices
I love me a cup of Indian tea, and I like to add chai spices to everything. Add some cinnamon, a touch of nutmeg (not too much - it's strong!),  some ground cardamom, and some honey to your yogurt for a refreshing summer take on chai.

Yogurt + mango
When I was pregnant, I was craving mango lassis (Indian milkshakes) almost every five minutes - I'm surprised Baby M. wasn't born yellow. I still make them every once in a while - they are refreshing, icy and absolutely delicious. Just whiz some yogourt, honey, ice, mango, milk and a pinch of salt in the blender. If you are using canned mango, skip the honey as it often has added sugar. 

Now, tell me that each of these options doesn't sound infinitely better than your plain old strawberry fruit-on-the-bottom! And the best part is, you can come up with millions more creative ideas that are just as delicious. What are your favourites?