ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, April 10, 1996 TAG: 9604100014
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ANGELA CAIN KNIGHT-RIDDER/TRIBUNE
One snaps, crackles and pops.
Another calls itself the breakfast of champions.
Some get soggy in milk; others float like little life preservers.
Cereal: It's the breakfast food that most Americans have in their cupboards, the one food product that has its own aisle in most grocery stores.
Why are the little flakes so popular?
Convenience is one reason.
``One bowl, one utensil and no appliances required - that's my kind of breakfast,'' says Cindy Geeker, mother of three.
``Cereal is the easiest thing for me to fix my family in the mornings.''
Still, Geeker says, choosing a cereal that satisfies her entire family is a daunting, not to mention expensive, task.
She wants an affordable, healthy breakfast; her children want the toy in the box.
With most cereals averaging $4 a box, the mother calls the prices ``astronomical.''
Like many cereal shoppers, Geeker struggles to strike a balance between cost, nutrition and taste.
But cereal is still a value when compared with other popular breakfast foods, says Evette Davidson, a registered dietitian at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital.
``Per serving, cereal is a lot cheaper than grabbing an Egg McMuffin for breakfast,'' says Davidson. ``And with just about any cereal you'll be getting a healthier breakfast.''
Here's a quick primer on how to get the most from your oats:
Don't let the flakes fool you.
Suggestions of health benefits with words such as ``natural'' or ``bran'' sometimes can be misleading.
``Many cereal names sound healthier than they really are,'' says Davidson.
That's why it's important to read the ``nutrition facts'' label on the side of the box. Ideally, you want to find a high-fiber cereal that's low in sugar and low in fat.
Get more fiber for your flake.
Spoons down, fiber content should be your primary reason for eating cereal.
Bulking up your fiber intake is one of the best ways to ward off colon cancer, high cholesterol and constipation.
Cereals with an adequate amount of fiber are an important consideration for children, too.
Many popular cereals such as Rice Krispies and Frosted Flakes contain little, if any, fiber.
Choose whole-grain cereals - made from whole wheat, rolled oats or whole-grain flour - that have at least three grams of dietary fiber per serving. Or top your cereal with fresh fruit to boost your bowl's fiber content.
Some cereal brands, including Fiber One and All-Bran, contain more than 10 grams of fiber. But let the buyer beware: If your body isn't used to such a fiber concentration, you may experience bloating and diarrhea. It's best to add fiber to your diet gradually.
Count fat grams.
Chances are, you won't get fat eating cereal. But there are a few cereal brands chock full of healthy stuff that are also packed with fat.
Take Cracklin' Oat Bran, for example. One serving contains 6 grams of fiber and 8 grams of fat.
And granola, once touted as healthy and natural, is also a fatty cereal choice. The newer low-fat versions are a better option.
As a rule, stick to cereals that contain less than 3 grams of fat per serving.
Scrutinize sugar content.
If sugar is listed as one of the first three ingredients on a box of cereal, put it back on the shelf.
While the ingredients might not list sugar per se, words that end in the suffix ``ose'' such as sucrose also mean sugar. So do honey and corn syrup.
Most health experts suggest choosing cereals with no more than five grams of sugar, which is roughly a teaspoon. Cereals that contain dried fruit, however, might contain more sugar per serving, but dietitians say that's OK.
The problem with many sugar-filled cereals is that when manufacturers add sugar, they take out other nutritious ingredients, making the cereal less healthful.
If you have children who are not likely to eat a bowl full of bland-tasting flakes, compromise. Mix a sugary cereal with a more nutritious version to satisfy your child's sweet tooth and your peace of mind.
``Kids are not into health. They just know what tastes good,'' says Ruth DeBusk, registered dietitian. ``You can't just say no to sugary cereals. You have to respect your child's ability to choose.''
Geeker, who chooses lightly sweetened cereals for her children such as Cinnamon Life, Kix and Frosted Mini-Wheats, agrees: ``My kids know I'm not going to buy Fruity Pebbles. I don't even know what kind of grain it is.
``But you have to pick and choose your battles. I respect the fact that my kids won't eat a shredded wheat biscuit either.''
Watch your serving size.
For most cereals, a serving size is about an ounce. That's approximately 100 to 200 calories.
The problem is, most people eat three to four times that amount for breakfast, says Shridhar Sathe, a food scientist at Florida State University.
``Most people wake up in the morning rubbing their eyes and groping for the box of cereal,'' he says. ``They shake the box and say, `Oh, that's about right.' Whatever falls in the bowl is what they eat, and it's usually way too much.''
Instead of overflowing your bowl with oats, add some fruit to make your breakfast more filling.
Determine your vitamin needs.
Most cereals are fortified with 25 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamins, including vitamin C, iron, riboflavin, niacin, thiamine, vitamin B6 and folate. And experts say that's plenty.
Some cereals like Total and Product 19 are super-fortified with 100 percent of practically every nutrient you need in one bowl. But such an approach to nutrition has its critics.
``Getting your total nutrition in one bowl is not necessarily a good thing,'' Sathe says. ``Then, anything else you eat that day would go beyond what your body needs.
``Cereals should be used judiciously as part of a balanced diet,'' Sathe says. ``They're not a solution to a balanced diet.''
Davidson adds: ``Eating a bowl of Total is kind of like taking a vitamin pill. Whether or not you need it depends on what you're eating the rest of the day. You still need to get your five fruits and vegetables a day.''
And if you want to get the most from your cereal bowl, drink all your milk. Some of the nutrients in cereal, including water soluble B and C vitamins, can dissolve in the milk.
No matter what your cereal habit, it's important to eat a variety of foods - and cereals.
``If you or your kids want Cocoa Puffs on occasion, eat them. Just don't get stuck eating one cereal every day of the week,'' Davidson says.
``Cereal is just one part of a complete diet. It's all a matter of balance, moderation and variety.''
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