How do I choose a healthy cereal?

Q: I have recently been making a huge effort to clean up my diet. I read in some of your previous articles that it is very important to get a good breakfast. My doctor told me that oatmeal is an excellent choice because it helps lower cholesterol and is very low in fat. He also said that I should eat whole-grain carbohydrates that are made of 100 percent whole grain.

I tried eating oatmeal for a while but found it boring and tasteless. I tried shopping for other cereals to replace the oatmeal but became very confused. It seems that just about every brand-name cereal manufacturer has a product that it claims is a healthy choice made from whole grain. What should I look for when choosing a good breakfast cereal? - Amanda

A: Oatmeal is considered the perfect food by many nutritional experts because it is a good, stable carbohydrate that provides long-lasting energy.

However, there are many people like you who just can’t hack the bland taste. Therefore, most cereal manufactures now offer healthy choice products for those of us who are trying to watch our diets.

Unfortunately, good taste is often more important than high quality.

This makes choosing a good cereal difficult because many companies advertise their products as healthy alternatives when they contain unhealthy ingredients such as white flour, sugar and sodium.

Therefore, it’s important to follow a few simple rules when making your choice.

The first rule is to choose a cereal that is made with whole grains. Whole grain means that the product is made up of all parts of the grain including the outer shell, the middle, and the seed of the plant.

Eating whole grains ensures that you get all the nutritional benefits grains offer.

Many manufacturers disguise the ingredients of their product by advertising it as being made with whole grains and then adding refined grains such as white flour to make it taste better. Buyers beware! Just because a product includes whole grains does not mean it’s the best choice.

To test the quality of a product, look at the order of ingredients. The first and second items listed are always the primary ingredients.

If the first ingredient doesn’t include the words whole grain, oatmeal, whole wheat, brown rice, oats, graham flour, or cracked wheat, there’s probably a better choice.

Rule number two is finding a cereal that is low in sugar. This is where a lot of people go wrong. They choose a product that is made of whole grain, low in fat and loaded with sugar. Guess what? As the body digests the meal, the excess sugar will eventually be converted to fat. Try choosing a product that has only a few grams of sugar per serving. Look out for other fancy words that are used to disguise sugar, such as fructose, sucrose and high-maltose corn syrup.

Rule number three is look for a cereal that is low in sodium. Why ruin the healthy benefits of a good breakfast by eating a product containing large amounts of salt that can elevate blood pressure? High amounts of sodium can also cause you to retain water and make you feel bloated and soft. Instead, try to choose a cereal that has less than 250 mg of sodium per serving.

The fourth and final rule is choosing cereals that are high in fiber. High-fiber foods help control your appetite by making you feel full and satisfied. They also contain lots of nutrients that help reduce cholesterol and promote stable insulin levels.

A stable insulin level gives you energy and keeps your body burning fat.

Try using these rules when choosing a good cereal. Stick with products with basic ingredients. Steer clear of those with additives and chemicals.