MORNING CEREAL

If you are guilty of stocking your pantry with sugary breakfast cereals, break the habit!  Whether for yourself or your family, it is much better for your/your family's health to buy plain whole-grain cereals and top them with fresh fruit and/or berries.  A whole-grain cereal topped with sliced banana and strawberries, as example, is a much healthier way to start the day. And don't fall into the trap of allowing your kids to eat sugary cereals for dinner. It might be handy but it will be setting your children up for obesity and perhaps diabetes later in life.

 Not a brand endorsement.

Used as an example of a whole-grain cereal without added sugar.

CEREAL SERVINGS

Are you one of those people who pulls a big bowl out of the cabinet and then pours it almost full of cereal leaving just enough room for some milk and (gasp!) sugar? If you are, you need to change your cereal habits. The next time you do that get out an extra bowl and a 1 cup measuring cup. Pour your cereal as you normally do. Get the measuring cup and measure what you poured into the second bowl. How much did you pour? Now look on the cereal box or bag. What is the suggested (healthy) serving size?  If you are shocked by the amount of cereal you poured, start measuring your cereal for a few days or weeks until you get used to what the serving size looks like.  And here's a hint for you, next time get a smaller bowl and the healthy serving size won't look so small in your bowl. Make it easier on yourself if you are normally pouring 3 or more servings into your bowl.  If you have been pouring 3 servings, cut it back to 2 for a few days. Slowly decrease the amount until you work yourself down to the healthy serving size.  As the old saying goes, "Rome wasn't built in a day"! Don't set yourself up for failure by trying to take too big a cut at one time.  Work your way into a healthy portion.  Did you realize that starting your day with an excessive amount of cereal servings can be as calorie laden as having a Big Mac for breakfast!

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SUGAR IN BREAKFAST CEREALS

Are you aware of how much sugar you, or worse yet - your children, are eating a day just in breakfast cereals?  Be sure to read the nutrition information on the labels before you buy cereal!  At least about a dozen or so popular breakfast cereals contain 12 grams of more of sugar per serving.  And that is if you only eat the serving size listed.  That is approximately the same amount of sugar as a frosted donut. I just checked the two boxes in my pantry. One has 11 and one has 15 grams per serving. The one with 11 grams is unsweetened so whoever eats it will no doubt add more sugar.

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DON'T BE FOOLED BY GRANOLA

I often hear people say how healthy granola is.  This is another marketing ploy that can fool you into eating something advertised as healthy when you should be avoiding it.  Yes, granola is made up of healthy whole grains, nuts, and fruits, etc.  But check out your granola to see what you are really getting.  This is especially important if you are diabetic or watching your sugar and/or carb intake.  Granola can be healthy, especially if you make your own, but it can also be a sugar trap.  Eating whole grains loses a lot of its value when it is loaded down with sugar and dried fruits.  Be cautious of dried fruits, they are high in sugar content.  If you eat granola with milk for breakfast, that is not necessarily a good breakfast.  Take this equation as an example:

1 cup of lowfat granola with raisins (98g carbs) with 1/2 cup of fat-free milk (6g carbs)
= 104g carbs

Most of us, especially diabetics, do not need 104 carbs for breakfast!

This is not to say all granola is bad.  On my diabetic blog (link can be found on this blog) one of my most viewed recipes is one for a healthy granola.  Just be aware of the granola you are eating and know that just because you are eating granola does not mean you are necessarily eating healthy!
The same goes for granola bars. Read the nutritional label to be sure you aren't getting too much sugar in your bars. They are low-sugar ones out there.

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REASONS TO EAT OATMEAL

If oatmeal is not a regular on your breakfast menu, it needs to be added.  Most people are aware that oatmeal is recommend highly as a breakfast food but many may not be sure why.  Most of us know that oatmeal is high in soluble fiber and many know that soluble fiber fights bad cholesterol.  But did you also know it burns belly fat?  If you are looking for ways to reduce belly fat, start eating a bowl of oatmeal everyday!  One thing you want to avoid though is the prepackaged sweetened oatmeal, the sugar content is too high.  Make your own oatmeal and add your own sweetness with fresh fruit or berries and some ground flax seed.   

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THE BRAIN - USE IT OR LOSE IT!

Did you know our brain is our #1 "use-it-or-lose-it" organ?  So, keep your brain busy; read, work puzzles, do quizzes, etc.  And put the kinds of foods and beverages into your mouth that will help to stimulate the brain.  Following are a few suggestions:

• Brew some coffee.  Would you believe coffee is one of the most stimulating scents to the brain according to research at Kyorin University School of Medicine in Japan.  And a French study of women 65 and older who drank more than 3 cups of coffee a day were 33% less likely to experience decline in verbal fluency than those who drank less.  The experts suggest you brew coffee several times a week even if you don't drink it.
• Eat a power breakfast high in brain-healthy foods.  Example: Add blueberries to a good whole-grain cereal or some low-sugar, fat-free yogurt.  You are probably aware that the antioxidant properties in blueberries are great, but blueberries also increase blood flow to the brain, which in turn improves your neuronal function.
• For lunch eat something high in luteolin as it may contribute to reducing the risk of dementia.    Carrots, celery, green bell peppers, olive oil, along with peppermint and chamomile teas are all good sources.
• For dinner eat a meal rich in Omega-3s.  Fish such as cod, salmon, sardines, mackerel, and tuna are good sources.  Omega-3 are also found in flaxseed, walnuts, great northern beans, kidney beans, navy beans, and soybeans.

Keep that brain nourished and active.  It is one organ you really do need to protect.  Without an active healthy brain, the rest of the body isn't worth a whole lot.