How to Choose Nutritious Breakfast Cereal

Kids love cereal and adults love quick easy and no fuss meals for their kids. Served with milk, or a milk alternate like fortified soy milk, cereal is a great way to get calcium and vitamin D. Choose a nutritious cereal, and it can also be a good source of fibre as well as vitamins and minerals like B vitamins, iron and zinc. Unfortunately the least nutritious cereals on the market have the most nutrition claims, and are heavily marketed to kids. Even the ‘healthy looking’ cereals can be high in added sugar and salt, so it is important to read labels and choose wisely. •Choose cereals that list whole grains as the first ingredient. •Focus on fiber. Look for cereals with 3 grams of fiber or more per serving. •Skip cereals that list sugar in the first 5 ingredients. •Less salt is better! Compare cereals and choose ones with the least amount of sodium •Try fun toppings like dried fruit, nuts and seeds, or frozen or fresh berries. • Provide choice. Once you have identified which cereals are nutritious, let your child choose which one they would like to try. Kids are more likely to eat it if they pick it out themselves. Make your own! Home made granola is easy to make and often a lot more nutritious than store bought. Start with this basic recipe or switch up the dried fruits and nuts with your kids favorites. Kids can measure the fruit and nuts and can help stir the granola before it goes in the oven. This is Jan’s recipe. In a saucepan, on very low heat, mix: •1/3 cup honey •1/3 cup canola oil In a large bowl, mix: •8 cups large flake rolled oats •¼ cup sunflower seeds •¼ cup sesame seeds •¼ cup pumpkin seeds •½ cup chopped walnuts •½ cup chopped almonds In a small bowl, set aside: •½ cup raisins •½ cup chopped dates Add honey and oil to the oat mixture and mix well. Spread on two cookie sheets and bake at 300 degrees for approximately 20-30 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes, until golden brown. Cool, then add raisins and dates. Always add dried fruit after cooking. Store in an air tight container. Serve with milk or yogurt. Yum.