breakfast cereals

perri winkles

Hi guys, I know its a long shot but Im looking for a healthy breakfast cereal. I know most of them are muck but there must be one or two that are alright?

I've tried porridge and it takes too long to cool down no matter how much milk I put in it! I know that sounds silly but I literally have 5 mins in the morning to grab a bowl of something.

Can't stomach eggs, or anything really that's hot, another reason I don't like porridge in the morning!


There must be one out there?

Gizmoses

coco pops

banquet

Theres something about the texture of warm porridge I hate so I just pore cold milk on top of the oats and eat them. Sometimes I leave them to soften up but if im in a rush I dont bother.

perri winkles

Thanks banquet, I'll give it ago, although it doesn't sound the most appetizing :P

Yes I love coco pops too, but I'm trying to lose weight here not gain !

Adelie

How about oats + natural yoghurt + whatever you like to add to make it interesting, e.g. nuts, seeds, fresh fruit

perri winkles

Adelie wrote: »

How about oats + natural yoghurt + whatever you like to add to make it interesting, e.g. nuts, seeds, fresh fruit

I was thinking of this, can I use shop bought granola ? or is that very high in sugar?

Adelie

Most of the shop-bought granolas/mueslis are high in sugar, maybe some are fine but if you make it yourself then you know exactly what's in it as well as being cheaper.

Granola typically has honey added (sugar) and muesli has usually dried fruit (more sugar). Not that there's anything wrong with a little honey or dried fruit, the problem is they usually put in More than a little.

El_Dangeroso

Short answer, nope.

I've checked pretty much every label on every breakfast cereal (yes, I'm THAT person in the supermarket ), especially those claiming to be healthy, and they all contain something undesirable.

Boil an egg or two, takes five minutes and will keep you full till lunch.

rubadub

Adelie wrote: »

Granola typically has honey added (sugar) and muesli has usually dried fruit (more sugar).

You can "dilute" your muesli with more porridge oats. I used to use a maple syrup & pecan oat cluster cereal by tesco, it was very sweet so I just crushed it up and added it to oats.

If you are cooking porridge in a pot you could have a thick and or large bowl in the freezer overnight, then pour it in and stir it up to cool it.

If you're trying to lose weight then you'll have to either A) eat something not cerealy later in the day or make yourself more time for breakfast and eat some meat/fish/veggies for breakfast.

Just for health a sugar free muesli with the minimum amount of rubbish would be the best of a bad lot (if you're discounting porridge, eggs and hot food).

Solitaire

rubadub wrote: »

I used to use a maple syrup & pecan oat cluster cereal by tesco, it was very sweet so I just crushed it up and added it to oats.

A proper Irish Breakfast would be healthier than that stuff! I remember liking the idea (and the taste!) of that cereal but finding it a bit "too much" for breakfast, so I checked the nutritional on a whim and nearly had a heart attack! That stuff had something like twice as much salt/sugar as Cinnamon Grahams (or whatever they're called now) and about five or six times the sat fat per gram! :eek:

dxhound2005

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

Short answer, nope.

I've checked pretty much every label on every breakfast cereal (yes, I'm THAT person in the supermarket ), especially those claiming to be healthy, and they all contain something undesirable.

Boil an egg or two, takes five minutes and will keep you full till lunch.

OP say they can't stomach eggs (hot).

If the temperature of the porridge is the only issue make it the night before and give it just enough time in the microwave in the morning to get it tepid or whatever you like. I make a batch to last me for a few days and heat a portion in the microwave, saves on time as well. Porridge is good since the only ingredient is oats.

perri winkles

Thanks for all the tips guys.

I eat eggs on the weekend, but the thought of eating them at 7.30 in the morning is just yuck

I've been eating weetabix but know they arn't great either.

Think i'll give the home made granola a go, or try make porridge the night before. I think its the thought of hot food that early in the morning or something that is turning me off

Think Im damned to a life without cereal *sigh* .. ..

El_Dangeroso

dxhound2005 wrote: »

OP say they can't stomach eggs (hot).

If the temperature of the porridge is the only issue make it the night before and give it just enough time in the microwave in the morning to get it tepid or whatever you like. I make a batch to last me for a few days and heat a portion in the microwave, saves on time as well. Porridge is good since the only ingredient is oats.

Ah missed that sorry, the prob cold fermented oats would be the best option then.

Always soak or ferment oats prior to eating to ensure they don't steal the minerals out of your body.

corkcomp

op, if you dont like eggs dont eat them. try home made muesli using mainly oats and not too much dried fruit. weetabix is ok too..

Transform

corkcomp wrote: »

op, if you dont like eggs dont eat them. try home made muesli using mainly oats and not too much dried fruit. weetabix is ok too..

home made flapjacks and a small innocent smoothie or whey protein drink for me

corkcomp

Transform wrote: »

home made flapjacks and a small innocent smoothie or whey protein drink for me

FTW

Transform

Transform wrote: »

home made flapjacks and a small innocent smoothie or whey protein drink for me

I thought having fruit smoothies was too much sugar?
I love the innocent ones but I mostly stopped because of that

corkcomp

bluewolf wrote: »

I thought having fruit smoothies was too much sugar?
I love the innocent ones but I mostly stopped because of that

they dont contain too much sugar for those who work out and ive got a feeling transform maybe hits the gym ocasionally:P:D if you dont exercise and / or are already insulin resistant it might be a different story. o/t but ive noticed no matter what (without exception) food item is mentioned here people will come along and criticise it

El_Dangeroso

bluewolf wrote: »

I thought having fruit smoothies was too much sugar?
I love the innocent ones but I mostly stopped because of that

I think smoothies are best avoided by all but the most insulin sensitive people, if you have any weight to lose at all, they effectively amount to empty calories.

There's a little vitamin C, a little fiber, 30g of sugar and that's pretty much it. Definitely wouldn't go eating that much sugar without some protein as a meal.

Edited to say: I mean as an everyday staple, every once in a while is prob ok, more as a desert than a meal tho.

SugarHigh

muesli is even better than porridge and tastes lovely.

SugarHigh

worrying about the sugar level of dried fruit in a bowl of muesli is ridiculous.

corkcomp

SugarHigh wrote: »

worrying about the sugar level of dried fruit in a bowl of muesli is ridiculous.

dont then, let the rest of us worry

Adelie

SugarHigh wrote: »

worrying about the sugar level of dried fruit in a bowl of muesli is ridiculous.

Have you ever actually looked at them? Here's an example of Jordan's muesli which is one of the better quality ones:

http://www.tesco.com/superstore/xpi/5/xpi55433135.htm

Just Grains, Dried Fruit, Nuts & Seeds and still 27.6g of sugar per 100g muesli. That's not exactly insignificant.

SugarHigh

Adelie wrote: »

Have you ever actually looked at them? Here's an example of Jordan's muesli which is one of the better quality ones:

http://www.tesco.com/superstore/xpi/5/xpi55433135.htm

Just Grains, Dried Fruit, Nuts & Seeds and still 27.6g of sugar per 100g muesli. That's not exactly insignificant.

That's naturally occurring sugar not added sugar.

Outside of breakfast and fruit snacks during the day where else are going to be consuming sugar that the levels in muesli will be a problem?

Adelie

SugarHigh wrote: »

That's naturally occurring sugar not added sugar.

So? Naturally occuring sugar is still sugar.

Outside of breakfast and fruit snacks during the day where else are going to be consuming sugar that the levels in muesli will be a problem?

Well that completely depends on what you're eating and what you consider a healthy level of sugar. If you want to include muesli in your diet then fine, but it's not ridiculous that someone else would choose not to.

SugarHigh

Adelie wrote: »

So? Naturally occuring sugar is still sugar.

So you think that sugar from an apple is the same as sugar from a mars bar?

you're wrong.

Adelie

SugarHigh wrote: »

So you think that sugar from an apple is the same as sugar from a mars bar?

you're wrong.

...and you're inventing things I haven't said.

The point is, no matter where sugar comes from or what it's exact chemical composition is, it's a good idea to (a) be aware of it in your food and (b) think about limiting it somewhat.

rubadub

rubadub wrote: »

I used to use a maple syrup & pecan oat cluster cereal by tesco, it was very sweet so I just crushed it up and added it to oats.

Solitaire wrote: »

A proper Irish Breakfast would be healthier than that stuff! I remember liking the idea (and the taste!) of that cereal but finding it a bit "too much" for breakfast, so I checked the nutritional on a whim and nearly had a heart attack! That stuff had something like twice as much salt/sugar as Cinnamon Grahams (or whatever they're called now) and about five or six times the sat fat per gram! :eek:

Yes, I used it instead of honey or maple syrup, I was adding VERY small amounts as it was so sweet. I always read the packs and was impressed with the amount of pecans in it, which are usually very expensive, this is where some of that sat fat would have come from. I've been reading nutritional info on foods since I was a kid, started off reading cereals after reading about the free offers on the back I would turn to the side! sugar puffs are just under 50% sugar.

perri winkles wrote: »

I've been eating weetabix but know they arn't great either.

Weetabix are not too bad compared to many, I don't know why they do not advertise how low they are in added sugar. Then you have branflakes which are marketed as healthy and are 22% sugar.

El_Dangeroso

SugarHigh wrote: »

So you think that sugar from an apple is the same as sugar from a mars bar?

you're wrong.

Actually it is, but there are other crucial differences, namely:

Quantity: There's at least 4 times the sugar in a mars bar than an apple.

Other nutrients: The pectin and vitamin C in the fruit attenuate the oxidative damage of sugar somewhat and slow it's digestion.

But ask a scientist the difference between a fructose molecule from a mars bar or an apple and they'll tell you their isn't one. All sugar is 'natural' as in grown from sugar beet, the problems start when you take it out of it's original context and concentrate it in a way that it never is in nature.

corkcomp

corkcomp wrote: »

they dont contain too much sugar for those who work out and ive got a feeling transform maybe hits the gym ocasionally:P:D if you dont exercise and / or are already insulin resistant it might be a different story. o/t but ive noticed no matter what (without exception) food item is mentioned here people will come along and criticise it

Ah ok fair enough. Sometimes when I walk to work Im dying for one of those afterwards as I couldn't eat anything else for brek so it's good to know it's not *too* bad

Pembily

I make my own with oats, bit of sunflower butter, xyilitol, seeds and chopped hazelnuts!!!! Melt butter with xyilitol, add to toasted oats and seeds and nuts, keeps for a while and keeps me as full as eggs

Transform

bluewolf wrote: »

Ah ok fair enough. Sometimes when I walk to work Im dying for one of those afterwards as I couldn't eat anything else for brek so it's good to know it's not *too* bad

just watch the portions and go for one of the prepacked kids size one as they are quite small. Handfull of nuts with it would balance it out

Transform

Pembily wrote: »

I make my own with oats, bit of sunflower butter, xyilitol, seeds and chopped hazelnuts!!!! Melt butter with xyilitol, add to toasted oats and seeds and nuts, keeps for a while and keeps me as full as eggs

agreed - i make my own also and total winner for keeping me full and not tempted to eat junk (never really happens for me to be honest as would rather go hungry).

pickarooney

At the risk of stating the obvious, get up ten minutes earlier and take your time eating?

metamorphosis

oats, brazils, some chopped figs/dates, almonds/cashews , milled flax/chia seeds... whatever nut ya fancy, maybe a little chopped up creamed coconut... soak overnight in milk-rice-oat or soya milk or maybe even a little coconut milk. take out the next morning and put a big dollop of that lovely pure greek yogurt from lidl on top. add blueberries. nom

--Kaiser--

The fact of the matter is; we are not horses, so grains and the like on their own are not palatable. Box cereals will contain a lot of sugar, even sugar free muesli has a loads of it and I don't know anyone who can eat porridge that's not drenched in milk and liberally doused in honey.

How about boiling some eggs in the evening and eating them cold on the morning?

newsizedbooty

I eat Lizis original granola every morning and a hard boiled egg (done the night before to save time). its a good healthy cereal, kind of expensive and it is high in calories but then you just need to be careful with portion size

http://www.lizis.co.uk/index.php/product

perri winkles

pickarooney wrote: »

At the risk of stating the obvious, get up ten minutes earlier and take your time eating?

No matter how early I get up, I just can't seem to eat porridge. I really think its the idea of hot food that early in the morning, it really turns my stomach.

Think ill try make my own granola and maybe have weetabix on one or two mornings.
Thanks for all the tips everyone

B00MSTICK

Shredded Wheat.
Only 1 ingredient, no added sugar/salt and 218kcal per serving with milk.

rubadub

B00MSTICK wrote: »

Shredded Wheat.
Only 1 ingredient, no added sugar/salt and 218kcal per serving with milk.

Same with porridge oats, there is no need to cook oats, just have them with cold milk it is just muesli without the nuts/fruit/sugar. Or chop up whole fruit and pop it in, far more filling.

Also you could make a batch of thick oat pancakes with oats & egg to get the best of both worlds, pop them in a toaster each morning. More info on pancakes here http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=2055002535

taram

I hate hot eggs too on an empty stomach, but I often boil eggs the night before, pop them in the fridge, then have them sliced up cold on tomato slices, or with cheese.

perri winkles

Oh I might try shredded wheat. I like a no muss no fuss brekfast, jsut somethi nI can grab an doesn't need preparing!

Rubadub Im ashamed to say I made the pancakes before and somehow undercooked them, they were raw in the middle. Im not very gifted in the kitchen!

terlywerly

http://static.which.net/static/html/pdfs/full_table_cereals_report.pdf

According to this report done by Which? , the only cereal to get green in the 4 categories surveyed was Nestle Shredded Wheat. I have it for breakfast the odd time, its quick and easy, you can have it with hot or cold milk, and you can always add fruit/berries etc to jazz it up a bit.

jam_mac_jam

--Kaiser-- wrote: »

The fact of the matter is; we are not horses, so grains and the like on their own are not palatable. Box cereals will contain a lot of sugar, even sugar free muesli has a loads of it and I don't know anyone who can eat porridge that's not drenched in milk and liberally doused in honey.

How about boiling some eggs in the evening and eating them cold on the morning?

I eat porridge with water and nothing else, there is nothing wrong with milk either. plenty of people dont eat sugar with it.

dxhound2005

--Kaiser-- wrote: »

The fact of the matter is; we are not horses, so grains and the like on their own are not palatable. Box cereals will contain a lot of sugar, even sugar free muesli has a loads of it and I don't know anyone who can eat porridge that's not drenched in milk and liberally doused in honey.

How about boiling some eggs in the evening and eating them cold on the morning?

Maybe the people you know are not a representative sample. I like lots of cold milk with mine but no honey or any other sweetener. Cows milk and hens eggs have been consumed by humans for a long time, nothing wrong with either, although I would baulk at the idea of three eggs with every meal as suggested by some diets.

I don't know anyone who has cold boiled eggs for breakfast, but that proves nothing either. I like mine hot with a few slices of liberally buttered wholemeal bread and a mug of strong tea.

corkcomp

--Kaiser-- wrote: »

The fact of the matter is; we are not horses, so grains and the like on their own are not palatable. Box cereals will contain a lot of sugar, even sugar free muesli has a loads of it and I don't know anyone who can eat porridge that's not drenched in milk and liberally doused in honey.

How about boiling some eggs in the evening and eating them cold on the morning?

quite a strange view point tbh, I love porridge on its own - yes. OATS and WATER .. no milk or honey necessary.

I really wish people would pay more attention to what posters are asking for .. a few people have told the OP to have eggs when they clearly ruled them out .. I wonder if the op had said they wanted no grains and wanted to know how to cook eggs, would people have said to forget eggs and have grains? hmmm maybe not

--Kaiser--

--Kaiser-- wrote: »

I don't know anyone who can eat porridge that's not drenched in milk and liberally doused in honey.

I cook it with water and having gotten used to the taste of it without sugar I prefer it that way. A splash of milk is all I need on top.

I don't know why porridge gets such a bad rep, it's lovely

Noodlesb

On the topic of good breakfasts, are cheerios a good breakfast cereal, or are they full of sugar too ?

rubadub

Noodlesb wrote: »

On the topic of good breakfasts, are cheerios a good breakfast cereal, or are they full of sugar too ?

21.3% sugar, it says it has wholegrains but by the looks of them they are very highly processed.

http://www.cerealpartners.co.uk/brands/cheerios.aspx

It says a serving is 30g, if you have a scale then pour out a typical bowl first and then weigh it. 30g is a tiny amount, the always quote ridiculously low portions.

Cheerios=Bad buzz I'm afraid.

Nothing that processed and sugary is good for you. Try and eat unprocessed meat/veggies/fish/eggs fruit. Factory made breakfast cereals cant even begin to compare nutrionally. Or if you're set on something carby try and make some really nice oat and nut flapjacks (with minimal sugar/honey). At least then you can control what goes in!