Especially filled “balls” or “pillows” also often contain larger amounts of fat. The chocolatey products for children, for example, together with a cup of whole milk (a total of 155 grams) already provide a good 10 grams of it. This corresponds to almost a quarter of the daily fat intake recommended for kindergarten children. Filled cereals for adults – often with a higher fiber content – generally do not contain as much fat.
Pay attention to proportion of saturated fat
A look at the ingredients and nutrients list is worthwhile. Here, some manufacturers additionally state how much of the unhealthy saturated fatty acids make up the total fat content. These should be particularly avoided, as they can negatively affect cholesterol levels.
Real muesli saturates longer
Of course, a muesli with milk or yogurt, cereal flakes also contains some fat. However, the difference with a portion of chocolate cereal is great. Because such a muesli weighs first of all twice as much as a small bowl of flakes and saturates even more than that. Why?
A real muesli contains a lot of dietary fiber. On the one hand, they fill the stomach pleasantly and for a long time. On the other hand, they ensure that the starch and sugar they contain are absorbed into the blood only slowly – so energy is supplied continuously over a longer period of time. So you can be sure to keep going until lunch.
In addition, there are many natural vitamins, heart-healthy fats from fresh nuts and plenty of minerals from whole grains and milk in one serving. So no comparison to a bowl of processed pops. Nor to high-fiber cereals, although they do perform quite a bit better than their conventional alternatives.
Okay as a sweet
Now back to the guessing quiz: cereal is healthy, it’s true. Especially when there are lots of fresh ingredients in it. However, most breakfast cereals should be eliminated from the “healthy breakfast” category. They usually contain too much sugar, too little fiber and often have little in common with cereals.
Stiftung Warentest sums it up with a finding in a test for children’s foods as follows: “If you look at the flakes as a sweet, you might even get something out of them.” This is because, compared to other sweet sins, cereals contain relatively little fat and, by being eaten with milk, they also provide a small contribution to calcium supply.
