Adding Whole Grains to Your Diet for a Healthy Happy Weight
Adding grain to your diet is essential for good metabolic functioning and a healthy happy weight. Therefore, it’s good to add cereals to your breakfast, for instance, that contain close to 100% whole grain in their ingredients. That can be hard to do at times because the government will not permit cereal manufacturers to count bran as a whole grain although health enthusiasts would disagree.
Therefore, when referring to any labeling, look at the first two listed ingredients. They should definitively be whole grains.
Unless either of the first two ingredients is listed as “whole,” make the assumption they aren’t except for ingredients such as rolled oats and oat flakes which are considered whole grains. That way you’ll be reasonably sure you’ll be getting the whole grains needed for a healthy happy weight.
Although, as stated, the government doesn’t consider it so, count any bran, such as wheat, corn or oat as a whole grain as they contain much of the essential components of whole grain nutrition that are forfeited when grains are refined. Also, bran is a slimming food; therefore, it makes it even more attractive as a dietary consideration when it comes to happy weight management.
Some cereals declare that they’re multi-grain cereals or that they’re made of whole grain. However, this is not normally the case. Stick to reading the ingredients and seeing if the two first ingredients are actually whole grains. That’s the best way of knowing you’re receiving the proper amount of whole grains in your cereal for a realizable happy weight.
Also look for cereals that provide the most amount of fiber for each calorie consumed. This is important for maintaining a happy weight too. For instance, with a lighter whole grain cereal like Cheerios, you should get the needed fiber from a one ounce serving while a heavier cereal like Raisin Bran should supply you with your needed fiber in a two ounce serving.
Adding fiber to your diet is not only good in obtaining and maintaining a happy weight, it’s also a great preventative for such diseases as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Some cereal companies also add filler ingredients that are considered fibrous such as chicory root extract or inulin, oat fiber, soy fiber, maltodextrin and corn, wheat and tapioca starches. One filler, psyllium has been proven to lower cholesterol. If any of these ingredients are listed after the first two whole grain listings on a cereal’s label, you can be assured that you will be receiving the maximum nutrition from your cereal in order to obtain a healthy happy weight.
It’s good to find a whole grain cereal as well that is low in saturated fat, or has less than a gram per serving. If it is higher than that amount, usually the cereal has the extra fat from the use of palm kernel oil (used, for example, in fake chocolate) or from coconut oil that is widely used in granola-type cereals. Keep the fat content low for a happy weight.
It’s good to read labels. By doing so, you’ll know you’re receiving your nutritional requirements along with reaping the benefits of happy weight management.
