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Whole grain breakfast options
offer healthy alternative to Pop-Tarts
By Maddie Wilson
February 26, 2008 | For some reason, college students
do not have reputations as the healthiest eaters in
the world. Maybe that is because of the surplus of Ramen
noodles and Pop-Tarts seen bulging out of students'
backpacks as they walk to and from classes. And believe
it or not, Ramen noodles and Pop-Tarts do not fulfill
the vitamin and nutrient needs required to lead a healthy
life, especially when it comes to whole grains.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, consuming
at least 3 ounce-equivalents of whole grains per day
can reduce the risk of several chronic diseases and
may help with weight maintenance.
Foods containing whole grains are hard to find, however,
the USDA said. Whole grains cannot be determined by
the color of foods. Consumers must read labels to determine
if foods contain whole grains. They should look for
labels that list "whole" or "whole grain" as the first
ingredient in the list of ingredients. Wheat flour,
enriched flour and degerminated cornmeal are not whole
grains, the department said.
And, unfortunately, Pop-Tarts and Ramen noodles do
not have whole grains either. The first ingredient in
Pop-Tarts is enriched flour, and the second is sugar.
The first ingredient in Ramen is enriched wheat flour.
So, what are those students who depend on a daily
breakfast of Pop-Tarts, which have 200 calories, 5 grams
of fat, 20 grams of sugar and less than 1 gram of dietary
fiber per serving -- and that is only in one pastry
-- supposed to do? Fortunately, grocery stores offer
a variety of breakfast cereals that are made from whole
grains. Some are pricier than others, and some offer
fewer calories than others.
Each cereal's nutrition facts label states that a
daily 2,000 calorie diet should have less than 65 grams
of fat and at least 25 grams of dietary fiber.
Here is the lowdown: The labels on the following cereals
at Smith's Food and Drug listed either "whole grain"
or "whole grain wheat" as their first ingredient. These
nutrition facts are for the cereal only; they may vary
when the cereal is served with milk.
Post Grape Nuts costs 15.9 cents per ounce and has
83 calories and 1 gram of fat per serving. Each serving
contains 7 grams of dietary fiber and 4 grams of sugar.
Kellogg's Raisin Bran rings up at 17.7 cents per ounce,
with 190 calories per serving. One serving also has
1.5 grams of fat, 7 grams of dietary fiber and 19 grams
of sugar.
Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats cost 21.1 cents per
ounce, and have 200 calories per serving. Each serving
has 1 gram of fat, 6 grams of dietary fiber and 12 grams
of sugar. There are also 60 milligrams of magnesium
(15 percent of the daily value, according to the nutrition
facts label) in one serving.
General Mills Fiber One rings up at 28.3 cents per
ounce, and has only 60 calories per serving. One serving
has 1 gram of fat, 14 grams of dietary fiber and no
sugar.
General Mills Total Whole Grain is the most expensive
of these suggested cereals: It costs 31 cents per ounce.
One serving has 100 calories and 0.5 grams of fat. Each
serving also has 3 grams of dietary fiber and 5 grams
of sugar. According to the nutrition facts label, each
serving also contains 100 percent of the daily value
of calcium, thiamine, niacin, folic acid, vitamins C,
iron, vitamin E, riboflavin, vitamins B6 and B12, zinc
and pantothenic acid.
MS
MS
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