Cereal Choices to Start the Day Right
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Howoften have we heard this and howoften have we educated our patients on the importance of breakfast? Ready-to-eat cereals are popular, quick, and easy breakfast foods for patients of all ages. It is our job to help patients choose a cereal that fits well into their renal diet while helping them wade through claims regarding fiber, whole grains, vitamins, and minerals. With respect to cereals geared toward children, there may be concerns that some of them are high sugar containing, presweetened foods. However, other cereals might provide a way to increase the uptake of fiber and vitamins as well as provide increased choices in an already limited diet. Armed with the proper information, we can help patients choose the right cereal. To help the renal dietitian sift through information, a reviewof several cereal companies’ websites revealed the following: GeneralMills Big G cereals contain at least 8 g whole grain per serving. They fortify their entire line of children’s cereals with calcium and vitamin D. A nutrition highlights panel is displayed on the front of the Big G cereal boxes to provide information related to calories, sugar, saturated fat, and sodium content, in addition to other nutrients that the company deems to be “key.” Kellogg’s has added fiber to many of their cereals for children. They have also displayed some nutrition information on the front of their boxes as a way to make it easier for consumers to see the information quickly without looking at the nutrition panel. These are referred to by the company as “GDAs, Guideline Daily Amounts.” (Note that the GDAs are based on % daily values