I love cereal for breakfast, but to be honest it never keeps me full enough. Plus, I love sweet cereal so that turns out to be a double whammy when it comes to staying power!
As a dietitian I know exactly why cereal doesn’t keep me – and you – full. It’s because it’s just plain ol’ carbs! There isn’t much else to it. Especially with cereals on the sweeter side (my favorites), there isn’t enough protein, fat or fiber to keep us full very long. Carbohydrates like the ones in most cereals are so quickly digested that within an hour you can start to feel hungry again.
I have some RD tips that I use for myself very often to kick my cereal game up a notch and to give me the staying power I need out of a breakfast.
How can my cereal keep me fuller longer?
So glad you asked! The first thing I suggest is incorporating a whole grain, fiber-rich cereal into your routine. Whether you do this as a standalone (Mini Wheats, Raisin Bran, Kashi) or mix in (All Bran, Wheat Chex, Grape Nuts) is up to you. I personally like to mix All Bran Buds into my Cinnamon Toast Crunch or whatever my choice is that week. This way I am getting what I want but also adding the fiber the other cereal is lacking. I like at least 5 grams of fiber in my cereal.
I also opt for a higher protein milk choice. Most plant milks like almond and oat do not contain protein. Soy does and cow’s milk does. We usually keep almond milk in the house so I choose to mix in about a serving of unflavored whey protein and mix it with a frother so it gets really smooth. Sometimes I add a full serving and other times half depending on my protein needs at the moment.
So far we have fiber and we have extra protein. It wouldn’t hurt to add a fat! I don’t always do this, but if I need hours and hours of staying power I will. I keep sliced almonds on hand for this but you could also toss in a handful of regular almonds or whatever nut you like! This will add a healthy fat source and also a few extra grams of fiber.
Last, it doesn’t hurt to add in extra fruit. I like adding raisins, bananas, blueberries or strawberries to my cereal. Freeze-dried fruit also works so well for this purpose. All fruit is healthy – as long as it doesn’t have added sugar – it doesn’t have to be fresh!
Recap
- Include a whole grain cereal with a minimum 4 grams of fiber per serving. If you need or want more, mix in a high fiber cereal to beef it up. My favorite is All Bran Buds.
- Make sure your milk has protein. When mine doesn’t (in the case of almond), I mix in whey protein powder and froth it.
- Incorporate a healthy fat. I love tossing on some sliced almonds when I need more staying power.
- Add extra fruit. Not many cereals have fruit without added sugar. I like adding raisins or bananas. Fresh or freeze-dried strawberries and blueberries work so well in cereal!
Why is it important to make cereal healthier?
Implementing the strategies above will certainly help you stay fuller longer. That means less snacking and less time thinking about food. More time for you to focus on doing the things that you need to do!
Adding things like fiber, protein and fat to a meal also helps with blood sugar control. When you eat more than just a simple carb, your blood sugar will not spike. This is an overall healthy behavior but more important for those who are prediabetic, diabetic, or susceptible to diabetes.
Added fiber has been shown to reduce blood cholesterol levels. In fact, when I see a client for high cholesterol adding fiber is one of the first things we do!
Now that we have made cereal a complete meal, we can rest assured knowing that we aren’t just consuming “empty” calories that will lead us to being hungry again in an hour!