Adding A Dose Of Health To Conventional Breakfast Cereal

Every few weeks, I "let" the kids talk me into having cereal for breakfast. I'm not a fan of breakfast cereal in general because of its lack of health-building components and the negative effect cereal grains have on our physiology.

Grains in general create an insulin response - the more processed and refined the grains, the more severe the insulin response. These types of low quality grains also contribute to one of the most dangerous precursors to chronic illness - inflammation.

Regularly eating breakfast cereal can also sabotage efforts to lose weight and shed fat, since lower quality toxic grain choices can send us into the physiological stress response. One of the off-shoots of this stress response is that our brains release extra stress hormones like cortisol. Excess cortisol causes us to hang on to adipose tissue (fat) and have a tough time shedding it. Grown-ups don't need that. And, with childhood obesity sky-rocketing, parents need to be aware of this effect on their children.

As such, breakfast cereal only makes it to our table every few weeks or less.

On the other hand, I am a fan of how easy and quick it is to prepare! I completely understand why it's such an immensely popular breakfast choice. I have not seen any evidence that it is health-building, though. Goodness... my life would be so much easier if it were!

Breakfast cereal is expensive stuff, though. There's not much return on investment either.

This morning was a cereal morning. Honestly, it was mostly because we're still in a Twilight Zone funk after our vacation - we were all up half the night; the animals in this house have all apparently gone nuts; I haven't gone "real" grocery shopping yet for all our healthy breakfast protein sources and healthier grains; and I was tired beyond comprehension this morning! Cereal seemed like the easiest way to go! I can totally relate to every other busy, tired, and on-the-go family out there.

However, we have some agreements surrounding "grainy" breakfasts in order to minimize any negative health consequences.

1) We add a protein and its accompanying fat, and some fresh fiber to the meal. I usually do this before the cereal is even served. This morning, organic free-range eggs were served along with fresh strawberries and blueberries. Once those were finished, the cereal was served. This way, I know we provided the raw materials for building health FIRST.

* Brains function significantly better if you provide them with a nice dose of protein and fat in the morning. It helps us learn, focus and remember better. It helps regulate our moods. It helps maintain clarity and energy. Having a starchy, grainy meal with no balance of protein and fats tends to have the opposite effect.

* This is the number one recommendation I make to parents whose kids are cereal junkies. Add some protein (with its fat) and some fresh fiber! You don't even have to take away the cereal, or toast or baked goods or pastries or whatever it is. Just add the good stuff first. You can slowly reduce the focus on the conventional refined grains... and/or you can serve the protein and fiber first. Either way, just by adding the good stuff, you're dramatically improving the health and function of your child's brain each day!

2) I choose a healthier source of grains for the cereal. In this case, it was an organic, whole grain, very high fiber, very low sugar type of cereal. I'd prefer sprouted grains, but I haven't re-stocked yet.

3) I use organic almond milk or organic rice milk - both diluted, and only brands that are NOT fortified with vitamin D2. (It's inflammatory.) D3 is the 'good' kind of D. Also, we use coconut milk. Once again, only if it's NOT fortified with D2. Another option we choose is organic whole buttermilk. If we consumed milk with any regularity at all, I'd definitely choose organic, raw, unpasteurized milk from grass-fed cows or goats as my top choice. It's just such a rarity for our family, so I haven't bothered buying a share of a happy, healthy cow or goat from a safe farm. (Safe, clean, nutritionally-beneficial milk is not sold in stores in our state, so you have to 'buy into' ownership of the milk provider!)

4) One serving only. No seconds.

5) The next snack or meal will not contain grainy foods. It will be protein and its accompanying fat, and fresh fiber.

There, everyone's happy. The kids feel satisfied because they got to eat what "everyone else eats"... and mom doesn't feel too bad about it because: 1) I made it healthier, and 2) the kids really do understand the negative consequences of regularly consuming something like cereal. They understand how to go about making it a better choice and off-setting any potentially toxic consequences. They're learning how to make healthier choices... not necessarily perfect choices! I'd say that's pretty empowering for kids to learn.

By the way, I DO understand how tricky it can be to feed kids and fuel them up with healthy choices that they actually like! It's not that we don't have grains for breakfast, it's just that cereal grains are at the bottom of the list of options I regularly offer in our household.

If it's going to be a grainy option, I prefer to serve slow-cooked steel cut oats (to which I add eggs and nuts), or homemade waffles and pancakes (to which I add even more eggs and nuts), or sprouted English muffins or bread served with grass-fed butter and almond butter.

Healthier doesn't really have to be harder!