Crushing the craze around cornflakes with facts!

 I often wonder what’s the craze about cornflakes among people trying to lose weight desperately. Whenever I ask them the reason for taking cornflakes for breakfast, they sheepishly reply that the ads show that it will apparently help them shed the extra kilos. If I suggest them to switch the good old poha/ idli- dosa for breakfast, they are often surprised to say the least & even flabbergasted at times.



Well, let’s burst the bubble, cornflakes offer you nothing more than simple sugars (read, high fructose corn syrup or HFCS) often fortified with vitamins and minerals to cover up the loss in nutrients that occur during the ultra-processing involved to turn humble maize to crunchy cornflakes.

Here’s a bitter pill for you to swallow, there’s no single magic pill that helps us to shed those extra kilos or enter ……. (any health issue) rather it’s lifestyle change and mindful choices that help us achieve the goal.

In case you bought a pack of plain cornflakes and do not wish to throw it away, you have two options-

1.      Give it away to someone in need

2.     Instead of having cornflakes with a warm cup of milk for breakfast, you can make it relatively healthy by adding some chopped fresh fruits, a handful of plain nuts/ seeds, sprinkle some chia seeds. The health factor in this breakfast bowl is due to addition of milk, fruits, nuts and/or seeds and not the cornflakes itself. People often add honey to cornflakes, we are here topping it with fresh fruit for natural sweetness instead.

 

Well, if you are someone who enjoys hot and sweet porridge/ milk+ whole grain and do not wish to completely give it up, then I have an option for you that’s going to sound like honey to your ears.

You can choose to have amaranth (which is a pseudo- grain by the way) and cook it in milk, top with fresh fruits and nuts/seeds and relish this hearty breakfast. As it is unprocessed food unlike cornflakes, it would take time to get cooked. Let’s not compromise health for the sake of convenience. A little planning goes a long way to help us eat healthy.

There might be at least one of you who’s going to ask me what about oatmeal? Well, oatmeal is not a bad idea but why choose something exotic when we have our humble amaranth. Choosing a food that’s grown locally is definitely great for pocket, nutritional value (as it doesn’t travel long distance to reach you thereby preventing nutrient losses) and environment friendly. However, if you prefer oats, then go for steel cut oats or rolled oats over instant oats for getting the benefits (if you ask why, then it’s because instant oats are also processed to ensure quick cooking).


If you found this article useful, do share with your friends and family, so that they also benefit from the right information.


Thanks for stopping by.

Subhashini

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