Morning Breakfast cereals

The cereal market is huge and it’s one of the most popular breakfast choices for women, milk with cereal and muesli in particular. Breakfast cereals have evolved a long way from what they used to be. From oats, to granolas to superfood blends and fortification with vitamins, there are all sorts of breakfast cereals in the market and consumer tastes have become very sophisticated. There is greater awareness about nutrition and ingredients, as well as the sugar and salts levels, consumers have become much more aware and cereals manufacturers have also had to provide detailed nutritional information of exact contents. Although many times though descriptions can still be misleading and what you may think is healthy, may not be quite as much.

Although in the past hot cereals were much more popular, the trend has been steering towards cold cereals. However hot oats has seen a growth in the market as due to growing awareness of the health benefits of eating oats, which is a good thing. Oatmeal, oat bran and whole oats are excellent sources of soluble fibre, which can help to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. Oats also contain a good deal of insoluble fibre, which is known to aid digestion. The benefits of oats include their high content vitamin B and iron, as well as wholegrain, which can help to maintain a healthy heart.

A healthy morning breakfast cereal should contain whole grains, which is very beneficial if you are trying to lose weight. Whole grains also provide slow release energy. Cereals that include bran which is the fibre that covers wholegrain offer more fibre content. Sometimes though they can be difficult to digest but are healthy and help boost bowel movement.

Raisins are the most common ingredient; found in so many cereals, these do add to the sugar content of the cereal. You can choose a cereal without raisins and add in chopped fruits of your choice to make it tastier, You can even experiment with home flavours like crushed strawberries, cinnamon, prunes and apples. Cooked cereals like oatmeal as well as barley also offer slow release energy and can be great for the winter when you need a more warming breakfast. You can flavour these with nuts like walnuts or hazelnuts to add texture and crunch. Chopped dates are also very nutritious to mix with your morning cereal.

It’s also a good idea to try different cereals or mueslis bars at different times of the year. During the colder months opt for hot oats and in the summer muesli with yogurt is a perfect choice.. You can go non dairy with spy or rice milk and choose gluten free cereals if you prefer to avoid wheat based cereals and grains.

The latest is Believe cereals, a beauty food or beauty cereal this is definitely where the rend seems to be going as functional foods for health and beauty gain popularity.The demand for greater choice, particularly in value-added products and functional foods for health and beauty will influence the next trend in the cereal market.