PORTLAND -- Health experts agree that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially for kids heading off to school, but possibly even more important are the ingredients that food contains.
Most people turn to dry cereal and add cold milk because it’s quick and easy, but Dr. Miles Hassell with Providence Medical Group said he has a warning for parents: “Some of these cereals actually have higher amounts of sugar than Twinkies do.”
Hassell wants parents to know that many of the popular cereals on store shelves have 20 grams of sugar in just one serving. That’s equivalent to five teaspoons of sugar; similar to having a Twinkie for breakfast.
Dr. Hassell suggested an alternative to cereal – oatmeal. But not just any oatmeal, “Oat groats, which is the oats that come from the field,” he said were best.
Hassell said that raw oats can be cooked on a low setting in a crock-pot overnight. "Just pour some water into your cooker, add the oats and when you wake up, the oatmeal is ready to go," he said.
He also suggested adding a little flax seed, walnuts and honey for extra flavor.
Another helpful tip - start reading the ingredients label for foods in the grocery store. Hassell said the ingredients are often more important that the nutrition labels and that sugar should never be one of the first four ingredients in healthy foods for kids.
