They represent the nutritious variant of industrial cereals. In any case, what should you pay attention to when choosing in the supermarket? A dietitian-nutritionist answers.
Star brunch healthy, a nutritious alternative to industrial cereals, oatmeal and muesli have become a sweet and healthy breakfast essential. Plain flakes or mixed with chocolate chips, nuts or dried fruit… the choice is wide on the supermarket shelves. And its nutritional contribution also varies according to its composition. So how do you find your way and choose the best product?
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Low in carbohydrates
“The ideal bowl is made up of pure oat flakes or wheat and a mixture of nuts,” immediately points out Pamela Ebner, dietitian nutritionist, author of the book. Eat real (1).
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Choose simple flakes, which already represent a source of carbohydrates, also make sure to consume a lower dose of sugar. “It is important that the first meal of the day is not too rich in carbohydrates, molecules that are transformed into glucose (sugar) in the body”, indicates the specialist. “A breakfast that is too sweet will cause a spike in blood sugar (a sudden increase in blood sugar levels, editor’s note), then a drop in blood sugar, which will make you hungry and encourage sweet cravings throughout the day.
If you want to opt for a more gourmet version, with pieces of fruit or chocolate chips for example, all you have to do is check the list of ingredients on the back of the product. Components are listed in descending order. “Between the first two of the list, we must find oats, wheat or nuts, but no sweet ingredients”, specifies Pamela Ebner. Otherwise, it means that the product is composed mainly of sugar.
Rich in fiber
To be nutritious, muesli must be rich in fiber. “Fiber helps to stabilize the famous spike in blood sugar,” says the dietitian nutritionist. We therefore refer here to the reports in the nutritional composition of the product. “There should always be at least 1 gram of fiber for every 5 grams of sugar,” she says. So, if a muesli contains 20 grams of sugar per serving, it must have at least 4 grams of fiber for the same portion.
The specialist also recommends adding foods that are sources of fiber to our bowl of crunchy muesli or oatmeal. For example, you can choose oils (pumpkin, flax, chia, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc.). In addition, nuts and seeds are rich in omega 3, essential fatty acids that the body needs every day.
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To be complete, a breakfast must also consist of proteins. Milk (cow, almond or hazelnut), natural yogurt, kefir, or even almond or hazelnut puree… everyone can enrich their bowl according to their taste.
Fructose syrup, glucose syrup, sweeteners… We avoid refined sugars in favor of honey, cane sugar, coconut flower or coconut.
Pamela Ebner, Dietitian Nutritionist
Avoid ultra-processed ingredients
To ensure that we choose the healthiest possible product, we stay away from those that contain ultra-processed ingredients, that is to say designed by food manufacturers, and therefore of little nutritional value.
On the label, we see these chemical molecules with incomprehensible names or ingredients that we do not find in our kitchen. “Fructose syrup, glucose syrup, sweeteners… For example, we avoid refined sugars in favor of honey, cane sugar, coconut flower or coconut”, explains the specialist.
Finally, watch out for crunchy muesli containing puffed rice or quinoa. “These ingredients come from an industrial process in which their food matrix is destroyed,” he warns. They will quickly increase the level of sugar in the blood in the body, they are harmful to health.
(1) Eat realby Pamela Ebner, Edizioni Thierry Souccar, 324 pages, €22.90.