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Question
03 Feb 2004
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nutritional value of breakfast cereals
Hi Dietdoc
I would just like to know why they promote Kellogs special k as supposedly being so much healthier than something like chocos or cocoa pops when as far as ive compared them,they have the same nutritional value and the dietary fibre is exactly the same. are weetabix and all bran the best choices for having high fibre to lose weight? if not,what should i be eating?
Thanks
I would just like to know why they promote Kellogs special k as supposedly being so much healthier than something like chocos or cocoa pops when as far as ive compared them,they have the same nutritional value and the dietary fibre is exactly the same. are weetabix and all bran the best choices for having high fibre to lose weight? if not,what should i be eating?
Thanks
DietDoc
Dear Curious
According to the SA Food Tables these different cereals have the following composition per 100g:
Special K: 1617 kJ, 19g protein, 0.3g fat, 2.2g fibre and 6.8g added sugar
CoCo pops: 1591 kJ, 5.2g protein, 0.2g fat, 1.4g fibre and 38.6 g added sugar
Weetbix: 1489 kJ, 11.6 g protein, 2.1 g fat, 12.1g fibre and 6.2g added sugar
Hi-fibre bran: 1043 kJ, 14.5 g protein, 1.8 g fat, 35.0g fibre and 15.9 g added sugar
Thus the claim that Special K is good for slimming is based on its high plant protein, very low fat and moderate fibre contents. When we compare the Coco Pops the most pronounced difference is in the protein and added sugars contents - thus Special K would be a better option.
To obtain the most dietary fibre you need to eat Hi-fibre bran which has 35g of fibre per 100g, a value that is much higher than all the other products. However, variety in diets is always a good idea, so you could vary your breakfast cereals and eat Special K, Weetbix and Hi-fibre bran alternately. You can also include oats, unsifted maize meal, and Maltabella.
Enjoy
DietDoc
According to the SA Food Tables these different cereals have the following composition per 100g:
Special K: 1617 kJ, 19g protein, 0.3g fat, 2.2g fibre and 6.8g added sugar
CoCo pops: 1591 kJ, 5.2g protein, 0.2g fat, 1.4g fibre and 38.6 g added sugar
Weetbix: 1489 kJ, 11.6 g protein, 2.1 g fat, 12.1g fibre and 6.2g added sugar
Hi-fibre bran: 1043 kJ, 14.5 g protein, 1.8 g fat, 35.0g fibre and 15.9 g added sugar
Thus the claim that Special K is good for slimming is based on its high plant protein, very low fat and moderate fibre contents. When we compare the Coco Pops the most pronounced difference is in the protein and added sugars contents - thus Special K would be a better option.
To obtain the most dietary fibre you need to eat Hi-fibre bran which has 35g of fibre per 100g, a value that is much higher than all the other products. However, variety in diets is always a good idea, so you could vary your breakfast cereals and eat Special K, Weetbix and Hi-fibre bran alternately. You can also include oats, unsifted maize meal, and Maltabella.
Enjoy
DietDoc
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