The worst cereals for kids on sale in supermarkets in Portugal – NiT
The worst cereals for kids on sale in supermarkets in Portugal
One of the options contains almost 40 grams of sugar for every 100 grams of product. See nutritionist Lia Faria’s blacklist.
When we go to the supermarket, visiting the cereal aisle for the kids can be a real torture. The variety is immense and the boxes are so colorful and appealing that they seem impossible to resist. In addition, many of the packages guarantee that they are high in fiber or low in fat; while others swear they are rich in vitamins and minerals. Result: all this leads us to believe that we are buying a healthy product and that, therefore, it should be part of our family’s daily life.
Undoubtedly, cereals are very practical options for breakfast and to serve as a snack throughout the day, the problem is that they are often full of sugar.
“This trend seems even more marked in children’s cereals, where everyone can be classified as high in sugar by the nutritional traffic light of the Directorate-General for Health”, explain nutritionist Lia Faria.
Ideally, no type of sugar should be chosen in large, nor too often, especially by children, “since a general 30-gram serving can have 6 and 11 grams of sugar, which is very high.” Alternatively, you should opt for puffed cereals, such as rice, corn and puff wheat.
“In this way, it is possible to reduce the amount of sugary cereals and still some of their flavor”, explains the same nutritionist.
However, when kids really don’t like the taste, one way to define the problem and come up with a healthy alternative is to look closely at the label. According to an expert, we should take home the option with the highest fiber and protein content and the least amount of sugar. But there are a few more tips to keep in mind, such as choosing any type of additives (in the case of preservatives and flavorings), favoring those with the simplest composition (with a list of small ingredients) and giving preference to cereals.
A nutrition specialist has evaluated the options of children’s cereals on sale in all Portuguese supermarkets and they can offer us a list that goes from the healthiest in a variety that you should really avoid. The worst option contains 36 grams of sugar per 100 grams of product. However, as a nutrition expert still emphasizes, the former have 22 grams of sugar per 100 grams, so their regular consumption is still not recommended.
“Ideally, priority should be given to cereals with up to 5 grams of sugar per 100 grams of product”, he emphasizes.
Click on the gallery to see the list prepared for a nutritionist Nia Faria.