By Anna Valmero
PASAY CITY, METRO MANILA—Eating whole grains and foods rich in fiber are keys to maintaining your healthy weight.
A typical Filipino diet which mainly consists of milled rice from breakfast to supper, and sometimes even snacks such as rice cakes, is not a healthy diet suited for slimming down or for maintaining adequate nutrient intake, said John Athanatos, global director of nutrition and regulatory affairs for Cereal Partners Nationwide, a venture between Nestle and General Mills.
Milled rice or refined flour have lost most of their antioxidants, lipids, vitamins, phytochemicals, and protein, and mainly consists of carbohydrates or sugar.
Eating cereal made of whole grains for breakfast is related to increased intake of fiber, calcium, iron, folic acid, Vitamin C and zinc, and it also decreases someone's intake of fat and cholesterol.
This is confirmed by results from the Low-Income Diet and Nutrition Survey profiling boys and girls from low-income families who were recorded to have better nutrient intake when eating cereals for breakfast, said Athanatos.
Based on the same study, eating cereals for breakfast can reduce the risk of being overweight by 33 percent and is also associated with lower body mass index (BMI). For Filipinos, the normal BMI is 23 and beyond that, someone is at risk for being overweight or obese.
“Why is breakfast important? It is to refuel our body and brain after a night's sleep. Breakfast helps wake up our body and kick-start our metabolism, setting up our body for the day,” Athanatos said.
In Australia, it is recommended that people should have four to 12 grain-based servings each day, while the Chinese Dietary Guidelines and Pagoda recommend for the Chinese to consume up to 400 grams of whole grains, cereals and legumes.
For Filipinos, Athanatos suggested consuming brown rice is better than eating white rice since a 100 gram serving of brown rice contains 1.8 grams of fiber. In case you find brown rice an expensive option, there are other alternatives such as whole wheat cereals in the market.
When choosing cereals from shelves, make sure to read the label if it is made of whole grains to ensure that you are getting adequate nutrients and fiber.
Corn, whole oats, and whole wheat and have an average fiber of 7.3 grams to 100 grams per 100 gram serving, according to the United States Department of Agriculture's National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.
A few slices of banana, apple and a dash of cinnamon or a teaspoon of honey can make your meal more satisfying and healthier with the added fiber and nutrients, said Athanatos.
Aside from breakfast, cereals can be eaten during morning or afternoon snacks instead of a cup of rice and viand.
“Slimming down and maintaining your weight is not about not eating anything at all. In fact, when you starve yourself, you tend to eat more afterwards. Maintaining portions for every meal is good and cereals would be a good choice to replace diets with high sugar or fat,” said Athanatos.
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