Once I get started eating sugary foods I crave them more and more. I’ve found that one way to lower my sugar consumption is to wait until late in the day and only eat a few small portions of sweetened foods. If I skip lunch time desserts and bypass afternoon candy cravings my overall sugar intake is reduced by only having something sweet after dinner.
There are plenty of reasons to eat less sugar (e.g., it’s addictive; it’s bad for your heart; it increases the risk of certain cancers). After watching the 60 Minutes Sugar Expose featuring Drs. Sanjay Gupta and Robert Lustig and reading more about hidden sugars in the book Salt, Sugar, Fat by Michael Moss, I decided it was time to pay closer attention to added sugars in foods and beverages. Looking at breakfast cereal choices seemed like a good place to start…
There are plenty of reasons to eat less sugar (e.g., it’s addictive; it’s bad for your heart; it increases the risk of certain cancers). After watching the 60 Minutes Sugar Expose featuring Drs. Sanjay Gupta and Robert Lustig and reading more about hidden sugars in the book Salt, Sugar, Fat by Michael Moss, I decided it was time to pay closer attention to added sugars in foods and beverages. Looking at breakfast cereal choices seemed like a good place to start…
For years my cereal of choice has been Kashi GoLean. Maybe their early advertising campaign worked its magic on me and created a “health halo” effect over the product because of the soy ingredients, extra protein, and fiber. When you examine the Kashi GoLean side panel for sugar you’ll note that even though it doesn’t contain the dreaded high fructose corn syrup, it does contain added sweeteners. Both honey and cane syrup are mentioned twice in the ingredients list and that’s misleading. It would be more accurate to list them by their total amounts.
In the current National Geographic magazine featuring sugar there is a compelling picture of sugar-coated cereals. As a child, I ate Cocoa Puffs, Frosted Flakes, and some other sugary cereals that changed the milk in my bowl into unnatural colors. At one point we had a Cuban refugee living with us who shocked everyone in our family by adding teaspoon after teaspoon of sugar to his already sweetened cereal. The number of calories in a spoonful of sugar may surprise you especially since the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that we drastically reduce our daily sugar consumption to these levels:
In the current National Geographic magazine featuring sugar there is a compelling picture of sugar-coated cereals. As a child, I ate Cocoa Puffs, Frosted Flakes, and some other sugary cereals that changed the milk in my bowl into unnatural colors. At one point we had a Cuban refugee living with us who shocked everyone in our family by adding teaspoon after teaspoon of sugar to his already sweetened cereal. The number of calories in a spoonful of sugar may surprise you especially since the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that we drastically reduce our daily sugar consumption to these levels:
Daily Sugar Limits
Men: 150 calories, or 9 teaspoons (36 grams)
Women 100 calories, or 6 teaspoons (24 grams)
Men: 150 calories, or 9 teaspoons (36 grams)
Women 100 calories, or 6 teaspoons (24 grams)
The AHA sugar consumption recommendation includes all of the hidden sugars in processed food and any sugar you add to foods and beverages each day.
Since one cup of Kashi Go Lean has 9 grams of sugar, or more than 1/3 the daily limit for women, and I was trying to reduce my sugar intake by only eating sweet foods late in the day, it was time to find a cereal sans sugar. Cooked cereals such as oatmeal and original Cream of Wheat with no added sugar were an option and yet I like eating cold cereal even on cold winter mornings. After searching through the grocery cereal aisle and concluding that the packaged cold cereals all contained sugar, I decided to make my own.
One of my housemates in college regularly made granola and yet I didn’t want to heat up my kitchen during our hot Baltimore summer by turning on the oven any more than necessary. Thumbing through cookbooks, I came across a Swiss-Style Muesli recipe (i.e., uncooked granola) in my Food Matters book, and decided to give it a try. It’s one of those ‘anything goes’ recipes where the main ingredient is oatmeal (5 cups rolled oats) and then you choose what added dried fruits (1 to 1 ½ cups), nuts and seeds (3 cups) you prefer. If you don’t like the mouth feel of cooked oatmeal, try Muesli instead. It’s loaded with good-for-you ingredients and after the first day or two, your palate will adjust to the missing sweeteners. I’ve been eating it every day for months and don’t miss the processed Kashi cereal I was hooked on one bit.
Since one cup of Kashi Go Lean has 9 grams of sugar, or more than 1/3 the daily limit for women, and I was trying to reduce my sugar intake by only eating sweet foods late in the day, it was time to find a cereal sans sugar. Cooked cereals such as oatmeal and original Cream of Wheat with no added sugar were an option and yet I like eating cold cereal even on cold winter mornings. After searching through the grocery cereal aisle and concluding that the packaged cold cereals all contained sugar, I decided to make my own.
One of my housemates in college regularly made granola and yet I didn’t want to heat up my kitchen during our hot Baltimore summer by turning on the oven any more than necessary. Thumbing through cookbooks, I came across a Swiss-Style Muesli recipe (i.e., uncooked granola) in my Food Matters book, and decided to give it a try. It’s one of those ‘anything goes’ recipes where the main ingredient is oatmeal (5 cups rolled oats) and then you choose what added dried fruits (1 to 1 ½ cups), nuts and seeds (3 cups) you prefer. If you don’t like the mouth feel of cooked oatmeal, try Muesli instead. It’s loaded with good-for-you ingredients and after the first day or two, your palate will adjust to the missing sweeteners. I’ve been eating it every day for months and don’t miss the processed Kashi cereal I was hooked on one bit.
Although it does involve some time to prepare, this is a “dump and stir” recipe that young children can help you assemble. If no little hands are available to assist, you can put this together fairly quickly once you have the ingredients on hand. It’s worth the effort, especially if you keep in mind that this recipe provides you with a daily bowl of unsweetened breakfast cereal that will last about two weeks.
The following recipe is my variation of Mark Bitman’s Swiss-Style Muesli (Food Matters, page 169). Please note that although it is nutrient-dense (i.e., rich in healthy ingredients), it's also high in calories due to the dried fruits, nuts, and seeds. Enjoy this with yogurt, fresh fruit, nonfat milk, soy, or almond beverage.
Mary's Muesli
The following recipe is my variation of Mark Bitman’s Swiss-Style Muesli (Food Matters, page 169). Please note that although it is nutrient-dense (i.e., rich in healthy ingredients), it's also high in calories due to the dried fruits, nuts, and seeds. Enjoy this with yogurt, fresh fruit, nonfat milk, soy, or almond beverage.
Mary's Muesli
You Will Need:
5 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking or instant)
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins
1 cup shredded raw coconut
½ cup chopped dried apricots
½ cup pumpkin seeds (unsalted)
½ cup sunflower seeds (unsalted)
¼ cup flaxseed meal
1 teaspoon cinnamon
What To Do:
Mix ingredients together with a wooden spoon in a very large bowl and store in tightly sealed containers.
5 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking or instant)
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins
1 cup shredded raw coconut
½ cup chopped dried apricots
½ cup pumpkin seeds (unsalted)
½ cup sunflower seeds (unsalted)
¼ cup flaxseed meal
1 teaspoon cinnamon
What To Do:
Mix ingredients together with a wooden spoon in a very large bowl and store in tightly sealed containers.
Nutrition Information:
Serving size: ¾ cup (this is not a typo! I save room in my cereal bowl to add fresh fruit on top)
Servings per container: 14 (there are about 7 servings in each glass jar shown)
Calories per serving: 309
Total Fat: 16.5 grams (25% Daily Value)
Dietary Fiber: 6.9 grams (27% Daily Value)
Sodium: 6 milligrams (0 % Daily Value)
Good points: No added sugars or salt. High in fiber.
Not so good point: High in calories (due to healthy fats in the nuts and seeds)
Keep in mind that because it’s also high in fiber and more filling, your hunger will be satisfied longer than if you ate a lower calorie / lower fiber cereal with added sugars.
Be Well,
Mary
P.S. Please ignore the text box below; your comments are always welcome here.
Serving size: ¾ cup (this is not a typo! I save room in my cereal bowl to add fresh fruit on top)
Servings per container: 14 (there are about 7 servings in each glass jar shown)
Calories per serving: 309
Total Fat: 16.5 grams (25% Daily Value)
Dietary Fiber: 6.9 grams (27% Daily Value)
Sodium: 6 milligrams (0 % Daily Value)
Good points: No added sugars or salt. High in fiber.
Not so good point: High in calories (due to healthy fats in the nuts and seeds)
Keep in mind that because it’s also high in fiber and more filling, your hunger will be satisfied longer than if you ate a lower calorie / lower fiber cereal with added sugars.
Be Well,
Mary
P.S. Please ignore the text box below; your comments are always welcome here.
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