Eating healthier is an incredibly important element of many people’s lives today. Whether we need to lose a few pounds or we just want to improve our health, there are tons of simple changes we can easily make to our diet and lifestyle that will significantly help in this area. Most of us could stand to eat healthier, even if we don’t need to lose weight.
The food we eat is the fuel we use to power our bodies. While many of us know this, in theory, we fuel our bodies with low-quality foods that have little to offer in the way of nutrition. One of the biggest perceived barriers to healthy eating is that we live incredibly busy lives. However, this should not be used as an excuse as to why we cannot eat healthier.
There are tons of healthy, premade products available on the marketplace that we can easily incorporate into our diet. With just a little effort, you can learn how to make Cheerios, and other commonly available convenience foods, part, and parcel of a healthy diet.
With the tips below, you can eat these foods every day and see great results, without your meals getting stale or routine.
Read on to learn about the benefits of foods like Cheerios and ways you can add them into your regular diet.
Benefits of Foods Like Cheerios
It might not be easy to see how a premade breakfast food like Cheerios can help you lose weight or become healthier at first glance. Not all breakfast cereals are kids foods. While many of them are loaded with sugar and devoid of nutrients, Cheerios is made from whole grains and contains very little sugar while still being pleasantly sweet.
Whole grains are incredibly healthy as they provide quality energy in the form of healthy carbohydrates. Foods that contain whole grain help you feel satiated for longer and provide you with energy that will not cause a glucose spike and lull.
It is these spikes and lulls that give you that “sugar high” and “sugar crash.” These highs and lows are not good for the body and they have been shown to contribute to weight gain and increase your risk of developing Type-2 diabetes.
Cereals like whole grain Cheerios are cholesterol-free and low in calories, which make them great healthy diet foods. To lose weight, we have to lower our daily caloric intake, but this does not mean that we have to starve ourselves. It just means making different choices at meal times. Having a bowl of Cheerios with skim milk is a much healthier and lower calorie option than reaching for a cinnamon roll.
Cheerios for Health and Weight Loss
Since Cheerios are made from whole grains and have a decent amount of fiber, they will keep you feeling fuller and more satisfied for longer than many other breakfast bowls of cereal. This is paramount to reducing the tendency for in-between meal snacks, but it is important to stay cognizant of portion size. Even healthy foods can be overdone.
With its high nutrient content and energy profile, Cheerios is a great food to fuel your body for the day ahead or give you a little pick-me-up in the afternoon. It gives you the energy you need to fuel your day without leaving you feeling heavy and weighted down like a lot of rich, high-fat, high-calorie foods can.
One serving of Cheerios contains a mere 100-calories, but it packs a mighty nutritional punch. Add to this a half cup of skim milk and you have a satisfying small meal or snack that doesn’t put you over the top calories wise.
A cup of regular Cheerios with a half cup of skim milk contains about 150-calories. Different flavors of Cheerios do vary a little in caloric content and if you use more or a different kind of milk, you will want to make a note of the caloric differences. Any toppings or flavor enhancers will also add calories as well.
If you want to lose about a pound a week, you will need to consume roughly 500 fewer calories a day than the recommended 2,000-calorie allowance. Replacing one or two meals and snacks with Cheerios is a tasty and easy way to cut down (sometimes significantly) on your daily caloric intake.
It is important to note that portion size is crucial for weight loss. Most of us do not truly understand what an actual portion size represents, meaning we regularly overeat without even meaning to. While it may seem like no big deal to just grab a box of cereal and munch away, these calories can still add up, and pretty fast if you also put a bunch of extras on the cereal.
Be aware of what an actual serving size is and how much you are eating when you pour yourself a bowl or grab some cereal as a snack.
How to Personalize Your Breakfast
Many people worry about eating healthier being bland or getting stale, but it doesn’t have to. A little creativity can go a long way. Cheerios come in a huge variety of different flavors. While the exact calorie content may vary a little, all types of Cheerios are whole grain, enriched with vitamins and minerals, and cholesterol free. Don’t be afraid to try other flavors and switch things up if plain Cheerios get old.
You can also make your breakfast your own by coming up with a variety of toppings for your cereal. These will add calories, but that does not mean you should only eat plain cereal. The addition of healthy add-ons will make your breakfast unique and tasty and can also add nutritional punch as well.
The following are just a few ideas for toppings or mix-ins that you can try with your cereal:
- sliced bananas
- fresh berries
- dried fruit
- honey
- maple syrup
- cinnamon
- chia seeds
- a dab of nut butter (peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, etc.)
- a dab of jam or preserves
Be careful not to go overboard with toppings or mix-ins, as these can negate a lot of the positive benefits you would otherwise get.
Healthy Snacks the Utilize Cheerios
A quick search of the internet will bring up a wealth of different options for healthy snacks that utilize Cheerios. One of the easiest healthy snacks is to combine Cheerios with a few other whole grain bowls of cereal, pretzel twists, nuts, a little bit of Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder. This will give you a tasty, healthy, whole-grain snack mix.
Those with a sweet tooth would enjoy Cheerios dessert clusters which contain plain Cheerios, dried berries, all held together by a little bit of melted white chocolate. This is a delicious, whole grain treat that makes for an excellent dessert or party snack.
Cheerios can also be used to make a healthier, more nutrient-packed take on a Rice Krispy Treat. Combine plain cheerios with a little bit of sugar, honey, and peanut butter. Spread the mixture into a pan and chill for a few hours. Once the mixture has set, you can cut them into small bars for a tasty treat.
Small changes in diet and lifestyle can make a huge difference in how we look and feel. While eating healthy may seem a bit like rocket science, it doesn’t have to be. A little know-how and some common sense advice can help you to make sense of the seemingly contradictory information that we hear on a daily basis.
The adage about diet and exercise still holds true. These are the most important factors when it comes to maintaining or achieving a healthy weight and a healthy body. A healthy diet does not have to be boring, expensive, or time-consuming. You do not have to eat nothing but celery or complicated concoctions that cost a ton and taste terrible.
All it takes is paying attention to what and how much you eat. There are tons of premade foods, such as whole-grain Cheerios, that are a great addition to a healthy diet.
Foods like Cheerios are low in fat, low in sugar, contain no cholesterol, and are enriched with vitamins and nutrients we need to look and feel our best. Cheerios and other whole grain cereals make great meals and snacks. You can also use Cheerios in some delicious recipes to make tasty, healthy treats.
Though the addition of cereal into your diet may not seem like a big change, you will likely be (happily) surprised at your results. Swapping out a High-fat, high-calorie breakfast with a healthy bowl of Cheerios will “save” you a ton of calories while leaving you feeling full and satisfied.
You don’t have to starve yourself or eat a bunch of food you don’t like to drop those few pounds or lead a healthier lifestyle. Instead of reaching for that bag of chips when you want a snack, reach for a healthy alternative like whole grain Cheerios.