Healthy Food
Most favorite
My favorite snack is Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes. This snack is made from corn flakes. It is food fit for vegeterians since it has no caffeine, tobacco, or alcohol. Since it has a bland taste, sugar is added to it for sweetening. There are various types of flakes. However, the flakes at Kellogg’s are unique and the largest worldwide. They are original, tasty, and come in different varieties. Moreover, they are widely available in most of the stores. Since it is a snack, it can be added to anything including crunchy nuts, which is notably added at Kellogg’s. The wide varieties come in honey, chocolate and bread crumbs. These types of flakes can be served with either hot or cold milk, fruits such as bananas, and peanut butter.
Due to diet related diseases, there was needed to examine my family history. I came to realize that my grandfather has diabetes. This came as a warning for me against the kinds of foods I was to eat and the general lifestyle. Based on the family history, there are specific items in the label of a cereal that I need to pay more attention. Among them are the presence of simple sugars and the general nutritional value of the consumption.
Least favorite
Among the least favorite cereal is the General Mills Lucky Charms. This is a creative form of the Irish breakfast. It is mainly prepared from cheerios, sugar, and peanuts marshmallows. Other flavors are yet to be identified, as what comes out is different from the mentioned ingredients. From the nutritional content, it is largely part of the food I am to avoid. In as much as it is said to be simple, it is a complicated version of the original cereal. It has faced various competitions in the market. This has forced the producers come up with its generic and artificial flavors to attract customers. The main ingredient used in making the meal is still oatmeal. However, the hidden treasure has changed over the years. Other than the mentioned flaws, the real cereal is very different from what the adverts mention. This product unfortunately does not come in small quantities. It becomes hard to but a big bag of mallows to eat as a snack in the public. Since it has lots of undesired sugar content, I rarely consume it for fear of being diabetic.
Healthy food Sunbelt bakery fruit & nut whole grain granola cereal
According to FDA (1999), healthy food should have low fat, have small amount of sodium and cholesterol. If it is made of a single item, there should be more than 10% of one of the vitamins such as calcium, protein, iron of vitamin C. These should come from raw and frozen fruits and vegetables and from given cereal grain products. Therefore, any food is termed as healthy if it lacking the said ingredients. In case of enriched grain products, the foods should be conventional to uniqueness. This demands some unique ingredients. If it is an entire meal, there should be at least 10% of any two to three vitamins, minerals or proteins. The sodium level is not to go above 360 mg in every serving of personal meals. It should also be not above 480mg in the given meal products. In order to eat healthier, fruits such as oranges, watermelons, bananas, strawberries, and blueberries should be daily consumed. This is because they have lots of minerals and vitamins. They are also known to taste good. Granola is also a mixture of healthy whole grains, honey, nuts, and dried fresh fruits such as coconuts and cranberries. Some of the products have flax seeds that are rich in omega 3 fatty acids. These are a daily requirement for the normal functioning of the body. In order to get some crunchy states, the foods can be mixed with yoghurt. People should avoid eating crunchy bars and instead eat some granola as a snack alternative. Instead of going for sodas and diet drinks, the public should focus on healthy drinks such as water. Since water has a bland taste, grape juice or lemon juice can be added to it to add flavor. Any fruit juice can be diluted with water to obtain the required sweetness.
Other than being healthy, grape juice is also sweet as it contains lots of sugars. In addition to this, empty calorie foods such as alcohol drinks should be avoided. So far, red wine is the only known alcoholic drink that has health benefits. It is important that people read the food labels. This helps to identify the possible health benefits taken from the foods. It is also necessary to eat foods rich in nutrients. These include fruits, nuts, and grains. In finding how many calories are available in a whole grain granola cereal with banana nut, it is necessary to understand the nutritional facts. In every serving, there are 72 calories from the fats, 2.5g of the saturated fats, 50mg of sodium, 0mg cholesterol, and 37 g of carbohydrates and 0mg of potassium. There are also 3g of the dietary fibers. 13g sugars, 4 g proteins and 0% of vitamins A, C; iron and calcium. In general, there are no cholesterol, and low sodium. It however has high number of sugars.
(Sunbelt 2014)
Organic cereal
Among the cereals, Just the Clusters are crunchy, and have wholesome ingredients. These are wholesome snacks made from cane sugar, whole grain oats, vanilla flavor, honey, and sliced almonds. The clusters are always crunchy. They are useful in boosting the energy and vigor in a person. In as much as it is crunchy and good for energy, I dislike the taste and the ingredients used to make the snack.
Randomly selected cereal by instructor
Among the selected cereals is Rice Krispies. Rice has no gluten. It is the basic meal for celiac sufferers. Hence, puffed rice is beneficial to most people. This is because this type of rice comes with some neat technology. First rice particles are treated with steam. This further introduces moisture. As heat is further introduced, moisture is . This gives the desired pressure to increase the grains. The steam works as an internal lubricant. This allows molecules of rise to slide past each other and increase the surface area of the rice. As heating is increases, the bond of the grains also increase. This traps the air and dissolving the sugar in the mixture. This further forms a strong film, which supports the walls of the air pockets. This form of rice can be mixed with malt to increase the nutritional content and taste. Furthermore, this nutritional content is beneficial to celiac patients. Celiac disease has varied signs and symptoms. There are gastric problems, skin rashes, tingling sensations, fatigue and mouth sores. These are mainly associated with gluten reactions.
References
FDA Backgrounder. The Food Label. 1999. Retrieved from http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fdnewlab.html
Sunbelt Bakeries. Calories in Banana Nut Whole Grain Granola Cereal. 2014
http://www.caloriecount.com/calories-sunbelt-bakery-banana-nut-whole-i339048