fortified cereals:
are they really
good for us?
Cereals are fortified when they're packed full of vitamins and minerals.
This sounds good on paper, and cereal manufacturers are quick to tell us when their products are full of vitamins.
But the reality is that they're packed with the 'good stuff' to hide how much 'bad stuff' is in there.
In fact, our research has found that a higher vitamin and mineral count is linked to a higher overall sugar content.
So Does This Mean Fortified Cereals Are Good For Us?
Yes, the vitamins and minerals that fortified cereals provide are generally beneficial, and can form part of a balanced diet.
Given that many people don’t meet their dietary recommendations for many vitamins and minerals, fortified cereals can go some way to bridging this gap.
The issue is the sleight-of-hand that cereal manufacturers employ to mask the worse side
of their products.
While you might think that a fortified cereal is a healthy choice for breakfast, those cereals are often very sugary and highly processed.
Which means that while you are gaining some benefit from certain vitamins and minerals, these benefits are counterbalanced by the unhealthier aspects of the cereal.
It’s all about our personal preference and what we’re comfortable with.
The issue is, many of us simply aren’t aware of what’s really in our food - and so we fall for the branding.
What’s The Relationship Between Fortified Cereals And Sugar?
Our research found that added vitamins and minerals are correlated with sugar content. That is, the more vitamins and minerals packed into a cereal, the more sugary it is likely to be.
This means that cereals that advertise themselves as a source of vitamins and minerals - like niacin, riboflavin, iron, thiamin, and folic acid - are often also very sugary and processed.
Always make sure to check the box to understand what’s really going on. If it sounds too good to be true - it probably is!