This power breakfast is based on a dish that my grandfather used to eat every day. He lived to be 98 years old despite almost losing his life during the First World War (see photos below).Although longevity has a genetic component, it is also a function of diet and exercise. So I wanted to develop a similar ultra-healthy breakfast dish that was easy and fast to make (10 minutes or less) that could be eaten quickly, before leaving for work.
My grandfather always used Cheerios as the base for his dish. In fact, Cheerios is still considered one of the healthiest cereals that you can choose according to this article on the “A Calorie Counter” website (although it seems to have fallen out of favor with American consumers - Cereals Americans no longer love). The same cereal everyday can be a bit monotonous so we like to rotate the base cereal each day. We use Cheerios, Kashi GoLean (4 types to choose from), Wheat Chex, Total Raisin Bran, and Wheaties. All of these cereals are extremely healthy. They contain no trans fat, no saturated fat, little or no sugar, no high fructose corn syrup, and they provide a good portion of fiber and whole grain (instead of refined grain). The specific comparison data for each of these cereals is listed below courtesy of the “A Calorie Counter” website.
| Total fat | Sat. Fat | Carbs. | Fiber | Sugar | Protein | Contains | Contains | |||
| cereal | cups | calories | (g) | (g) | (g) | (g) | (g) | (g) | Trans fat | HFCS |
| Cheerios | 1 | 100 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 3 | No | No |
| Total | 0.75 | 100 | 0.5 | 0 | 23 | 3 | 5 | 2 | No | No |
| GoLEAN | 1 | 140 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 10 | 6 | 13 | No | No |
| Wheat Chex | 0.75 | 160 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 5 | 5 | 5 | No | No |
| Wheaties | 0.75 | 100 | 0.5 | 0 | 22 | 3 | 4 | 3 | No | No |
From this healthy base, we add either 10 grain or 8 grain cereal and wheat germ. We prefer the Bob’s Red Mill brand grain cereals. For the wheat germ, we use Hodgson Mill brand. You can read about the health benefits of these two key ingredients in more detail below:
Health benefits of eating wheat germ
Health benefits of eating multi-grain cereals
Finally, we add the all-natural sweeteners of honey and fruit (preferably blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries). The health benefits of eating honey and these types of berries are described in more detail here:
Health benefits of eating honey
Health benefits of eating honey and cinnamon
Health benefits of eating blueberries
Health benefits of eating raspberries
Health benefits of eating blackberries
Additional information on all of these types of berries can be found on Oregon State's Berry Benefits Network website.
Top this off with 1% or skim milk and you have already satisfied most of the recommended daily intake of fiber and many other nutrients required for the entire day. You will also have a steady supply of energy to last you well through the afternoon without any cravings for snacks. Try this breakfast every morning for a week and let us know what you think.
Ingredients:
1 cup of cereal
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup 8 or 10 grain cereal
2 tbsp honey
1/2 cup blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries
1/4 tspn cinnamon (optional)
1% or skim milk
Preparation:
- In a bowl, add the cereal, wheat germ, and the 8 or 10 grain cereal. Stir the contents so that the wheat germ and grain cereal mix well with the base cereal.
- Next, pour about 2 tablespoons of honey over the cereal mixture. You can also add 1/4 tspn of ground cinnamon to this if you prefer.
- Pour 1/2 cup of the fruit of your choice over the honey and cereal. If I use raspberries or blackberries, I've found that these taste better fresh versus frozen. However, blueberries taste great either way.
- Add milk and enjoy!
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