Cereal: Just For Breakfast?

Beginning your day without breakfast is like starting your car without gas. Breakfast cereals provide a wide variety of nutrients that help to get you going.

Cereals -- both the ready-to-eat and cooked varieties -- provide vitamins, minerals and often lots of fiber. Adding milk, yogurt or fruit to the cereal further increases nutritional value.

When choosing cereals, remember:

Check the label for fiber content. Good fiber cereals have at least 2.5 grams per serving.
Whole-grain cereals contain more fiber.
Look for cereals with at least 25 percent of vitamins and minerals.
Look for cereals that provide some healthy fat. For example, nuts common ingredients in granolas.

In addition, breakfast cereals often make good snacks. With their portable nature, cereals can be enjoyed dry or with milk.