Anuja Mohile, Author at GOQii

March 7, 2025 By Anuja Mohile 1 Comment

Which breakfast cereal should you choose?

Imagine walking into the supermarket cereal aisle—rows of colourful boxes promising to be ‘high in fibre,’ ‘low in sugar,’ or ‘fortified with vitamins.’ But how do you know which one is actually good for you? With so many brands and labels, making a healthy choice can be confusing.

Breakfast is meant to break the overnight fast, providing sustained energy and essential nutrients to start the day. However, many cereals that appear healthy may actually contain hidden sugars, excessive salt, or low fibre content. Let’s break down what really matters when choosing your ideal breakfast cereal.

Key Ingredients to Check on a Cereal Box

1. Sugar: Is Your Cereal Too Sweet?

Many breakfast cereals contain added sugars to enhance flavour. While carbohydrates are essential for energy, excess sugar can lead to spikes in blood sugar levels, increased cravings, and long-term health risks such as obesity and diabetes.

Best Choice: Choose cereals with 5g of sugar or less per serving.

Avoid: Cereals with over 10g of sugar per serving, especially those labelled as frosted, honey-coated, or flavoured—these often contain more sugar than nutrition.

Tip: Sweeten plain cereals naturally by adding fresh fruits, dates, or a drizzle of natural honey.

2. Fibre: The More, The Better!

Dietary fibre is essential for digestion, gut health, and keeping you full longer. A fibre-rich breakfast helps stabilise energy levels and prevent mid-morning cravings.

Best Choice: Look for cereals with at least 3-6g of fibre per serving or 20g per 100g. Wholegrain cereals like bran flakes, shredded wheat, and oats are great choices.

Avoid: Low-fibre cereals with less than 2g per serving—these will leave you feeling hungry soon after eating.

Tip: Add chia seeds, flaxseeds, or nuts to boost your fibre intake.

3. Salt: The Hidden Ingredient You Overlook

Many processed cereals contain added salt to enhance flavour and shelf life. Too much sodium can contribute to high blood pressure and heart disease.

Best Choice: Opt for cereals with 0.3g of salt or less per 100g (0.1g of sodium or less).

Avoid: Cereals with over 1.5g of salt per 100g (0.5g of sodium or more).

Tip: If sodium isn’t mentioned on the label, check for ingredients like sodium bicarbonate or preservatives, which indicate hidden salt content.

4. Fat: Watch Out for Unnecessary Additions

Most breakfast cereals are naturally low in fat. However, some granola, muesli, and nut-based cereals contain added oils that can increase caloric intake.

Best Choice: Cereals with 5g of fat or less per 100g.

Avoid: Those with excessive added oils, trans fats, or palm oil.

Tip: If you enjoy granola, opt for lightly roasted options with minimal added oil.

5. Added Nutrients: Do You Really Need Fortification?

Many cereals are fortified with Iron, Calcium, Vitamin D, and B Vitamins, especially for children and adults who may have nutrient deficiencies.

Best Choice: If you struggle with nutrient intake, choose a cereal with fortified vitamins and minerals.

Avoid: Highly processed cereals with artificial additives and preservatives.

Tip: Pair your cereal with milk, nuts, or yoghurt to enhance its nutritional value.

How to Build the Perfect Breakfast Bowl

A healthy breakfast isn’t just about cereal—it’s about balancing macronutrients for a more filling, nourishing start to your day:

Base: Choose a wholegrain cereal like oats, bran flakes, or shredded wheat.

Protein: Add Greek yoghurt, low-fat milk, or a plant-based alternative.

Healthy Fats: Sprinkle chia seeds, flaxseeds, or a handful of nuts.

Natural Sweetness: Fresh berries, banana slices, or dried fruits.

Navigating the cereal aisle doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By reading food labels carefully and making informed decisions, you can choose a nutritious breakfast that supports your energy, digestion, and overall health.

Takeaway: Look for low sugar, high fibre, moderate salt, and avoid unnecessary additives for a balanced start to your day.

Which breakfast cereal do you enjoy the most? Share your favourites in the comments!

#BeTheForce

March 19, 2024 By Anuja Mohile 1 Comment

Eat Smart To Live Smart: Mastering Portion Control

What do you know of portion size and serving size? Often we read a label saying the portion/serving size as “x” amount. But, we are seldom aware of the difference between portion and serving size? You may ask, are they really different? Yes of course! And as a consumer you should be aware of the difference between the two as it may help you in choosing your food items consciously.

What is a serving size?

A serving size is average amounts that assists us in eating or helps us to decide how much to eat or identify how many calories and nutrients are present in that particular amount of food that we eat. For example we buy a packet of noodles weighing 100grams. If you carefully read the label it may say that the serving size is 75 grams only and the nutritive values for the serving will also be provided.

What is a portion size?

Portion size cannot be defined universally. It is the amount we take on our plate. It may vary according to the food we eat at different times. Thus, to continue the example given previously the serving size may be 75 grams but, you cannot really store 25 grams for the next time. So you have the whole pack for yourself. This would be the portion you choose to take on your plate.

Now eating portion size instead of serving size is not entirely wrong. Quite often it may occur that you eat several servings in one portion itself. In fact when we eat out in restaurants their portions may even exceed the servings that are recommended by the food pyramid. Further, new marketing strategies add up. The introduction of large size portions at cheaper price and meal combos or value meals has actually decreased the value of healthy, nutritious and fresh food in the consumer minds.

There are so many fast food chains that offer more food for a very slight increase in cost. Not only in restaurants but also in super markets we choose to buy bulk or opt for various offers like buy one get one free. This is a very natural consumer tendency but buying and further eating products in larger quantities itself is a major reason for gaining weight. It is the easily available large portion sizes that make you eat high fat, sugar, and thereby high calories.

Today, the portion sizes have grown so much that there is enough food for more than two people in a single plate. In fact we opt for restaurants where the dish is big enough. This kind of portion size increase is also taking place at home and is known as portion distortion. The food guide pyramid allows us to understand the different foods that we need to eat based on their nutritive value and also the proportions in which we should consume these on a regular basis.

Based on the food guide pyramid and serving size we can achieve portion control on the foods we eat. Portion control helps us to understand the nutritive value of the portion of the food, thereby how much of it should be consumed. Thus, in order to obtain a balance in the healthy and unhealthy foods that we eat it is extremely important to practice portion control in our daily routine. It helps us to control the quantity as well as the quality.

To conclude here are few tips for a better portion control in our daily life

** While choosing and eating food: Prepare and eat food at home. We tend to eat more portions in restaurants.

** Pack snack items in individual servings.

** Use a small dish which will give less space for food.

** Read labels to understand what a serving looks like. Read the number of serving per packet. Don’t start eating directly from the box. Try serving one serving per plate.

** When eating out, avoid eating supersized meals and other deals that promote overeating

** At restaurants share your meals, if not at least get the extra meal packed instead of finishing it there itself. Split your main dish with your friend. Don’t order separately.

** Prepare daily meals just for the number of people available.

** Don’t cook in bulk especially in case of sweets.

By mastering portion control and making mindful food choices, you can pave the way for a healthier lifestyle and enhance your overall well-being. Remember, it’s not just about what you eat, but also how much. So, eat smart, live smart, and enjoy a balanced and nutritious diet every day. For additional tips on diet and nutrition, explore Healthy Reads or connect with a certified expert through GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here. Start your journey toward a healthier life today!

#BeTheForce

November 30, 2015 By Anuja Mohile Leave a Comment

Shake off the salt habit!

My food won’t taste good at all if I don’t add salt to it. Salt has become a habit to such an extent that we not only use it while cooking but add extra from the top too. We need salt for enhancing our fruits’ tastes too. Surprising isn’t it??

Salt namely Sodium chloride contains 40% of sodium in it. We add this salt to most of our foods/recipes and thus it is considered to be the major source of sodium to our body. Also the sodium we are talking about is not completely bad the way it’s being projected. Sodium also performs some important functions in our body like regulating the nerves and muscles, controlling the blood pressure and thus the sodium concentrations need to be carefully controlled by the body. Most of us consume far more sodium than what our body would actually need. This excess sodium causes the body to retain too much water in the blood vessels which causes a rise in the blood pressure thereby increasing the risk of heart disease, kidney disease and even stroke.

Our daily limit of sodium consumption per day is given as 2300 mg which is actually completed by 1 teaspoon of our table salt itself. Surprised?

Now give a thought to how much salt and thereby sodium are we consuming!!

So are you thinking that you don’t really consume that much of salt specially because you don’t sprinkle salt from top or not even add much to your daily food?

Research in fact shows that 75% of salt or more precisely sodium comes from the processed and preserved foods that we consume on a daily basis which we might not even consider to be really overly salty.

One vegetable wrap with loads of cheese, tomato sauce and mayonnaise in it can give you sodium for next 7 days. Thus, this is the extra sodium you consume in addition to any extra salt to your food at home.

Solution for this is not of course cutting all sodium/salt out of your diet but let’s try to strike a chord somewhere in the middle.

Here is a salt check and a few tips to help us to cut down our salt intake and thereby our sodium intake too.

Cut down your all obviously salty foods like salted nuts, fried moong dal, farsan, chips, powders, cheese, pickles, sauces, dry fruits, dry fish etc.
Look out for the hidden sources of sodium and salt. Baked items, breads, whole bread too, biscuits, breakfast cereals even if they are sweet, stir in masalas, table sauces, soup powders, tinned fruits, vegetables, canned juices, frozen patties, parathas, nuggets, sausages contain loads of sodium and should be restricted as much possible. It is not always sodium chloride but it can be other salts of sodium like citrate, sorbitrate, glutamate, benzoate, carbonate, bicarbonate etc. MSG or monosodium glutamate present in soya sauce, schezwan and chilli sauce – the main sauces in our Chinese version foods is again extremely salty a very high source of sodium.
Try to google for the preservatives- the E- series- you will be surprised to see that almost many salts of sodium are used for your favorite foods.
Buy fresh foods like vegetables, fruits, cereals, pulses and not their remix version.Try to obtain the goodness of cereal from the wholegrain s instead of breads and pastries. Natural foods contain far less sodium than the preserved ones. Start eating the fresh homemade food. Use healthy cooking methods.
Instead of salt, use herbs, spices to season your cooking. Lime juice, tamarind, kokam, vinegar, garlic, black pepper, and cinnamon help to add the flavor. Try making different marinade and spicy rubs to add flavor to your foods instead of plain salt.
Taste your food before adding the entire quantity of salt you plan to add.
Take the salt off your dining table. If you have to always go and get your salt you tend not to bother to get it. You can cut down your salt by adding less to your food slowly day by day. Research suggests that if salt is decreased very slowly it is not even realized.

So finally next time if you forget to add salt in your vegetable, stop yourself from adding extra salt and instead try eating the vegetable just without salt. Initially you may find it difficult. But soon you may realize that what tastes now is the original taste of the vegetable and the spices or herbs that you have added to it. It might prove to be a pleasant surprise to your taste buds too. This effort needs to be taken from our side as we all are aware that excess salt consumption can act as a silent killer in the body.