What’s In The Bowl? Canada

www.breakfastcereals.ca.

As many families around the globe, we rush out to get our children to school and we begin our work, whether it is in the office or at home. How many of you are having an incomplete breakfast, or even worse, no breakfast at all? The What’s In The Bowl campaign is set out to change the way we see our breakfast. We spoke to registered dietitian Lydia Knorr about the importance of breakfast for people of all ages and some of the myths associated with what is truly good to eat in the morning.

We had to ask Lydia, not only what kind of foods can fuel our children to enjoy their day productively but also give us all the energy to finish all that we set out to do. Lydia attests that cereal is a great way to start off your day. Cereals in Canada often provide fibre and important vitamins and minerals, including iron, zinc and those hard to get B vitamins.

In Canada, the ready-to-eat breakfast cereal market is valued at more than $1 billion, and cereal has become a staple of Canadian cupboards, with 93% of Canadian households purchasing ready-to eat-cereal. Breakfast cereals have a long food history that is grounded in science, and the industry has a demonstrated commitment to providing healthy, nutritious and innovative cereal products.

Lydia Knorr, Breakfast Cereals Canada (which includes Canada’s leading cereal manufacturers General Mills Canada, Kellogg Canada Inc., Post Foods Canada Inc., and Quaker Canada) and What’s In The Bowl are well aware that Canadians are concerned as to what is in cereal. Lydia answers “That Canadians recognize the important place cereal holds in their diet is a good first step…But when they were polled about why they’re not eating cereal, there were some misperceptions in the role cereal can play within a healthy diet.” When eaten on a regular basis, cereal is associated with an increased likelihood of meeting daily nutrient targets and maintaining healthier body weights¹²³.

However, this does not mean that Canadians do not know what is in cereal, when given a list of words they associate with cereal, 46 per cent cited “fibre”, 40 per cent mentioned “whole grains” and 33 per cent responded “nutritious.”

Why would some people not buy cereal then? When polled,  “too much sugar” was the most commonly cited factor with 41 per cent saying sugar is a deterrent. “Too expensive” was the next most common reply (35%) followed by “too many preservatives” (24%), artificial colours (23%) and “it’s a processed food” (18%).

“As a dietitian, it makes me happy to hear that consumers are taking factors such as sugar and additives in their foods seriously and want to know more,” says Knorr, herself a mother of three. “But what many people don’t realize is that cereals can provide more iron, folic acid, zinc, B vitamins and fibre than other conventional breakfast choice.”

Lydia attests that when Canadians voice their concerns to the respective cereal companies, they listen. There are cereals to match all requests, low sugar, gluten free and other dietary requests are respected and subsequent cereals are made to accommodate these needs. Not to mention the findings of this recent study:

For those concerned about sugar, studies have shown that when looking at overall dietary intake, sugar from breakfast cereals – even pre-sweetened brands – accounts for less than five per cent of overall sugar in people’s diets⁴. Sodium from cereal contributes just three per cent of the average Canadian intake⁵.

Meanwhile, research has shown that because breakfast cereal is almost always served with milk, having a bowl can help kids get closer to meeting the Canada Food Guide recommendation of three milk servings a day – a target on which more than half of kids over 10 years of age fall short⁶. And, with the average price of cereal (including milk) at just 53 cents per serving, it’s an economical choice as well⁷.

Lydia wants parents to start thinking about food as fuel for our bodies. The more rich the fuel that feeds our necessary requirements, the more we can accomplish! This goes for you too, parents and grandparents! Someone has to keep up with these bright children and teenagers which means you have to pick up your A game and grab a bowl of cereal every morning to give yourself that healthy kick you need! (Getting essential vitamins can also help trim that waist line!)

Lydia is not just a dietitian, but attests that her children have grown up on cereal and have the energy to enjoy a fulfilling day filled with academics, physical activity and fun. A nutritious breakfast with cereal, fruit and milk can be the difference between your child dozing off in class or going for a run before school starts! It’s time to put deep thought into what is important for our children’s cognitive function and what kind of essential fuel they need to finish their day on top!

Charity

What’s In The Bowl Campaign wants to make sure that all Canadians have a chance to have a nutritious breakfast: In honour of the What’s in the Bowl? campaign, Breakfast Cereals Canada is donating $25,000 – the equivalent of more than 71,000 bowls of cereal – to Food Banks Canada. For every ‘share’ of its website, www.inthebowl.ca, and Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/whatsinthebowlcanada, Breakfast Cereals Canada will give one bowl of cereal to Food Banks Canada up to a maximum of $25,000.

Canada, are you up for the What’s In The Bowl Challenge? Join here: www.Facebook.com/whatsinthebowlcanada

You deserve to be assured that what it is your bowl is healthy, nutritious and good for you and your family! Join today and comment in the section below about all that you have learned!

¹ Barr SI et al. Breakfast consumption is positively associated with nutrient adequacy in Canadian children and adolescents. 2014. BJN (in press)

² Barr SI et al. Consumption of Breakfast and the Type of Breakfast Consumed Are Positively Associated with Nutrient Intakes and Adequacy of Canadian Adults. 2013;143:86-92.

³ De la Hunty A, Ashwell M. Are people who regularly eat breakfast cereals slimmer than those who don’t? A systematic review of the evidence. BNF Nutr Bulletin.2007;32:118-28

⁴ Langlois K & Garriguet D. Sugar consumption among Canadians of all ages. Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 82-003-XPE, Health Reports, Vol 22, no 3, September 2011. (http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-003-x/2011003/article/11540/tbl/tbl2-eng.htm)

⁵ Canadian Community Health Survey, Cycle 2.2, Nutrition (2004)

⁶ Statistics Canada, 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)

⁷ Calculation based in part on data reported by Nielsen through its MarketTrack Service for the milk and cereal categories for the 52-week period ending April 5, 2014, for the National market and Grocery Banner + Drug + Mass Merchandizer channel. Copyright © 2014, The Nielsen Company.