Healthy non-Nestle breakfast cereal (Bitesize Shredded Wheat equivalents?)

JimmyTheWig

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Less bread for what reason? Less wheat, less processed food, less refined carbs, more variety?

She didn't say. Just said that 7 slices of bread a day was too much.
When I went back she said that replacing it with other stodgy carbohydrates like pasta wouldn't help. She suggested I "look at my diet" and eat more healthily.

Are you eating at least five, preferably seven to nine servings of fruit and veg a day in the full rainbow of colours?

Not always, but generally I'll have at least 3 or 4.

Ditto healthy fats like those in oily fish, nuts and seeds.

Not really.

Also are you getting the recommended three servings of dairy each day if you don't eat milk with cereal and don't eat yoghurt at all?

Probably not. I eat cheese sometimes.

It's possible your gut health issue is being contributed to by nutrient deficiencies or imbalances in the diet.

Would this show up in a blood test? I had one of those last week. Haven't got the results back yet.

I would describe very few boxed cereals as healthy.

I agree. Which is why I am asking what those "very few" (non-Nestle) ones are.

Honey is sugar in liquid form, it is no better for you than table sugar.

It's got to be better than that, hasn't it?

You could make your own sugar free granola/ crunchy oat cereal with a natural sweetener like xylitol.

Doesn't sound very healthy. Certainly doesn't sound very natural!

The only widely available cereal that doesn't go soggy even in milk and has no added sugar is Post Grape Nuts.

Sounds good. Still would probably have them dry (maybe with a handful of sultanas mixed in).

A totally different solution is baked beans but you'd normally eat those with eggs and/ or toast!

Interesting you should mention baked beans. I've said throughout my whole life that I don't like them. Have certainly tried them at some point, but not for many years. Tried some at the weekend and actually quite liked them!

Or high fibre Ryvita topped with grilled cottage cheese and fresh fruit.

Don't eat cottage cheese, sorry. Don't each much fruit, other than apples, green grapes and raisins.

Or head to a large health food store and look for sugar free granolas, or sugar free flax/ linseed cereals (flax is super high in bulking fibre, great for gut health), or buy some chia seeds (also packed with bulking fibre) and add to a mixed berry smoothie.

Oh, that was all starting to sound so good until you said "mixed berry smoothie". I don't eat red fruit.
What else could I do with sugar free granolas, sugar free flax/linseed cereal or chia seeds?
[ETA: Or was it just the chia seeds you suggest putting in a smoothie? Did you mean to eat the others as regular (dry!) cereal?]

Fire_Fox

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

She didn't say. Just said that 7 slices of bread a day was too much.
When I went back she said that replacing it with other stodgy carbohydrates like pasta wouldn't help. She suggested I "look at my diet" and eat more healthily.

Not always, but generally I'll have at least 3 or 4.

Not really.

Probably not. I eat cheese sometimes.

Would this show up in a blood test? I had one of those last week. Haven't got the results back yet.

I agree. Which is why I am asking what those "very few" (non-Nestle) ones are.

It's got to be better than that, hasn't it?

Doesn't sound very healthy. Certainly doesn't sound very natural!

Sounds good. Still would probably have them dry (maybe with a handful of sultanas mixed in).

Interesting you should mention baked beans. I've said throughout my whole life that I don't like them. Have certainly tried them at some point, but not for many years. Tried some at the weekend and actually quite liked them!

Don't eat cottage cheese, sorry. Don't each much fruit, other than apples, green grapes and raisins.

Oh, that was all starting to sound so good until you said "mixed berry smoothie". I don't eat red fruit.
What else could I do with sugar free granolas, sugar free flax/linseed cereal or chia seeds?
[ETA: Or was it just the chia seeds you suggest putting in a smoothie? Did you mean to eat the others as regular (dry!) cereal?]

Seven slices of bread is too much, one of the key healthy eating recommendations is to eat a wide variety of different foods. If you are eating wheat more than once a day you are missing out on the nutrients in the alternatives: beans, lentils, other wholegrains such as barley, oats, rice or rye, sweet potatoes for example.

I can't see that switching to almost any breakfast cereal is the solution to poor variety, they are almost all wheat based, ditto pasta. The obvious is a sugar free oat granola or porridge, but you don't like soggy cereal or yoghurt.

IMO look at your intake of fruit and veg (at least five a day), dairy (at least three a day), fish (at least two a week, one oily). Different nutrients help support beneficial or bad bacteria in the gut, healthy fats smooth the passage of your stools, water works with fibre to bulk without dehydrating the stools, calcium and magnesium play key roles in muscular contraction and relaxation, including the muscles in the gut wall.

How about a black forest fruit smoothie? Morrisons do a fairly low sugar version, but you can get frozen black forest fruits in other supermarkets (blueberries, blackberries, blackcurrants, sometimes black grapes, sometimes cherries). Blue/ purple is an important group, ditto red .... yes you can put chia seeds into smoothies, some people also like block creamed coconut or avocado both of which are rich in fibre and healthy fats.

You can try the sugar free cereals as dry, but I suspect you will find them tasteless without added salt or sugar - dairy and fruit in breakfast adds flavour as well as nutrients so if you won't eat those you are likely to have miserable breakfasts. Sorry but honey is not better than table sugar (sucrose), it's fructose and glucose in a water base, they are both sugars so mess with blood glucose and contribute to damaging systemic inflammation. Sultanas are sugar packed, fine sometimes but ideally not every day.

Better than honey would be xylitol (natural extract of fruit, does not spike blood glucose) or even ask the doctor/ nurse about lactulose, it's a pharmacy only laxative but it's other name is galactofructose and it is a heat tolerant food sweetener made from two sugar molecules that can not be digested by humans but can by the bacteria in your gut (possibly prebiotic which is a good thing). Not a substitute for a more nutritionally balanced diet tho.

Would it show up on blood tests .... depends what you were tested for, they won't be doing the whole raft of tests. Calcium deficiency often does not show because the body leaches calcium from the bones to balance the pH in the blood. Yes that is as bad as it sounds, long term the risk is fractures and crumbling bones. I would note you need both magnesium and vitamin D to utilise calcium effectively, and many Brits are deficient in one or both.

Given how hard you have clearly worked to get from fussy to where you are, that says to me you can keep going at that. :T I'm not sure I was as fussy as you but I really was a pretty fussy kid. Remained so until I got sick at ~30 and then I was forced to change: I'm still working on it, still trying new things or even old things I don't like on a regular basis. It was only after I changed I noticed other minor 'symptoms' had vanished - the ridges in my nails went, I hadn't had a common cold in six or eight years up to this last Xmas.

To me this constipation is a warning your body is starting to struggle, you can artificially fix that with laxatives, but it's not resolving the underlying issue which is a diet that is simple not balanced so likely not supplying all the nutrients your body needs for health and wellbeing.

JimmyTheWig

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Seven slices of bread is too much

I didn't dare tell her I'd eat 10 slices on a Monday!

I can't see that switching to almost any breakfast cereal is the solution to poor variety, they are almost all wheat based[/quote]
The nurse did suggest Shredded Wheat, though, which makes me think it wasn't the wheat that was the issue in itself.

How about a black forest fruit smoothie?

Sorry, black/blue fruits are no better to my taste buds than red fruits. It's all the same, to me. It's the "pippy" bits that I can't stand.

You can try the sugar free cereals as dry, but I suspect you will find them tasteless...
Sultanas are sugar packed, fine sometimes but ideally not every day.

Will try the sugar free cereal on their own / with sultanas a coupld of times a week / with chopped up apple maybe.

Better than honey would be xylitol (natural extract of fruit, does not spike blood glucose)

Where would I get this from?

or even ask the doctor/ nurse about lactulose...
Not a substitute for a more nutritionally balanced diet tho.

Oh, I love lactulose! Even the children know it as the medicine that Daddy likes! Works very quickly for me, too.
Don't think I ought to go down that route. Might be a little addictive...

Would it show up on blood tests .... depends what you were tested for, they won't be doing the whole raft of tests.

Don't know exactly what was tested, but she certainly said she'd ask for lots of tests. Liver function, kidney function, cholesterol, blood sugar (fasting).
Just phoned the surgery and all was normal, no action required.

Given how hard you have clearly worked to get from fussy to where you are, that says to me you can keep going at that. :T I'm not sure I was as fussy as you but I really was a pretty fussy kid. Remained so until I got sick at ~30 and then I was forced to change: I'm still working on it, still trying new things or even old things I don't like on a regular basis.

Thanks
My diet changed, really, 18 years ago when I went away to university. Not eating normal dinners was inconvenient. So I changed. But toast for breakfast and a sandwich for lunch has always been convenient. Until...

To me this constipation is a warning your body is starting to struggle, you can artificially fix that with laxatives, but it's not resolving the underlying issue which is a diet that is simple not balanced so likely not supplying all the nutrients your body needs for health and wellbeing.

I know what you mean. I've changed my diet quite dramatically over the last few weeks. Have even been making myself salads, for christ sake!
Have slightly slipped over Easter (had things like pizza, a sandwich for lunch yesterday and, of course, my fair share of chocolate) but am resolved to get back on track.

Edwardia

The nurse probably suggest Shredded Wheat as a lower sugar alternative to Frosties.

You could whizz up the frozen/fresh fruit then stir it through a sieve like you would for gazpacho and add that sieved puree to the smoothie or you could just whizz it longer so every vestige of pip was totally obliterated BTW raisins, currants, prunes and sultanas have pips naturally

Xylitol is often used in sugar free sweets and er can have an unexpected laxative effect :eek:

Fire_Fox

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

I didn't dare tell her I'd eat 10 slices on a Monday!

I can't see that switching to almost any breakfast cereal is the solution to poor variety, they are almost all wheat based
The nurse did suggest Shredded Wheat, though, which makes me think it wasn't the wheat that was the issue in itself.


Sorry, black/blue fruits are no better to my taste buds than red fruits. It's all the same, to me. It's the "pippy" bits that I can't stand.


Will try the sugar free cereal on their own / with sultanas a coupld of times a week / with chopped up apple maybe.


Where would I get this from?


Oh, I love lactulose! Even the children know it as the medicine that Daddy likes! Works very quickly for me, too.
Don't think I ought to go down that route. Might be a little addictive...


Don't know exactly what was tested, but she certainly said she'd ask for lots of tests. Liver function, kidney function, cholesterol, blood sugar (fasting).
Just phoned the surgery and all was normal, no action required.



Thanks
My diet changed, really, 18 years ago when I went away to university. Not eating normal dinners was inconvenient. So I changed. But toast for breakfast and a sandwich for lunch has always been convenient. Until...

I know what you mean. I've changed my diet quite dramatically over the last few weeks. Have even been making myself salads, for christ sake!
Have slightly slipped over Easter (had things like pizza, a sandwich for lunch yesterday and, of course, my fair share of chocolate) but am resolved to get back on track.

Glad your bloods came back normal, that is always a relief.

Xylitol you can get in the supermarket, Amazon Subscribe & Save and health food stores - it's actually beneficial for dental health. I use lactulose in place of sugar when I need a syrup but only a little (my last prescribed meds 'slowed everything down' ).

Don't beat yourself up about Easter, healthy eating guidelines are maximum 10% of calories as that sort of stuff, which means there is wiggle room you don't have to be perfect to be healthier. Next time you have chocolate consider a lower sugar dark chocolate - cocoa is absolutely packed with minerals and fibre as well as healthy fats, but it is not good for you when drowned in sugar and cheap fats as commercial chocolate often is.

I don't know if it's your thing but I make a snack/ treat from cocoa powder, plain low fat soft cheese (own brand Philly), natural sweetener and natural peanut butter all mashed with a fork. I usually serve with berries but you could have a fruit you like better. That combination is packed with minerals and tastes a bit like chocolate cheesecake. :drool: I've even had it for breakfast since there is nothing nasty in there!

Edwardia makes a great point about purees, there are blenders that will make short work of pips depending on your budget of course. Blended fruit or veg (soup, tomato sauce for pasta) is a great way to hide things you are less keen on a la Jamie Oliver's School Dinners.

Lugh_Chronain

Buffy_the_Vampire_Bat wrote: »

Also, have you considered making your own muesli or granola - that way you can control the amount of sugar in them.

I was thinking the same as well, however, Marks & Spencer do a very good Berry and Orange Infused Granola apparently. Think it's around £2.50 for a 500g box.

And Aldi's Harvest Morn Bitesize Wheat Shreds might also be worth try, apparently another good alternative to Nestle. 500g boxes cost around £1.30 I think.

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

....we don't buy Nestle products ........

Never a better opportunity to highlight the following.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestl%C3%A9_boycott

http://info.babymilkaction.org/aboutus/aboutus

http://info.babymilkaction.org/nestleboycottlist

JimmyTheWig

Lugh_Chronain wrote: »

And Aldi's Harvest Morn Bitesize Wheat Shreds might also be worth try, apparently another good alternative to Nestle.

You star!
Thanks.

JimmyTheWig

It's not _just_ the pips in red fruit that I don't like. I won't even drink red/black fruit juice or squash.
It's possibly a Snow White thing from childhood.

If I can eat beans, then there's hope for anything. But not likely just yet!

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Xylitol you can get in the supermarket, Amazon Subscribe & Save and health food stores

Thanks. Will have a look. Which aisle will it be in in the supermarket?

Don't beat yourself up about Easter, healthy eating guidelines are maximum 10% of calories as that sort of stuff

So if I increase my calorie intake I can increase my chocolate allowance?

luxor4t

I don't think Lactulose is addictive as I had to take it for around 5/6 months while waiting for surgery - I was glad to see the back of the disgusting stuff.

JimmyTheWig

luxor4t wrote: »

I don't think Lactulose is addictive as I had to take it for around 5/6 months while waiting for surgery - I was glad to see the back of the disgusting stuff.

I'm not saying that it is chemically addictive, but I love the stuff. So if I start having it regularly I think I would become addicted.