General Mills announced recently that it has filed a patent on a technique to pelletize fiber and calcium for use in ready-to-eat (RTE) breakfast cereals.
The process will use a gelatinized starch to coalesce calcium and fiber for the purpose of supplementing processed cereals. Mmmm…
Is this a big deal? Well…General Mills thinks so. The company is notorious for boasting “with whole grain first ingredient” on its high sugar cereals.
One of the best examples is Cinnamon Toast Crunch – a clearly less-than healthy breakfast option with whole grain monikers splattered across its front-of-packaging propaganda:
The problem is, with so much sugar (…CTC’s more bashful 2nd ingredient…) you end up with a super small serving size and less dietary fiber per serving than you’d get with other truly whole grain cereal options.
What’s more, the “value added” benefit of a souped-up fiber and calcium supplement means that GM can sell their processed and packaged concoctions to you at more of a markup. After all, you’re getting more fiber and calcium along with your sugar and salt – but you bet you’re also going to pay more for it!
If you’re looking for a better breakfast cereal bet – it’s always best to make your own:
- Start with 1/2 cup dry oats (quick-cooking, old-fashioned, or steel-cut will do)
- Cook oats with 1 cup of milk (or calcium-fortified milk alternative if you don’t do dairy)
- Now add 1 cup of berries (fresh or frozen, with no added sugar)
VoilĂ !
You just got 8 grams of fiber plus 33% of your day’s calcium. And all without having to eat any pellets.