The bland truth about cornflakes

So you have taken to having cornflakes in the morning just ahead of a friend’s wedding because a popular TV advertisement tells you that it can transform you into the most eligible bachelorette in town!

And what’s there to dispute it? Don’t we all know that corn is a most nutritious and wholesome grain, and having it as cornflakes is the easiest and most stylish way to have breakfast?

The whole of United States of America has it and so does UK.But wait there. Recent
research and observations by medical practitioners are not supporting your faith in the boxed cereal.

In fact, you may just be stuffing yourself silly with food shorn of any nutrition, made palatable with artificial flavouring, colour, preservatives and a host of other chemical unpronounceables, if these doctors are to be believed.

Going back to the pre industrial age of whole grains, fresh fruits and milk or yoghurt may actually be the only way to a fit and healthy you.

Dr Anu Gupta, a USA-trained weight loss specialist in the city, says, “I don’t really blame the people. There was a time when I was also hooked to boxed cornflakes believing that they are the healthiest breakfast option available.

The problem is that very few of us are aware as of how these flakes are made in the factory.”

“First, corn kernels are broken into smaller grits and steam cooked under pressure of about 20lbs per square inch.

Then the nutritious germ with its essential fats is removed, because it goes rancid over time; artificial flavourings, vitamins and sugar are added to replace those lost in processing; and lastly, vast amounts of energy are applied to dry them out and rolled by giant rollers into flakes.

You can imagine how nutritious they remain after this.”

A lot of discrepancy in the nutrition quotient ‘that you desire in your morning meal’ and the ‘kind offered by your packaged flakes’ can be figured out by just reading the food label carefully. Dr Sunita Roy Chowdhury, Chief Dietician, BLK Super Speciality Hospital, says, “An ideal breakfast is supposed to have as little sugar as possible and good amounts of carbohydrates and proteins.”

“If you look at the label of any brand of cornflakes, you will find a high amount of sodium which is very bad for people with high blood pressure, a steep glycemic index which spells trouble for diabetics, some carbohydrates but absolutely no fibre. Even the vitamins and iron they claim to add is artificial and difficult to digest for the body.” It is much better,
instead, to go for hand-pound cornflakes to which honey, fruits and nuts can be added, she adds.

A much ‘healthier’ alter-native to ‘boxed cornflakes’ are plain oats, muesli and daliya cooked in milk or withwater and vegetables.

Kanika Malhotra, senior clinical nutritionist with Healthcare at Home, says, “You can even make your own granola bars or energy bars by mashing oats, bran, peanuts, almonds, raisins in milk and honey. It is very tasty, nutritious and filling.”

“In nature, the best way to health and wealth comes from putting in hard work and keeping it natural. Packaged cornflakes, unfortunately, are not one of them.”