The lead nutritionist at a trailblazing science and nutrition company has identified three breakfast cereals that present a "much better picture" in terms of nutrition, while also pointing out those best left on the shelf. Dr Federica Amati, chief nutritionist at Zoe, highlighted the challenges parents face when trying to reduce "junk" food in their children's diets amidst aggressive advertising campaigns. This year, ultra-processed breakfast foods were listed among four key food types linked to a higher mortality risk ( find the full list here ).
Yet they come with several claims about their health benefits labelled prominently on their packaging. On the Zoe podcast, Jonathan Wolf, co-founder and host, expressed his astonishment at the "completely shocking" extent of these health claims: "They look like health foods that I should be giving my kids and I have listened to enough of these podcasts about ultra-processed foods to know that they are not." Dr Amati expressed her concern about children's breakfast cereals, stating they were "a bit of a shocker".
While she didn't want to "demonise" them, she believed they shouldn't be relied upon as a full meal on their own, but rather as part of a meal accompanied by fresh fruit or an egg, reports Surrey Live . She said: "Quite a lot of people find that giving children cereal first thing in the morning and then going to school is quick, it's easy, you don't have to cook. But there are a few things to consider.
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