Baked products and cereals

What to look out for
Some processed cereals are enriched. This means that the manufacturers "restored" the processed food by adding the vitamins and minerals to the product that naturally occured in it.

A food may also be fortified. This means that one or more ingredients have been added to provide certain nutrients that are not naturally present in the food product.

Check for the words "enriched" or "fortified on the labels of baked products and cereals.

Healthy tips

• Opt for more "natural" and unprocessed cereals instead of convenience cereals such as instant pasta. Unprocessed cereals contain more vitamins and minerals, and definitely more fibre.
• Always choose whole-grain or brown bread flour products if they are available. They will add variety, nutrients and fibre to your diet.
• Choose a breakfast cereal that gives you at least 4 g, but preferably 5 g, of bran per one 30 g serving. To add more fibre: try sprinkling some bran on your breakfast cereal.
• Look out for the fat content of muesli – it is normally quit high.
• Buy brown rice instead of white rice. It has all the flavour and fibre of the whole grain.
• Pasta is high in starch, very low in fat and easy to prepare, but avoid rich sauces to accompany it.

Wise buys

• In comparing packages of cereals to determine which to purchase, figure the cost per serving.
• Look for bargains on day-old bread and bakery products.
• The costs of ready-to-eat cereal with special features such as sugar coating is approximately four times as expensive as those that require cooking.
• Don’t purchase more than a month's supply of cereals, because these products may become infected with insects.