Quick, healthy breakfast needn't be expensive

Teens caught in the morning rush who stop for a quick bowl of cereal help their bodies and the family budget.

"There are food choices that are convenient and taste good that can be part of a healthy diet," said Dr. Theresa Nicklas, professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. "Ready-to-eat cereals provide a good choice for teens in a hurry."

Nicklas, a researcher at the USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor, led a study of 550 ninth-grade students and the breakfasts they ate. The purpose of the study was to compare the nutritional value and cost of three groups of breakfast foods -- fast foods, ready-to-eat cereals and all other choices.

"The results indicate that adolescents who consume a ready-to-eat cereal at breakfast obtain more vitamins and minerals for their dollar than those making other breakfast choices," she said. "Although breakfast cereals are perceived as being expensive, they remain a good morning-meal buy from a nutrition standpoint."

The study determined the average cost of a fast food meal was $2.38, compared to 78 cents for a serving of cereal.

The cereal breakfast had significantly lower amounts of fat and cholesterol and higher amounts of carbohydrates, fiber and protein, compared to the other breakfast
choices. Teens consuming a cereal breakfast also received a better boost in vitamins and minerals.

"The average cost of the cereal breakfast was lower than the other breakfast choices, and overall, the cereal breakfast was more nutrient-dense, in terms of vitamins and minerals," she said.

Consumer food choices are influenced by taste, nutrition, cost and convenience, so determining food efficiency -- nutrients consumed per dollar -- provides information helpful to families making food selection decisions.

"The choices are there," Nicklas said. "Easy doesn't have to be a substitute for healthy or cost a lot."