The Birth Of The Breakfast Cereal

Breakfast cereal may be a household name for us today, but a long time ago kitchen cupboards did not have a cornflakes or a Weetabix in it.

We've may take our breakfast cereal for granted, as for all our lives we’ve always known it eaten and enjoyed it. And as far as our generation does, its been a constant in our lives and on the supermarket shelves. Kellogg, general Mills and Ralston have been household names in the USA and then onto the UK. However many and many years ago the kitchen cupboards did not flaunt these brightly coloured cereal boxes. Cereal for breakfast almost crept upon us and now for most of us in the West at least it seems to be the preferred and standard breakfast choice. Even in Asia and the Far East where breakfast options are usually traditional fare, cereals and mueslis have been creeping in and new markets are growing.

And when you stay at some nice fancy hotel, the breakfast buffet will invariably offer a delectable offering of different cereals, from wheat flakes, to muesli, cornflakes to bran and oats.

The rise of breakfast cereal is quite interesting case study for those who like to study about the evolutionary process behind our modern diets. Britain was totally taken over by the cereal evolution while the Mediterranean people not so much. Even the French have proved culturally resistant to the American allure of breakfast cereals. And the Eastern Europeans, who were kept hidden from marketing and western products, have barely heard of processed cereals even today. So the British have been most susceptible to the cereal invention by America. Even today cereals are the UK’s preferred breakfast choice. Our supermarket shelves are packed with all sorts of cereal offerings and there are new products always beieng developed. Many women even substitute the breakfast cereal with a meal.

So fascinated we are with these colourful cereal boxes that we have now have our mini versions, the granola and muesli bars. So should you choose to have breakfast on the go you can just keep a bar handy in your bag.

Cereals are a good way of supplementing your diet with essential vitamins and minerals. Many cereals are iron rich and fortified with vitamins to help you start the day off on a healthy note. The idea is to replenish the body with essential nutrients and especially for cold winter months cereals can be quite nourishing. Iron is one of the most important minerals and helps boost circulation keeping you warm too. Cereals are now evolving to functional breakfast foods for health and beauty, with the launch of the Believe beauty cereals the first of its kind we have a cereal now that promises to keep you skin and hair healthy. Fortified with all the essential vitamins for healthy complexion this looks to be a certain winner with the younger female market and bust professionals.

It’s important to find a cereal that is low in sugar and salt, Many types of muesli may appear healthy but are hiding huge sugar amounts within.