Cereals in a bowl of milk, topped with some fruit.
This menu could be ideal for dinner, according to Gary Pilnick, CEO of American giant Kellogg's.
Ideal for coping with inflation.
This is what the man implied during an interview with the American television channel CNBC on February 21.
“We advertise cereal at dinner,” he said, noting that “the price of a bowl of cereal with milk and fruit is less than $1.”
Unsurprisingly, the comments outraged Internet users on social networks who cried scandal and opportunism.
And beyond the communication strategy, there is reason to question the merits of the suggestion from a nutritional point of view.
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Because here, we are far from muesli or oatmeal.
Gary Pilnick being CEO of Kellogg's, the cereals in question, cornflakes
,
are mainly ultra-processed, resulting from an industrial process which destroys what is called the "matrix" of the food.
However, it is essential because it is what allows us to assimilate the vitamins, minerals and all the nutrients from said food.
These cereals, often puffed, are also very sweet.
“Their so-called “empty” calories will cause a spike in blood sugar (
a sudden increase in blood sugar levels, Editor’s note
) which will drop just as quickly and cause fatigue and cravings, comments Alexandra Retion, dietitian nutritionist.
Shortly after eating, the body will demand something and you may feel hungry.”
Where are the fibers?
In addition, industrial cereals do not contain any fiber.
However, they are essential to our intestinal transit, they regulate it and take care of our microbiota.
It is also thanks to them that we feel full;
without them, we eat more.
Without forgetting either that such a meal does not provide enough “good” proteins to the body, despite the presence of milk.
“They are essential for the proper functioning of our metabolism,” explains the dietitian nutritionist.
Our cells and tissues are made up of proteins and if we do not maintain this structure, we observe a loss of muscle mass;
a phenomenon that is already natural with age.”
Their so-called “empty” calories will cause a spike in blood sugar levels.
Shortly after eating, the body will demand something and you may feel hungry.
Alexandra Retion, dietitian nutritionist
In summary ?
In addition to being uninteresting from a nutritional point of view (they are only carbohydrates), industrial cereals harm us in the long term because of their composition.
“Of course, if dining on cereals is a pleasure, you can do it in an exceptional way,” adds Alexandra Retion, recalling the importance of keeping in mind that the menu is unbalanced.
As a reminder, a so-called healthy and balanced evening menu consists of starchy foods, proteins, vegetables and “good” fats;
include unsaturated fatty acids such as omega-3, which are found in tuna, salmon and mackerel, and omega-9, which can for example be found in olive oil.
Also read: Flax, walnuts, peanuts... Which vegetable oils to choose according to their benefits
The dietitian finally reminds us that an inexpensive dinner can easily consist of foods with interesting nutritional benefits.
We can thus combine starchy foods and legumes to benefit from good proteins, by mixing rice (or pasta, semolina) with chickpeas or red beans, for example.