Enter the breakfast cereal aisle of any supermarket and the choice is overwhelming. Many varieties are sugar laden, highly refined and lack any significant nutritional value. However don’t be disheartened. In amongst the not so healthy options are some fantastic products, you just need to know how to find them.

When looking for a weight loss surgery friendly cereal, we are looking for one that is higher in protein, higher in fibre and lower in sugar.

It is also important to make sure the cereal you choose is not too high in fat or salt. You can generally check for added fat, salt and sugar in the ingredients list. This is a good place to start.

Next, take a look at the nutrition information panel and try to select a cereal that fits the following criteria:

• Total fat: less than 10g per 100g

• Sugar: less than 15g per 100g*

• Protein: greater than 8g per 100g

• Fibre: greater than 8g per 100g

• Sodium: less than 400mg per 100g

*Up to 25g of sugar per 100g is acceptable if there is dried fruit in the cereal and the fibre is high. Check the ingredient list to see where the sugar is coming from.

Examples of breakfast cereals in Australian supermarkets that fit these criteria are as follows:

• Be Natural 5 Whole Grain Flakes

• Be Natural Honey Flakes and Clusters

• Be Natural Wholegrain Mini Bites, Cinnamon

• Freedom Foods Active Balance Buckwheat and Quinoa

• Freedom Foods Active Balance Multigrain & Cranberry

• Kellogg’s All Bran Wheat Flakes

• Kellogg’s Guardian Cereal

• Uncle Tobys Bran Plus

• Uncle Toby’s Weeties

This is not an exhaustive list, so check your favourite against the criteria we have listed above and see if it fits.

Please also note that we use different criteria for porridge, muesli and granola and breakfast cereal biscuits, all included in our Shopping Companion.

Once you have found a suitable cereal that you enjoy, let’s look at your portion. It can be useful to use a measuring cup to serve your morning bowl. Think of your serve of cereal in terms of slices of bread. A slice of bread provides approximately 15g of carbohydrate. The amount of cereal that also contains 15g of carbohydrate, the equivalent to a slice of bread is approximately:

• ¼ cup raw rolled oats or natural muesli

• ¾ cup fruit and flake style cereal

• 1½ Weet-Bix or VitaBrits

• ½ cup bran type cereal

To serve, top your cereal with milk and good quality yoghurt to boost your protein intake at breakfast. If you prefer something less refined, try making your own breakfast blend. Start with a base of raw rolled oats, add in some bran, wheat germ, a handful of seeds (such as sunflower and pepitas), a handful of roughly chopped nuts and a little dried fruit – try dried cranberries for something a little different.

The above criteria is taken from our Weight Loss Surgery Shopping Companion. This comprehensive guide steps you through over 30 food categories and explains EXACTLY what to look for on the nutrition information panel in each category. And if you don’t have time to read the food labels, we list our TOP PICKS in each of the categories, highlighting over 180 specific products.

You can get a copy in our Book Bundle, which also includes our Protein Planner, Meal Plans and our Single Serves, Fifty in a Flash and One Meal, Many Ways recipe books for only $85 ($110 value)! Find out all about it here.