Some Toronto nutritionists are speaking out after Kellogg’s CEO suggested families should eat cereal for dinner to save on grocery costs.
In a CNBC interview last week, the company’s head, Gary Pilnick, said families should opt for cereal instead of a traditional dinner to save on food costs.
“The cereal category has always been quite affordable and it tends to be a great destination when consumers are under pressure…We’re advertising cereal for dinner if you think about the cost of cereal for a family versus what they might otherwise do. That’s gotta be much more affordable,” Pilnick said.
He goes on to say that according to its data, over 25 per cent of consumers eat cereal outside of breakfast, and oftentimes, it’s actually during dinner time and that this trend is expected to grow.
In response, some nutritionists disapprove of the recommendation because of how unhealthy most cereals are.
Ahmed El-Sohemy, a professor at the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto, says one of the biggest problems with eating breakfast cereal for dinner is that most cereals are a very poor source of protein, and Kellogg’s is no exception.
“Even Vector cereal by Kellogg which has a “high protein” claim on the front of the box provides just over five grams of protein per serving. Yet, Kellogg claims it’s high protein and shows 13 grams on the front of the box. However, the 13 grams is only when you have the cereal with milk. That’s incredibly misleading! Some might call this deceptive advertising,” El-Sohemy said in an email statement to Now Toronto on Wednesday.
El-Sohemy believes Kellogg’s should do the right thing and inform consumers that its cereal is actually low in protein and is not a suitable dinner choice.
Furthermore, he adds that other breakfast cereals from other brands are not any better because many of them are loaded with added sugars.
“Besides protein, breakfast cereals don’t provide the various phytochemicals found in vegetables, usually consumed for dinner, that have health promoting properties. A better solution is for governments to help make healthy foods more affordable, rather than promote greater consumption of ultra-processed foods like breakfast cereals,” he explained.
Similarly, Functional Medicine Nutritionist and Pharmacist Dora Chan agrees.
“Boxed cereal is undoubtedly a quick and easy way to fill the belly, but it’s not a good choice for dinner (or any meal, for that matter). The body requires many nutrients for nourishment. This includes carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals. Cereal is a highly processed food that does not provide adequate amounts of these essential nutrients,” she said in an email statement to Now Toronto.
“In fact, food companies have stripped away so much of the healthy parts from the raw ingredients, that they must add back the vitamins and minerals in a process called fortification. However, they can’t possibly add back all the nutrients that eating a balanced meal of real, unprocessed food could provide,” she continued.
Additionally, Chan says regularly eating highly processed foods such as these cereals has also been linked to weight gain, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses.
Moreover, because there are so many added sugars in cereals, consuming excessive amounts of it could lead to inflammation in the body and could contribute to the development of the disease.
“People should absolutely not be advised to eat boxed cereals for dinner. A small bowl of cereal with milk could be a snack, but ideally along with some fruit or nuts to balance it out with some protein, healthy fat, and dietary fiber,” she said.
Ideally, she suggests people should have a balanced meal for dinner that includes carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats.
And if finances are a concern, she says there are other ways people can save on the grocery bill that do not include relying on cereal for dinner.
Instead, she recommends buying seasonal produce, choosing frozen or canned produce (without added sugars), choosing cheaper cuts of meat and keeping an eye out for sales and discounted items.
