Gary Pilnick, CEO of US giant Kellogg’s, has urged consumers to eat cereal in the evening to beat inflation. Beyond the opportunism of the advice, there is reason to question it from a nutritional perspective. Details from a nutritionist.
Cereal in a bowl of milk with some fruit on top. This menu can be ideal for dinner, believes Gary Pilnik, CEO of the American giant Kellogg’s. Perfect for beating inflation. This is what the man hinted at on February 21 during an interview with the American CNBC TV channel. “We advertise cereal at dinner,” he said, noting that “a bowl of cereal with milk and fruit costs less than $1.” Unsurprisingly, the comments angered netizens on social media who cried scandal and opportunism. And beyond the communication strategy, there’s reason to question the nutritional merits of the offer.
Because we’re far from muesli or oatmeal here. Gary Pilnick, being CEO of Kellogg’s, the cereal in question, corn flakes, are mostly ultra-processed, resulting from an industrial process that destroys what we call the “matrix” of food. However, it is essential because it is what allows us to absorb the vitamins, minerals and all the nutrients in said food. These grains, often puffed, are also very sweet. “Their so-called ’empty’ calories will cause a spike in blood sugar (sudden increase in blood sugar, Editor’s Note), which will drop just as quickly and cause fatigue and cravings, explains nutritionist Alexandra Rethion. Shortly after eating, your body will crave something and you may feel hungry.”
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Where are the fibers?
Also, industrial grains contain no fiber. However, they are essential for our intestinal transit, they regulate it and take care of our microbiota. It is also thanks to them that we feel complete. without them we eat more. Not forgetting that such a meal does not provide the body with enough “good” proteins, despite the presence of milk. “They are essential for the proper functioning of our metabolism,” explains the nutritionist. Our cells and tissues are made up of proteins, and if we don’t maintain this structure, we see a loss of muscle mass; a phenomenon that is already natural with age.”
Their so-called “empty” calories will cause blood sugar levels to rise. Shortly after eating, your body will crave something and you may feel hungry.
Alexandra Retion, dietitian, nutritionist
As a result ? Besides being nutritionally uninteresting (they’re just carbohydrates), industrial grains are bad for us in the long run because of their composition. “Of course, if eating cereal is fun, you can do it in an exceptional way,” adds Alexandra Rethion, reminding that it’s important to consider that the menu is unbalanced. As a reminder, the so-called healthy and balanced dinner menu consists of starchy foods, proteins, vegetables and “good” fats; include unsaturated fatty acids such as omega-3, which can be found in tuna, salmon or mackerel, and omega-9, which can be found in olive oil, for example.
Finally, the nutritionist reminds us that an inexpensive dinner can easily consist of foods with interesting nutritional benefits. So we can combine starchy foods and legumes to get good protein by mixing, for example, rice (or pasta, groats) with chickpeas or red beans.
Source: Le Figaro
