In "Catch Me If You Can," con man Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) claimed to be a pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer. It took years to catch him and turn him into a good guy working for the FBI. But as hard as that catch was, it might be even harder to catch the con in your breakfast cereal.
Detective tip! When your cereal has the phrase "whole grain," "whole wheat," or "whole oats" on the front of the box, it's not necessarily a healthy choice.
Although in the U.S. "whole wheat" (or "whole oats," etc.) means the grain contains the whole kernel - bran and all - it doesn't tell you what else is in your cereal. For a cereal to be labeled "whole grain," that whole grain needs to be only 51 percent of the total ingredients. For example, one popular "whole wheat" cereal also contains wheat flakes, rice flour, oat flour, and brown rice flour - not a whole-grain kernel in that added bunch. And one study found that the popular "whole grain" stamp on products tends to also signal that there'll be more sugar and calories than in other whole-grain items!
Tip for the day? Eat only cereals marked as 100 percent whole grain. That way, you won't be conned into eating refined grains; you'll just get the benefits of whole grains. And that's what you want. Their fiber helps you control weight, appetite, and LDL cholesterol. Their nutrients help protect your brain, your love life, your skin, and your heart.
© King Features Syndicate