Drop that doughnut and pick up a box of Cheerios instead because you’ll significantly reduce your risk of heart failure. Whole grain cereals are already being credited with possible lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of diabetes. Over a 20-year study, U.S researchers have found that men who at a bowl of whole grain cereal every day had a 28 per cent lower risk of developing heart failure.

So what is one to do if the thought of giving up their Lucky Charms is enough to make them not want to get out of bed in the morning? Ditch the irritating leprechaun and find an alternative. No, oatmeal will never taste the same as sugary marshmallows, but besides the above-mentioned reasons for switching to a whole-grain option, you’ll likely find your energy levels increase if you improve the quality of your first meal of the day. Avoid pouring mass amounts of sugar onto cereal, and find natural ways to add flavor such as the recipe below from the Quaker oatmeal website.

Ingredients
3-1/2 cups water
½ cup chopped dried apricots
1/3 cup honey
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups Quaker Oats (quick or old-fashioned, uncooked)

Preparation
In 3-quart saucepan, bring water, apricots, honey, and cinnamon to a boil. Stir in oats; return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook about 1 minute for quick oats (or 5 minutes for old fashioned oats) or until most of liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Let stand until of desired consistency. You can substitute the apricots for raisins, dried cranberries or blueberries or any other dried fruit you wish.

If you don’t have the time to cook in the morning, brands such as Kashi offer an assortment of hot and cold whole grain cereals and can be found at most supermarkets and organic health food stores.

» Environmental News Network