Nestle Jamaica Ltd. held a breakfast cereal symposium on February 2 to officially launch their line of whole grain breakfast cereals. Those in attendance include, from left: nutritionist Patricia Fletcher, who spoke on the health benefits of cereal at the symposium, Nestle's product manager for breakfast cereals, David McFarlane, Tanya Christie, cconsumer relations manager, and Gerard Khan, regional business manager for breakfast cereals. - Contributed

Keisha Shakespeare-Blackmore, Staff Reporter

A bowl of cereal is an easy and nutritious way to get the body fuelled in the mornings. Breakfast is the most essential meal of the day and your first meal is just as important. Nestle Jamaica Ltd. has added whole grain to their range of breakfast cereals.

At Nestle's health symposium breakfast held on Friday, February 2, keynote speaker, Patricia Fletcher (nutritionist), said that a survey done by the Ministry of Health found that 60 per cent of workplace staff are overweight and are consuming high-fat diets.

She further stated that she admired Nestle's vision to be a trustworthy food, nutrition, health, and wellness organisation. She added that they have begun the journey, committed to reinforcing the place of breakfast cereals by transforming all their cereals to be good sources of whole grain for even children.

Product manager, David McFarlane, said that often when people hear about whole grain, they assume it is not tasty, but Nestle has maintained the same great taste in their new cereals.

Ms. Fletcher said that the top three causes of illness and death in Jamaica are diseases of circulatory system (high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke), diabetes and cancer. She further noted that the main risk factors for these conditions are: poor weight management, poor dietary habits, and physical inactivity.

Significant improvements

She pointed out that studies show that adding whole grain to the diet will help to prevent these ailments. "Whole grain cereals are more than just fibre and must become an essential part of our daily lives. Having at least three servings of whole grain cereals daily has shown significant improvements in health and well-being," said Fletcher.

She added that whole grain cereals are associated with weight loss, reduction in risk of stroke, heart disease and certain cancers, better blood sugar control and lowered cholesterol levels.

As of last Monday, the new whole grain cereals became available to the public and are in supermarkets across the island. There are 16 different types of cereals that cater to the needs of adults and children.

The range of cereals from Nestle, displayed at The Gleaner, where cereal breakfast was served to staff on Monday, February 5. - photo by Nashauna Drummond