European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 02, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Which Cereal is Best Check out the Label Oil butter Coconut Oil which May drive up blood cholesterol Levels More than the oat bran Lowers them. Check the Label warns Liebman whose Washington based group published a list of oat bran cereals by Brand recently to help Consumers choose Between products which have a lot o bran in them and those which have Little see related Story the group has even complained to the Federal Trade commission that Quaker exaggerated the cholesterol lowering potential of Oatmeal in ads and labels. The Etc has backed Oft regulating advertising but a task Force of state attorneys general that focuses on health and nutrition is investigating the complaint said Bruce Silverglade Legal director for the consumer group. Scientific research documents the effect that Oats can  Bottrell has said. We re confident with the claims that have been  less gently targeted was Kellogg co., maker of Cracklin oat bran Cereal. The product was one of a handful singled out by Omaha. Neb., businessman Phil Sokolof last fall in a personally financed National Campaign to Stop what he called the poisoning of America by foods Lull of artery clogging fats. Kellogg announced in december it was replacing the heavy tropical oils it used in Cracklin oat bran with lighter oils. The marketplace is Ripe for abuse because the oat bran business has become hysterical said David Liederman who supplemented cookie making with no fat oat bran muffins and now Sells 75,000 a week on the East coast. If we had the production capacity we could sell a couple of million said Liederman whose David s specially foods inc. Took off after it was featured in a new York times article about oat bran in november. Even though he is enjoying unprecedented Success Liederman decries corporate greed run wild and oat bran prices that have risen from 40 cents to $2 per Pound. Corporate food America is advertising oat bran every minute on National television but much of it is misguided or medically irresponsible he said. Companies Are making claims that have no basis in. Half a cup of cooked Beans can lower cholesterol by about the same amount As a bowl of oat bran. The bean people just Don t have the Bucks. And Aren t As adept at advertising nutritionist Bonn Liebman by Vannorris Cox news services hese Days. American Cereal manufacturers who represent some of the richest food companies in the world Are tailing All Over themselves to produce brands capitalizing on nutrition concerns. While children Are still the major Cereal audience one company spent $27 million just to advertise a new sugar coated monster Cereal last Yea prime time Cereal commercials targeting adults Aie sprinkled throughout the networks. A Back to nature Good for you theme connects the images of workers harvesting wheat and Oats and people in All natural settings would have you believe you re eating a magic Ambrosia. An up close look at the packages however shows that health is what marketers make of it. Not every Cereal will cause a trip to the doctor or dentist some can add important nutrients to a weak diet. For information to help you determine which Cereal is Best for you Check the nutrition panel on the Side of the Cereal boxes. Don t go by just the name it can be very misleading. Also consider the serving amount when examining the labels. Most of us admit to eating More than the company s idea of a bowl Lul. Adjust the Content numbers by the amount you normally eat to add up your nutrients from the Cereal. While Oats Are the trendiest of trends and every Cereal company not to mention every other food company is trying to add them to its product they Are Over billed on most cereals to represent a portion of the product they Don t fulfil. Many of the cereals claim to be High in fiber but you d have to eat the cardboard Box to get any real Benefit. Others Are billed As All natural the catch being that everything is natural but some things such As the preservative Bra Are unnatural in the human body so what s natural to a chemist in t natural to a dietitian. Some cereals Are so filled with sugar that any healthful benefits Are overshadowed by the empty calorie Content. Others continue to use hydrogenated Coconut Oil or one of the other High cholesterol fats. Essentially you d be better off not eating breakfast if you re depending on some kinds of cereals to Start your Day right. Here s a look at package claims and what they really mean High in fiber dietary fiber is what you re concerned with and soluble dietary fiber at that. It s the kind that is digested and leaves behind nutrients As it passes through your system. The other fiber insoluble is much like eating crushed rocks it goes right through you with Little to Benefit your reality. It does t do anybody any Good to sell people oat bran muffins with Grams and Grams or ounces and ounces of fat and lots of calories and Tell them it s going to lower their cholesterol said Liederman who lost 109 pounds and Cut his blood cholesterol level in Hall on a Low cholesterol High fiber diet. Consumers also May be getting Low Quality bran said William Aulrich of Arrowhead Mills a natural foods company based in Hereford Texas. Such bran is increasingly Likely to enter the . Market As manufacturers rely on More imports to fill the Gap left by a 40 percent drop in . Oat production caused largely by the 1988 drought. Oat bran should contain 25 percent to 30 percent soluble fiber aufricht said. Some foreign oat bran his company investigated contained Only 10 percent. By comparison whole Oats contain about 8 percent soluble fiber. The problem is unlikely to ease with sales of oat bran cereals having risen 215 percent Over the past 12 months and with oat bran going into everything from Pancake mix to animal crackers to potato chips. Aufricht joked Man. You be got to go out and get your oat bran Popsicle or you re not hip system. Too much of this nondescript fiber in fact can be harmful to some people. Read the Label and decide How much fiber you re getting and whether eating the Cereal is Worth it. Otherwise add a few chopped dried figs to your morning Oatmeal or grits and you la meet fiber requirements for the Day. To preservatives big Deal. Com Barley wheat. Oats Rice you can buy All of these items in their raw state and not encounter preservatives. Your Cereal made from these things should be produced the same Way. Fruit Many cereals contain fruit that must be preserved in order to be sold off the Shell rather than refrigerated. Buy a raw Cereal add your own fresh fruit get the added Benefit of unprocessed fiber and skip the High Price and preservatives in the fruity cereals. Low sugar How Low is Low to give you an idea 4 Grams of sugar is one teaspoonful. Sugar Content in cereals varies widely. Most Cereal contains some sugar to make the product palatable almost All have a minute amount even if it s from an added fruit. Read the labels and watch for words such As Corn syrup dextrose Brown sugar molasses and other terms that mean sugar. Our bodies break Down carbohydrates into glucose body sugar any added sugars Are More than most of us need for Good health extra sugar is extra empty calories. Essential vitamins vitamins and minerals Are inherent in some grains but the processes used to turn Corn and Oats into Hakes and Rice into crispy puffs have an a Fleck on the nutrient Content. The Cereal manufacturers have to Back up and add the vitamins read that Ottily they just removed. It s easier to take a i Amin Tablet if you re worried about Vitamin deficiency that Way you Aren t guessing about How much o any nutrient you re getting. Otherwise depend on a balanced diet of vegetables and fruits to give them to you in sufficient Quantity. Hidden problems Check the sodium Content of the cereals and the fats they re made with if any. Some Are too High for some sodium restricted patients to consider. Check with your doctor i you re concerned about this or search for a no sodium added Cereal sodium is a naturally occurring Mineral in most foodstuffs milk included. Few cereals will contain none but you can find cereals with no extra added Salt fats Are another buried product and most companies lag behind the consumer demand to change from saturated varieties such As Coconut and Palm Kernel oils to the less saturated fats such As safflower oils. Some of the oat bran Cereal makers claim their products lower cholesterol with oat bran but actually raise it with the addition of saturated fats. Watch especially Lor the hydrogenated fats or oils these Are always saturated Las. Overseas commissaries where s the bran by Mary Neth staff writer there has been such demand Lor oat Bra products by overseas commissary customer recently that a number of stores have found their stocks depleted. Both army and air Force commissary officers however Are increasing their orders and new oat bran products Are being added to Stockage lists. The Supply from the manufacturers just does t meet the demand said Norman Eggleton grocery manager at the air Force commissary at Rhein main a West Germany. We have been placing monthly orders Lor 50 to 100 cases and Are Lucky in we receive 10," he explained noting that his Supply disappears almost As soon As it is put on the shelves. I received a shipment yesterday and it was wiped Oil the shelves in minutes. One woman bought two  according to the . Army troop support Agency Tsa army commissaries currently carry Quaker oat bran Cereal and Kellogg s Cracklin oat bran. The Quaker Cereal was added to the Stockage list in july 1987 and the Kellogg s item in october 1988, but they were Only recently added to the mandated Stockage list which Means they must be stocked in All stores last month the merchandise review committee voted to add Nabisco Hearty oat bran to the mandatory Stock list Lor the army s 41 largest commissaries in Europe. It should arrive in the stores late this summer or Early in the fall. The air Force commissaries in Europe now require mandatory blockage of Quaker oat bran ou1er oat bran with raisins will be added in the near future. Kellogg s Cracklin oat bran has already been ordered Tor the stores and there Are plans to order Nabisco oat bran. Tuesday May 2,1989 the stars and stripes Page 17