The perfect kick-start

A healthy cereal is the perfect kick-start to the day. Even if you're trying to lose weight, eating breakfast is important - if you're skipping breakfast you may eat more fat and sugar-laden snacks later in the day.

The quality of breakfast is also important. Studies have shown that people who eat a wholegrain cereal (high in fibre and other nutrients) have a reduced risk of obesity.

We were looking for cereals that contribute to your daily fibre intake and are low in total fat, saturated fat, sugar and sodium. Many of the cereals in our survey provide an excellent start to the day, especially if you eat them with fruit and low-fat milk. The taste we leave to you.

While our survey doesn't cover every cereal, you can use our criteria to see how other cereals stack up (see Our criteria).

Products we surveyed

We looked at cereals in the following categories:

• Flakes & puffs
• Fruity flakes
• Muesli
• Porridge-style
• Biscuits & bites
• Bran-based cereals
• Sports cereals

Our criteria
Per 100g look for:

• Fibre - more than 5g (no more than 15g for children).
• Fat - less than 5g total fat (10g is acceptable if saturated fat is less than 2g).
• Sugar - less than 15g (25g is acceptable if some of the sugar comes from fruit).
• Sodium - less than 400mg.

Breakfast on the run

There's a large range of breakfast bars and drinks to choose from. They're better than nothing but they don't measure up to a sit-down breakfast with a bowl of cereal, milk and fruit.

Many breakfast bars are more than 30 percent sugar - and that includes products like Nestle Milo Energy Snack Bars and Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Bars which don't have any fruit in them.

Breakfast drinks are a better option. They're low in fat and sugar and are a good source of calcium.

But a bowl of the real thing is better: it'll also boost your fibre intake and fill you up for longer.