Kellog's All-Bran Dual

My favorite meal is breakfast. In the bleakest of mornings, the thought of my first meal for the day gets me out of bed and ready in no time. Experts say breakfast should provide for most calories consumed in a day. That's an excuse for filling up, and with the endless yummy options one is faced with, it seems like the easiest undertaking that's hard to pass up.

Because breakfast s the most important meal of the day, I make it a point to choose the healthiest alternative out there. My default choice is any variety of wholegrain cereal that helps with digestion, or more precisely, bran. A lot of people find that strange, especially since bran is associated with middle-aged men with cholesterol problems, but even among that demographic you can't call it popular. I don't like bran but I do like the feeling after cleaning my bowels. Like exercise and bitter gourd, there are some things we just have to tolerate.

I am guilty of taking the longest time in the cereal aisle of the supermarket because I find fascination in the discrepancy between packaging and the nutritional label contents. As far as my hunt is concerned, I've come to the conclusion that Kellog's All -Bran Dual is the best deal there is in Sydney supermarkets. Although a little high on the calorie mark at 580kJ (138 kcal) per serve due mainly to the addition of apple pieces, this cereal tastes better than any bran variety I've tried. Plain bran cereals range from 90-110 kcal and pack 11g fiber per serving, with the tradeoff of tasting like cut up bits of carton and the tendency to scratch at the throat when swallowed. Considering the slight decrease of fiber content at 8g per serve, the additional calories in All-Bran Dual is forgivable in exchange for a wholesome experience that's actually enjoyable. It's virtuous, even, compared with "healthy" cereals that have everything on it-- gains, fruits and nuts-- that are admittedly yummy at 200 kcal per serve and yet only has 1.5-3g of fiber, some even less.

The pieces of cereal come in a granular shape that hold well in milk. They get soggy less quickly and when they do, they don't form into clumps that resemble wet, brown sand. The white bits are the apple pieces. The smoothness and chewy texture balance the dry, grainy bran pieces, and together they give a subtle sweet taste that's really good with milk.

The packaging says the Kellog's All-Bran Dual contains "Insoluble fibre to help cleanse your insides, [and] natural plant based insulin to help nourish the good bugs." I'm happy to report that it lives up to its promise, as I find myself wanting to take a crap by late afternoon when I eat a small bowl of this in the morning. I think this is real good value for my money. I know that it's unfair to base the healthiness of cereals on fiber content alone and that varieties with fruits and nuts have vitamins and minerals that plain bran types lack. I know, and I don't care. That's why I take other vitamin supplements.

I've had this cereal in the pantry for more than three weeks, and it's given me about 16 bowls of satisfactory breakfast. The second picture above is actually the last of it, which made me a little sad yesterday when I found out. Fortunately, there's literally more where that came from, but I think I'm going to try other cereals for a while while I'm here. I might hoard several boxes before coming home, though. And establishing a Bran Fan Club, who knows, I might get to sell some.