The British Heart Foundation have ranked the most popular cereals from best to worst based on their nutritional value – in particular added sugar, fibre content, salt.

Firstly, to help you to see how good or bad these cereals are for us, here is a list of the recommended amounts of sugar, salt and fibre we should be having each day.

Sugar

Adults should have no more than 30g of free sugars a day, which is roughly seven sugar cubes.
Children aged 7 to 10 should have no more than 24g of free sugars a day (6 sugar cubes).
Children aged 4 to 6 should no more than 19g of free sugars a day (5 sugar cubes).
There is no guideline limit for children under the age of four, but it is recommended that they avoid sugar-sweetened drinks and food that has had sugar added to it. Find out more about what to feed young children.

Salt

Salt intakes should be much lower than this for babies and children. Babies under 12 months old should have less than 1g of salt a day. The daily recommended maximum amount of salt children should eat depends on their age:

1 to 3 years – 2g of salt a day (0.8g sodium)
4 to 6 years – 3g of salt a day (1.2g sodium)
7 to 10 years – 5g of salt a day (2g sodium)
11 years and over – 6g of salt a day (2.4g sodium)

Fibre

2-5-year-olds: about 15g
5-11-year-olds: about 20g
11-16-year-olds: about 25g
16-18-year-olds: about 30

Read on to get your day off to a heart-healthy start.

1. Porridge

Porridge is the top choice for a healthy breakfast – when it is made with low-fat milk or water and unsweetened. All porridge oats are wholegrains and they all contain a soluble fibre called beta-glucan, which can help lower your cholesterol level if you have 3g or more of it daily, as part of a healthy diet. (A 40g serving of porridge oats contains 1.6g of beta-glucan.) As well as this, you’ll be getting the fibre from the whole grains, plus there is no added sugar or salt.

Make sure you don’t add extra sugar or salt to your porridge as this will undo all your good work – instead, try adding a banana or some fruit for extra sweetness. For every 80g that you add it will be one of your 5-a-day at the same time.

A serving of porridge made with 40g of oats and semi-skimmed milk contains:

Energy 1016kJ / 241kcal, 12% of your Reference Intake (RI)
Fat 6.2g, 9% of your RI
Saturates 2.5g, 13% of your RI
Sugars 8.2g, 9% of your RI
Salt 0.2g, 3% of your RI

A 40g serving of oats (not made up) contains:
Energy 645kJ / 152kcal, 7.6% of your RI
Fat 3.2g, 5% of your RI
Saturates 0.5g, 2.6% of your RI
Sugars 0.1g, 0.1% of your RI
Salt <0.01g, <1% of your RI

BHF expert answers the question ‘Instant or traditional porridge?’
Try the BHF

2. No added sugar or salt muesli

No added sugar muesli contains a mixture of grains, fruit and nuts and the combination will differ between brands and varieties so the amount of oat beta glucans will be more variable than porridge, which is made only of oats. The dried fruit that is added should provide all the additional sweetness you need and will also count towards your five a day but choose a muesli with no added sugar and be aware that many fruit and nut muesli (especially tropical fruit versions) contain sweetened dried fruit, which means they have sugar added even if it isn’t listed separately on the ingredients. Banana chips are another popular muesli ingredient that will contain added sugars and saturated fats.

A 50g Swiss-style no added sugar or salt muesli serving contains:
Energy 758kJ / 179kcal, 9% of your RI
Fat 2.9g, 4% of your RI
Saturates 0.6g, 3% of your RI
Sugars 6.5g, 7% of your RI
Salt 0.08g, 1%

3. Shredded whole wheat cereal

Shredded whole wheat cereal with low-fat milk is the best choice of conventional breakfast cereals, because it doesn’t contain any added sugar or salt, and is high in fibre. Watch out, though, for the kind with fruit fillings, which may contain added sugar, or that are ‘frosted’ as they will almost certainly will have sugar added. Instead try adding fresh fruit such as a banana or berries for sweetness.

A 45g serving contains:
Energy 688kJ / 163kcal, 8% of your RI
Fat 1.0g, 1% of your RI
Saturates 0.2g, 1% of your RI
Sugars 0.3g, <1% of your RI
Salt 0.02g, <1% of your RI

4. Bran flakes

Wholegrain cereals like bran flakes, malted wheat cereal and wheat biscuits are high in fibre and will also have sugar and salt added to them usually, so avoid adding any more sugar and opt for fruits or berries for sweetness. The wholegrains mean they are high in fibre and so have benefits for your digestion too as well as your heart health.

For a ready to eat cereal that is an even more healthy start to the day, swap for a shredded whole wheat cereal or no added sugar or salt muesli (see above) as these don’t contain any added sugar or salt.

A 30g serving contains:
Energy 425kJ / 100kcal, 5.0% of your RI
Fat 0.7g, 1.0% of your RI
Saturates 0.1g, 1% of your RI
Sugars 6.3g, 7% of your RI
Salt 0.27g, 5% of your RI

5. Cornflakes

Cereals like cornflakes or puffed rice served with with low-fat milk – can be part of a healthy breakfast but are low in fibre so not as good a choice as a wholegrain cereal. Adding a a piece of fruit will help to balance your breakfast as well as making it more filling to eat. These cereals, and their wholegrain equivalents, usually come with added sugar and salt but also often have added vitamins and minerals which are good for your overall health. Other low-fibre unsweetened cereals (like crisped rice or malted flakes) will be similar from a heart health point of view.

Salt levels do vary between the brands so make sure you check the nutritional labels before you buy.

A 30g serving contains:
Energy 481kJ / 113kcal, 6.0 % of your RI
Fat 0.2g, 0% of your RI
Saturates <0.1g, 0% of your RI
Sugars 2.2g, 2% of your RI
Salt 0.13g, 2% of your RI

6. Muesli with added sugar

Most people naturally believe muesli to be healthy, and it does have a lot to commend it, but if you don’t check that you’re buying one with no added sugar or salt it can contain almost as much sugar as a bowl of frosted flakes. You’ll still get some health benefits from the nuts, grains and fruit but these are offset by the sugar, so be sure to always choose no-added sugar muesli.

A 50g serving contains:
Energy 755kJ / 183kcal, 9% of your RI
Fat 3.1g, 5% of your RI
Saturates 0.7g, 3% of your RI
Sugars 10.6g, 12% of your RI
Salt 0.17, 3%

6. Sugar-frosted cornflakes

Sugar-frosted cornflakes are high in sugar and low in fibre as well as usually coming with added salt. Sugar-frosted flakes are usually nutritionally similar to other sweetened cereals like chocolate rice cereals, or honey-nut coated cereals. Swapping to an unsweetened equivalent, like cornflakes or puffed rice, would be a good first step and add a serving of fruit for one of your five- a-day plus some added sweetness.

A 30g serving contains:
Energy 447kJ / 105kcal, 5% of your RI
Fat 0.2g, < 1% of your RI
Saturates <0.1, < 1% of your RI
Sugars 11.5g, 13% of your RI
Salt 0.2g, 4% of your RI

7. Granola with dried fruit, nuts or seeds

This sounds healthy but isn’t, as it’s high in fat and sugar. An average portion of granola with nuts is 60g, which without milk packs in 270 kcal and 12.3g fat of which 2.8g is saturated fat. Serve this with 125ml of full fat milk and this adds another 81 kcal and 4.6g of fat of which 2.9g is saturated fat. Which why it made the BHF list of 12 foods you wouldn’t believe are so fatty.

Why not try swapping granola for healthier no-added sugar muesli?

A 60g serving contains:
Energy 1135kJ / 270kcal, 14% of your RI
Fat 13.3g, 19% of your RI
Saturates 2.7g, 14% of your RI
Sugars 10.8g, 12% of your RI
Salt <0.01, < 1% of your RI

8. Granola with chocolate

Granola with chocolate has all the same issues that regular granola has, in that it's high in fat and sugar, but with added chocolate - so even more fat and more sugar! Granola with chocolate is best enjoyed as an occasional treat.

A 50g serving contains:
Energy 924kJ / 220kcal, 11% RI
Fat 15g, 21% RI
Saturates 6.8g, 34% RI
Sugars 24g, 27% RI
Salt 0.5g, 8% RI