Puffed wheat cereal is made by pressurizing and depressurizing steamed whole wheat grains, resulting in a spongy texture. It is usually fat-free and low in calories, but some manufacturers add sugar and artificial colors, reducing its nutritional value. Shoppers should check the nutrition label for whole wheat ingredients.
Puffed wheat cereal is a breakfast food made by pressurizing and then rapidly depressurizing steamed whole wheat grains. It is usually beige and brown in color and tends to have a spongy texture. Puffed wheat cereals to which few or no additional ingredients have been added are usually fat-free and contain only a small number of calories, although their fiber content can be quite low compared to some other breakfast cereals. Some cereal manufacturers add ingredients such as sugar to their puffed grain products, which can result in reduced nutritional value.
Usually, the first step in making grains is steaming whole wheat grains to hydrate their insides. Subsequently, specialized machinery is used to pressurize the grain kernels and thus rapidly depressurize them. Partly due to the presence of moisture within the kernels, this rapid addition and removal of pressure causes the grain to expand, or “swell,” to several times its initial size.
In general, puffed wheat cereals are beige or tan in color, with spots of a darker brown hue dotting the surface of each grain. It tends to have a slightly crunchy exterior and somewhat spongy interior. Most people consume cereal by pouring it into a bowl, adding milk, and then scooping the cereal out with a spoon.
When a puffed wheat cereal is made without the addition of other ingredients, it is usually fat-free. Plus, it contains only about 60 calories for each 1-cup (16-gram) serving, which is significantly fewer calories than what’s found in many grains, especially those that are highly processed. A serving tends to have fewer grams of heart-healthy fiber than an equal volume of a whole-grain cereal that hasn’t been “puffed,” however. In the eyes of some nutritionists, this low fiber content may prevent this type of grain from being considered a health food.
It should be noted that some breakfast food manufacturers add a number of additional ingredients to their wheat puff cereal formulations, including sugar, corn syrup, and artificial colors. Such ingredients can significantly increase the number of calories in this grain and also decrease its overall nutritional value. Those looking for the healthiest puffed wheat cereals may want to scan a product’s nutrition label before purchasing. To avoid excess calories and artificial additives, shoppers should look for a product that contains only whole wheat.
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