You need something quick and easy to serve for breakfast- like those whole grain frozen waffles that caught your eye as you breezed past the freezer case in your local grocery store. What could be simpler? Pop them in the toaster and toss them on your breakfast plate. They must be healthy; after all, they're whole grain – right? But, before you toss that box of whole grain waffles into your shopping cart, make sure that they're really as healthy as you think they are. Here's what to look for when choosing a frozen whole grain waffle.

    Frozen Whole Grain Waffles: Are They Really Whole Grain?

    The ingredients in a whole grain frozen waffle will vary depending upon the brand you choose, so you need to do a little detective work. If a frozen waffle is truly whole grain, the first ingredient listed on the ingredient list should be whole wheat flour. It's important that the word "whole" be included, since wheat flour and unbleached wheat flour aren't whole grain at all. Don't be fooled by wheat flour or cracked wheat if it's listed on the label. A waffle can have these ingredients and still not be whole grain. Always look past the colorful advertising on the front of the box and read the ingredient list on the back of the package.

    Whole Grain Frozen Waffles: Ingredients to Avoid

    Once you've confirmed that your waffle is truly whole grain, be sure it doesn't contain ingredients you don't want. You'd be surprised how many frozen waffles still have transfats – usually listed as partially hydrogenated oils on the ingredient list. Even though the trans fat content may be listed as zero grams, it still contains trans fats if it contains partially hydrogenated oils or fractionated oils. No "healthy" frozen whole grain waffle should have hydrogenated oils. Ever.

    Frozen Whole Grain Waffles: Avoid the Big Three

    Check to see how much salt, sugar, and fat your frozen whole grain waffle contains. As with most packaged foods, waffles are usually high in sodium and most have some added sugar. Some are also relatively high in saturated fat, although frozen waffles with reduced fat and calories can be found in some grocery stores. Another concern are the dyes added to frozen waffles to give them added color. Some people are allergic to these dyes and they've also been associated with hyperactivity in children. If possible avoid frozen waffles that list dyes or colorings under their ingredients.

    Which One is Best?

    Kashi makes whole grain waffles that have a fairly good profile, although they're a little high in salt and have some added sugar. You're really better off making your own if you have the time since even the healthiest of frozen whole grain waffles are high in sodium, but if you're pressed for time Kashi isn't a bad choice.

    你需要一份方便快捷的午餐--就像是全谷物速凍面包，他們在你的視線之內就能買到，就在隔壁的食品雜貨店里。就這么簡單，把他們放在烤面包器里，看他們躺在你的盤子里。他們肯定是健康的，總之他們是全谷物的，是這樣么？但是在你把他們放進你超市購物的小推車里之前，讓我們先弄清楚，他是不是就像你想的一樣健康，他們究竟是由哪些谷物組成的。

    速凍全谷物面包：真的全是谷物么？

    你要確定，你選的真的全部都是由谷物組成的面包，你需要一點小小的調查工作。如果速凍全谷物面包真的全部都是谷物，第一樣成分一定是全小麥面粉。"全部"這個詞很重要，如果有除了小麥面粉和原味的谷物還有別的添加劑，那么就不能稱為"全部",不要被實驗室里提取出來的其他調味料而愚弄了。不要總是看看那些面包盒子上的彩色廣告和包裝外套背面的面包成分的表格就相信他。

    全谷物面包：避免有配合劑

    當你想確定你的面包真的是全谷物的時候，你就要確定你的面包里不包含那些你不想要的配合劑。那些面包中含著的脂肪量將會讓你驚訝--常常在配料表里面顯示含有氫化油。他里面仍然是含有部分脂肪的，就像面包里含有氫化油和分餾油。健康的速凍全谷物面包里是不應該含有氫化油的。

    全谷物面包一定要避免的三樣殺手

    檢查看你的全谷物面包里含了多少鹽，多少糖，多少脂肪。做為袋裝食品，他們常常含有高量的鈉和添加的糖，有很多都含有飽和的脂肪。當然你可以在很多商店里找到減少脂肪和卡路里的面包。許多有顏色的面包都含有添加劑，對于添加了氫的面包特別不適合兒童實用。如果可以，盡量避免有顏色的全谷物面包。

    哪一個才是最好的？

    Kashi在全谷物面包里面算是最好的了，雖然它里面常常喊有大量的鹽，和一些添加的糖。如果你有足夠的時間，就自己動手做面包吧，這會讓我們更放心，這要比在商店里買的全谷物面包要好很多，但是如果你時間有限，那么Kashi將是你最好的選擇。