Why are breakfast cereals void of NATURAL vitamins and minerals? Why must they be fortified?

Cereal is considered a health food by many due to its high vitamin and mineral content. But as we all know, those vitamins and minerals are synthetic and have been ADDED to the cereal. So why don’t those healthy grains (I’m talking about some good whole-grain cereal) have NATURALLY occurring vitamins and minerals? Why must they be added? I thought that whole grains are naturally high in B vitamins, but it is not reflected in the nutrition facts label in those cereals that haven’t been fortified (like Nature’s Path cereals). Can anyone explain this?
Whole-grain cereals contain:

The Bran—most important for its B vitamins and fiber, but also adds "body", texture, and even some flavor.

The Germ — prized for its minerals, B vitamins, protein, vitamin E, and oils. The oils found in the germ are a key element in whole grain flour’s flavor.

and very little of the Endosperm — consists mostly of starch, with some protein and other nutrients.

So where did the B vitamins go?

Because the grains are refined. Plus in America we have ruined our soil with too many chemicals, so the grains themselves don’t hold as many vitamins as they once did. Anything refined is bad. Try to eat whole foods.

| March 9th, 2010 | Posted in health & nutrition |

25 Responses to “Why are breakfast cereals void of NATURAL vitamins and minerals? Why must they be fortified?”

  1. moxychic_333 Says:

    because in the process of cooking most of the healthy stuff is stripped
    References :

  2. moofoo f Says:

    Grain is just grain. It isn’t rich in vitamins and minerals, therefore they must be added to it.
    I’ve never heard of it being rich in the B vitamins either so I can’t explain that one.
    References :

  3. goodvoicewoman Says:

    It is added because 1) to help the milk not to saturate the cereal so fast, and 2) because it is such a staple and devoid of any vital ingreds we need, and 3) so the consumer thinks it has all the vitamins and minerals to make our children healthy to placate. 4) The extruding process damages the proteins that might otherwise be healthy.

    There were experiments on rats done by the cereal companies that didn’t get out. The rats lasted longer by one or two days if only given the box, as apposed to the cereal itself. The cereal killed the rats if given it, even with the usual vitamins sprayed on as a coating.

    Cooked milk (pasteurized) milk renders the calcium unusable, and fatal to baby calves.
    References :

  4. cosmicwindwalker Says:

    cause they are grown on dead land chemically.

    buy organic.
    References :

  5. iluvtorofl Says:

    Because the grains are refined. Plus in America we have ruined our soil with too many chemicals, so the grains themselves don’t hold as many vitamins as they once did. Anything refined is bad. Try to eat whole foods.
    References :

  6. Violet Pearl Says:

    who ever said cheap cereal and grains were healthy? They’re just ground up and stuck together with corn syrup and called things like "Healthy Heart" LOL
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  7. K R Says:

    it is cheaper and easier for them to "fortify" sad huh.
    References :

  8. David S Says:

    Actually, few cereals are really considered to be health foods. They are just highly processed boxes of grain by-products.

    There are a couple of reasons for enriching them with additional nutrients.

    First, because they are so highly processed, most of the naturally occurring nutrition is gone.

    Second, the FDA choose flour as a means of providing dietary supplements to the public nearly 100 years ago. In 1915 alone over 10,000 Americans died from a disease called Pellagra, which is a simple dietary deficiency disease. Vitamin B3 was added to white flour to fight this nutritional deficiency and more is found in white flour than if you ate uncooked wheat berries.

    So the supplementation that the FDA adds to flour is actually more than what is lost in processing.

    In reality, corn and wheat are not "rich" in B vitamins. The dietary supplements are added to the refined grains by thte FDA due to public health concerns. They identified nearly 100 years ago that people are not getting enough nutrition from diet alone and that is before all the things today that we blame for poor nutrition in our food supply.

    In 1998 the FDA added Folic Acid to the list of nutrients added to white flour. The result has been a 30% drop in the rate of Spina Bifida in the US. This is a remarkable drop though studies show that the rate should drop 70% if the Folic Acid intake is high enough.
    References :
    Certified Nutritional Educator and Wellness Coach, ANA
    Member of the American International Association of Nutritional Education (AIANE)

  9. teddi p Says:

    cereal is a processed dead food.basically a lab created junk that your body will reject!obesity anyone?
    References :

  10. Lilly Adams Says:

    This article was very informative. I believe getting the essential vitamins that your body needs is very important to living a very long and healthy life. I found this really awesome website that lists every dietary vitamins Check out the website. I really hope this helps you. http://www.n101.com/dietaryvitamins

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