Be forewarned. I am about to wax eloquent about a cereal. Now, for those of you who did not join the thundering hordes stampeding for the exit ... here goes! The cereal in question is Red River Cereal, brought to your grocer's shelves by Robin Hood Multifoods Inc. They have been producing this wonderful food for 75 years, and it truly is wonderful. Admittedly, you may find it a bit of an acquired taste. My daughters say it looks like I'm pouring a measure of bird seed into the pot to cook, and according to them, it looks no more inviting once it's off the burner and into the bowl. What do they know?
I'll tell you a few of the things I know about it. First, the ingredients. Have you ever read the list on the side of a "cold cereal" box? It's long and complicated, and nine times out of ten, contains the word sugar, as well as various chemicals, one of which may be explained as a 'preservative'. Why do you need to feed yourself all that? Read the list on the Red River box, and you'll see "cracked wheat. cracked rye, flax (cracked and whole)". That's it. That's all. Part of what's wonderful about this cereal is how that short little list of ingredients translates into such a long list of benefits.
I'm sure you're aware of the buzz about essential fatty acids , and omege-3 fatty acids. We're told that we in North America do not get enough of these, and/or that our diet provides us with an imbalance of the omega-3's, giving us a higher concentration of the one we should get less of, in ratio to the other. What to do, for the quick and easy fix, the solution sought by so many? One of the answers diet gurus give you is increase your consumption of fish, but just any fish will not do. Canned tuna,(quick and easy, right?) will not help. Salmon? Sure, but there's a caveat! You really want to know where that salmon comes from before it makes its way onto your fork. Another place to look for an answer is in flax, which gives you two times the omega-3 content of fish oils, and if you remember that list of ingredients I quoted ...
People have been using flax for approximately 5,000 years. It's a part of the production of linen, as well as a part of breakfast! It can spell relief and a preventative measure for the sufferers of diverticulitis, and it's a great source of the fibre that every single one of us needs, whether we want to discuss it or not! It's also a good source of potassium. Something interesting to know about potassium is that it's instrumental in the control of blood pressure. For those of you with blood pressure high enough that your doctor has put you on diuretics to control it, I wonder if s/he also explained to you that those drugs deplete your body of potassium, and can thereby make the control of the blood pressure even harder to achieve? It's not the kind of thing that a lot of MD's discuss with their patients. (Why is that, do you think? I suspect some of them just don't realize that they should. They simply trust to the first drug making everything "OK". Then, if their patient is discovered down the road to have developed a potassium deficiency, they will send them off with a second prescription for potassium. Some of the others, though, do not deign to discuss much with mere mortals such as their patients. They are the ones who feel sure that MD actually stands for "Medical Deity") Again, look to flax, because it gives you a real boost of potassium. Now, if you accompany that steaming bowl of cereal with a potassium-rich banana, you're laughing at that deficiency!
Want more facts? Well, have you heard about the diet theory out of Purdue University, that people should try to eat more like their hunter-gatherer forebears, and less like those who first started practicing agriculture about 10,000 years ago? So much to think about in that little bowl of cereal sitting in front of you! If you want to effect some changes in your way of eating, cooking a cereal to start your day with is a good one to consider. The good people at Robin Hood Multifoods have acknowledged the need for speed in our working mornings, and come out with a microwaveable version of the cereal. Take the time to look for it, and give it a try. Toss a handful of raisins in with the cereal as you cook it, and you've added to the fibre, the iron content, and the taste. Be good to yourself, and take some time each day to invest in your health. You're important.
I'll tell you a few of the things I know about it. First, the ingredients. Have you ever read the list on the side of a "cold cereal" box? It's long and complicated, and nine times out of ten, contains the word sugar, as well as various chemicals, one of which may be explained as a 'preservative'. Why do you need to feed yourself all that? Read the list on the Red River box, and you'll see "cracked wheat. cracked rye, flax (cracked and whole)". That's it. That's all. Part of what's wonderful about this cereal is how that short little list of ingredients translates into such a long list of benefits.
I'm sure you're aware of the buzz about essential fatty acids , and omege-3 fatty acids. We're told that we in North America do not get enough of these, and/or that our diet provides us with an imbalance of the omega-3's, giving us a higher concentration of the one we should get less of, in ratio to the other. What to do, for the quick and easy fix, the solution sought by so many? One of the answers diet gurus give you is increase your consumption of fish, but just any fish will not do. Canned tuna,(quick and easy, right?) will not help. Salmon? Sure, but there's a caveat! You really want to know where that salmon comes from before it makes its way onto your fork. Another place to look for an answer is in flax, which gives you two times the omega-3 content of fish oils, and if you remember that list of ingredients I quoted ...
People have been using flax for approximately 5,000 years. It's a part of the production of linen, as well as a part of breakfast! It can spell relief and a preventative measure for the sufferers of diverticulitis, and it's a great source of the fibre that every single one of us needs, whether we want to discuss it or not! It's also a good source of potassium. Something interesting to know about potassium is that it's instrumental in the control of blood pressure. For those of you with blood pressure high enough that your doctor has put you on diuretics to control it, I wonder if s/he also explained to you that those drugs deplete your body of potassium, and can thereby make the control of the blood pressure even harder to achieve? It's not the kind of thing that a lot of MD's discuss with their patients. (Why is that, do you think? I suspect some of them just don't realize that they should. They simply trust to the first drug making everything "OK". Then, if their patient is discovered down the road to have developed a potassium deficiency, they will send them off with a second prescription for potassium. Some of the others, though, do not deign to discuss much with mere mortals such as their patients. They are the ones who feel sure that MD actually stands for "Medical Deity") Again, look to flax, because it gives you a real boost of potassium. Now, if you accompany that steaming bowl of cereal with a potassium-rich banana, you're laughing at that deficiency!
Want more facts? Well, have you heard about the diet theory out of Purdue University, that people should try to eat more like their hunter-gatherer forebears, and less like those who first started practicing agriculture about 10,000 years ago? So much to think about in that little bowl of cereal sitting in front of you! If you want to effect some changes in your way of eating, cooking a cereal to start your day with is a good one to consider. The good people at Robin Hood Multifoods have acknowledged the need for speed in our working mornings, and come out with a microwaveable version of the cereal. Take the time to look for it, and give it a try. Toss a handful of raisins in with the cereal as you cook it, and you've added to the fibre, the iron content, and the taste. Be good to yourself, and take some time each day to invest in your health. You're important.
4 Comments:
OK, OK. I believe you. Not that I didn't before. It's just that Red River Cereal is scary. It really is. What's with the name? Was it dredged from a river?
In all seriousness however, I'm willing to give the scary stuff a try. What doesn't kill me will leave me alive, right. I hope it doesn't kill me. You know what I'm like aready ... pretty close to being dead. You'll have to show me how to cook it. And maybe make it sweeter.
I'm scared just thinking about this.
I think the reason I'm saying yes, I'll try it, is because I just had supper, so I'm no longer hungry. My head is saying yes. Tomorrow morning, my stomach may say other things, followed by a bit of hacking.
Squiggly Bun says:
diverticulitis? Is that like being diverted / distracted constantly?
I need a cure for that!
I really enjoyed reading that Blog, you flaxed very eloquently indeed. Your writing can be so infused with emotion, or so beautiful and flowing, that even if it is about Robin Hood's fibre (something fishy about that) it's a pleasure to read.
Okay, you have convinced me! I will try your cereal.
Breakfast..hmmmm what an interesting idea!
He is right!! This is the best hot cereal ever!! I just discovered it while I was on a Canada trip. I carried two boxes home with me and have eaten a bowl a day since I got back. Now if someone could tell me a place that would mail order it to me.....
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