Is Ready Brek actually healthy? (it’s complicated)
Ready Brek is one of the most popular breakfast dishes in the UK, and British families have been enjoying it since the 60s. But despite often being marketed as a healthy breakfast for children in particular (marketing slogans such as "Central Heating for kids" were used in TV adverts), some people remain skeptical about how healthy Ready Brek actually is. We wanted to clear this up once and for all, so we'll be looking at the nutritional breakdown of this popular porridge pick-me-up after a great night's sleep. Let's get into it:
What is Ready Brek?
We should probably start by defining what Ready Brek is. In simple terms, it is just porridge. To us, the idea of having a branded porridge is slightly weird because porridge is just oats and milk/water. Interestingly, Ready Brek is officially referred to by Weetabix Limited (the company which owns the brand) as "an oat-based breakfast cereal", making it slightly different from your typical porridge.
There are a few different varieties of Ready Brek which include extra ingredients like chocolate, but we'll be focusing on the original Ready Brek in this article.
Ok, so is the original Ready Brek healthy?
Well, basically yes. Ready Brek is essentially just porridge, and like most porridge, Ready Brek is rich in calcium, is a great source of Vitamin D, and has a healthy amount of protein. Ready Brek also has no added sugar or salt.
But that last part is a key element to this discussion - although Ready Brek don't add anything additional to the cereal, most people do. And this usually includes things like honey and sugar, both of which are very high in calories and not very good for you.
So in short, yes Ready Brek is good for you, but not if you cram it full of unhealthy stuff which, unfortunately, is the tendency of many.
Anything else to consider?
Yes, one of the other major things to consider is that many people choose to use 2 sachets of Ready Brek for their breakfast, doubling their calorie intake.
So to summarise, yes Ready Brek is a pretty healthy breakfast, especially when compared to all of the other chocolate-y and sugary options on the supermarket shelves.
Finn H
Finn is the editor of You Well and has been writing about travel, health, and more for over 10 years.
4 Comments
Ronnie Garvey
Ready Brek is always Ready, day or night.
Mrs Irene hammersley
I love ready brekky and l only have milk with it x
Duncan Patterson
Ready Brek is boss
Cindy
Readybrek is good because it has added with calcium and B12. But, personally I found them lack of fibers. So, I cooked it with normal porridge to get everythings.