Quick cereal facts

• The word cereal derives from Ceres, the name of the Roman goddess of harvest and agriculture.
• Of the more than 300 million people in the United States, 49 percent start their day with a bowl of cereal.
• A refined cereal strips 66 percent fiber, 62 percent folate, 92 percent selenium and 99 percent phytochemicals that are essential for a healthy living.
• The average American eats 160 bowls of cereal each year.
• Fat content in cereals is very low, around 2 – 5 percent per 100 gm.
• 85 percent of all protein consumed throughout the world is provided by cereal grains.
• Grain is both a fruit and a vegetable.
• Maize (corn), wheat and rice together accounted for 87 percent of all grain production worldwide
• Breakfast cereal is the third most popular item sold in grocery stores after carbonated beverages and milk.
• Cereals lack in vitamin C and vitamin A (only yellow maize and few varieties of sorghum contain small amounts of vitamin A).