Weetabix Original

I am going to review regular Weetabix as the review title suggests, although the lead picture shows the organic variety.

Weetabix is a cereal that I have eaten more as an adult than as a child. This is probably due to the appeal health-wise to an adult and the apparent lack of anything but a dull dry brick for a child.

As a teenager I remember the adverts that Weetabix put in place as a promotional kick, we all remember the 'He's had his Weetabix' slogan from them.

I'm in my mid-forties; I'm actually forty-five next month and have had a torrid time health-wise over the last couple of years. It has hit me hard especially as I have always been so fit and sporty. Add to the fact that everyone still thinks I'm in my early thirties and you have my reason for thinking enough is enough and I have to get my health back and start feeling like I am still in my thirties.

Due to the inactivity my illness has caused me I had started to put on that paunch that every middle-aged man dreads. My cholesterol also tested high and as my family has a history of heart disease this made me even more determined to eat healthy and get my life back.

I started eating Weetabix about two months ago and in those two months I have gone from eighty-five kilos (just over twelve stone) to 73 Kilos (about ten and a half stone). I have only done a minimal amount of exercise, so you can see the difference Weetabix has made.

The main reason for this is that Weetabix is very low in fat and full of fibre and vitamins that help your digestive system work more functionally. This great for me as I am currently doing breathing exercises to realign my Diaphragm and my intercostal or chest muscles so indigestion is a big hindrance. Weetabix has helped nullify this.

I don't have to shop at a specialist English shop either as Weetabix is sold in regular supermarkets in The Netherlands as you can see from my pictures.

Weetabix comes in that famous yellow box with 'Weetabix Original' emblazoned across it in blue. It is one of the most recognisable cereal boxes on the market. I buy the 430g box which contains twenty-four biscuits. You can also buy the smaller twelve biscuit boxes or the family pack with Forty-eight biscuits in.

A portion is considered as two biscuits but lately I have been eating four as it is more substantial but still doesn't make me feel bloated or overly full. What it does do is keep me going until lunch time. I sometimes have a couple for supper as well.

Weetabix is made from wholegrain wheat and they are small rectangles with rounded off edges that are the size of an average mobile phone. You can serve them with either hot or cold milk (I prefer hot). The brittle biscuit absorbs the milk leaving a mushy pulp that is easy to swallow and digest. They can be pretty bland on their own so many people lather them with sugar. I feel that this defeats the object of a nutritious low fat meal so I use a sugar replacement sweetener like 'Canderel'. This takes away the blandness and turns it into an enjoyable, nutritious breakfast. You can also use honey as sweetener or low fat yogurt. You can add fruit to the bowl and as there are a fair amount of fruits to choose from you have a lot of variables. A lot of early Weetabix promotions included spreading jam on them or butter but to eat one dry like that is not too appealing to me. One they have had milk pored over them they have a texture like thick porridge and are easier to consume.

Eating Weetabix for breakfast keeps me satisfied until lunch and I have lost the paunch that had begun to appear, so now I can concentrate more on keeping fit as I also have more energy (As I write this I have just had four hours sleep after a Coldplay concert last night, so I will be having my Weetabix in a moment, lol) in the morning.

There is just less than four grams of fibre in a serving (two biscuits) and only 134 calories. There are nine grams of protein in a portion and thirty-two grams of Carbs (of which 9 grams are sugar). They are not only low in fat but very low in sodium as well. They also contain Niacin, folic acid and vitamins B1and B2.

Weetabix are currently celebrating eighty years of production but it will surprise most people that they were invented by an Australian in conjunction with a partner from New Zealand. They sold the rights and recipe to a UK firm in 1930 and they began production in 1932. Four years later they eventually changed the company's name to the 'Weetabix Company' and the rest is history.

Weetabix boxes are marked as a healthy choice and promote good health and a healthy heart as well as weight loss when eaten as part of a healthy diet. They also come in different variations and flavours now such as 'Weetabix Chocolate', 'Oatibix' (with oats instead of wheat), 'Weetabix Minis', 'Weetabix Organic' and 'Weetabix Baked in Golden Syrup'. There are a many other variations if you choose to find them out.

When I was a kid I had a friend who was twice the size of me in build and he used to crush a twelve pack of Weetabix into a plastic container and fill it with milk. Then he would proceed to knock it back like a drink. Now I know why he was twice the size of me.

I would recommend Weetabix to anyone who wants to eat a healthy breakfast that is low in fat or anyone who wants to lose a bit of weight. My problem was not weight as I have never been over weight but now I am middle aged any excess weight that I don't burn off does go to my stomach, so Weetabix is an ideal way of neutralising that. It is nutritious and can taste nice, depending on how you prepare it.

©Lee Billingham