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Breakfast and cereal go together just as smoothly as peanut butter and jelly, probably because there’s just nothing easier to make in the wee hours of the morning. Add cereal and milk to a bowl and you’re good to go—a task so simple, you could almost do it with your eyes closed (which they very much might be depending on the time of your wake-up call).
While nothing beats the convenience of breakfast cereal, its other qualities might be a little less spectacular. Most varieties are made primarily of carbs—which are great for providing hits of quick energy—but fall short in other nutrients, especially those we need to feel satisfied, like protein, Cara Harbstreet, MS, RD, of Street Smart Nutrition, tells SELF.
Protein is responsible for so many jobs in the body, from building muscles to stabilizing blood sugar levels. Without it—and with a lot of carbs—you can expect that short energy boost from cereal, followed by a crash and a grumbling stomach well before it’s actually time to sit down for lunch.
If only there were a way to get the best of both worlds—a sweet, nostalgic, and convenient breakfast and the satisfied stomach and sustained energy levels you expect from a solid meal. According to Harbstreet, there just might be, and the trick doesn’t involve any out-there extras or additions, like mixing in nuts and seeds or a scoop of protein powder: Just swap regular milk for an ultra-filtered alternative.
If you aren’t already familiar with the latest dairy darling, ultra-filtered milk is making waves because it contains twice as much protein as standard milk, minus all the lactose, the sugar in milk that can be a problem for some folks unable to digest it. It’s all thanks to an ultra-filtration process designed to concentrate the protein. “The result has fewer carbs, more protein, and—a huge benefit for many people—more calcium and little to no lactose,” says Harbstreet.
Chief among the list of ways to use this new dairy beverage is in a bowl of cereal, at least for Harbstreet, who has made the swap herself and only has good things to say. Not only do you get more filling protein, but you don’t have to worry about a whole new flavor messing with your bowl, either. Ultrafiltered milk tastes like the regular stuff—albeit with a slightly sweeter note, which can actually be a boon for blander cereals like Raisin Bran and the like.
“UF milk tends to taste sweeter because lactose, a simple carbohydrate naturally found in milk, is ‘pre-digested’ or metabolized and broken down into glucose and galactose,” she explains. As an extra precaution, many brands also add lactase to their product to make sure not even trace amounts of lactose remain. Ultra-filtered milk also has a slightly thicker texture, she says, but you probably won’t notice it unless you’re drinking it straight—not between bites of crunchy cereal.
Exactly how much more protein will you get from using opting for UF milk in your next bowl? Between 13 and 18 grams per cup, depending on the brand. That’s quite an improvement from the relatively meager eight grams in one cup of regular milk—and can help you get closer to reaching the recommended 15 to 20 grams of protein per meal, says Harbstreet.
One little snag: a slightly higher price. In addition to offering double the protein, the cost also tends to be about twice as high—about $4.48 for 52 fluid ounces of Fairlife at Walmart, compared to just $2.18 for 64 ounces of normal milk. But Harbstreet says she doesn’t mind paying a little extra, because not only is it more nutritious, it also has a longer shelf-life. “This offsets the higher cost because I actually use an entire carton vs. unintentionally wasting it due to spoilage,” she says.
So, if you’re tired of your cereal leaving you hungry for more, and you don’t have any qualms with consuming dairy, don’t hesitate to give this trick a try. “I love how we have new options like higher protein and higher fiber cereals and UF milk to prioritize the nutrition we need while preserving the nostalgia and enjoyment,” says Harbstreet.
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