Corn flakes, or cornflakes, are a breakfast cereal made from toasting flakes of corn (maize). The cereal, originally made with wheat, was created by Will Kellogg in 1894 for patients at the Battle Creek Sanitarium where he worked with his brother John Kellogg who was the superintendent.

The breakfast cereal proved popular among the patients and Kellogg subsequently started what became the Kellogg Company to produce corn flakes for the wider public. A patent for the process was granted in 1896, after a legal battle between the two brothers.

With corn flakes becoming popular in the wider community, a previous patient at the sanitarium, C. W. Post, started to make rival products. Kellogg continued to experiment with various ingredients and different grains. In 1928, he started to manufacture Rice Krispies, another successful breakfast cereal.

There are many generic brands of corn flakes produced by various manufacturers. As well as being used as a breakfast cereal, the crushed flakes can be a substitute for bread crumbs in recipes and can be incorporated into many cooked dishes.

Cornflakes is a quality breakfast option. People can enjoy this breakfast meal with hot or cold milk. It is sweet and can be prepared in no time. Plus point is that is loaded with many nutrients. It contains minerals, vitamins, dietary fibres, proteins and carbohydrates.

Cornflakes maintain the health of the digestive system due to their high fibre content. Eating cornflakes helps prevent constipation and other common digestive problems.

It is healthier than any other fatty food options available. Cornflakes and milk are great options for people who suffer from heart disease.

Including milk with cornflakes increases the amount of protein. Together they keep your body active throughout the day. A protein-rich diet also increases your immunity. Including almonds in a bowl of cornflakes can further increase the amount of protein.

Cornflakes contain vitamins A, niacin, vitamin B, vitamin B12, lutein, and all essential nutrients that are beneficial for your eyes. In addition, it improves the amount of iron in the body. Anemia can be tackled by including a diet rich in iron.

Grabbing a quick bowl of cornflakes has always sounded very easy and tempting. Also, owing to the marketing gimmicks, the fad that cornflakes offer high nutrition and vitamins sans any calories, many households tend to kick-start the day with this packaged cereal.

But it is imperative to note that cornflakes are made up of corn, malt flavouring, sugar and high fructose corn syrup. These added sugars contribute zero nutrients, cause obesity, and increase Glycemic Index (GI) - all of which are an absolute no-no for all types of diabetic patients.

Cornflakes, though are low in fat, owing to their high sugar content help build up fat storage. Thus, consumption of this processed food paves way for many health problems such as obesity, poor cardiac health, PCOD -all of which are way too damaging for diabetics. Owing to cornflakes scoring low on nutritional scale, high on GI scale it poses a threat for non-diabetics too; it enhances the risk of type 2 diabetes in them. Cornflakes are not capable of keeping hunger pangs at bay, though make one feel satiated instantly. As a result, it causes irritability in mood, leads to weight gain.