Is granola healthy

The Healthiest Ways to Have Granola Cereal

On the surface, granola cereal might seem like a healthy food choice. The primary ingredient, whole-grain oats, packs a big fiber punch and supports digestive health. Nuts and seeds provide a heart-healthy source of dietary fats, and dried fruits add natural sugar to satisfy your sweet tooth.

However, granola’s health benefits can be masked by cereals loaded with added sugar and artificial ingredients. Additionally, the dense ingredients contain more calories than may be expected. It’s essential to check the nutrition contents to find granola brands that best preserve the nutritional value of granola without loads of unhealthy ingredients. Consider its high caloric content, too, when determining serving size.

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Tip

While the main ingredients in granola — oats, nuts, seeds and dried fruits — can be both delicious and nutritious, many store-bought granola brands contain added sugar and artificial ingredients. Check the nutrition information and serving size before choosing a granola.

Sugar and Artificial Ingredients

When shopping for granola cereal, inspect the sugar and fat content as well as the overall ingredients list. Many granola brands, even those that are considered healthy, contain lots of added sugar that don’t contribute any nutritional value.

Avoid products that list many sources of sugar in the ingredients list, sticking to those with sugar content derived from dried fruit or honey. Products that are low in calories or claim to be “low-fat” or “sugar-free” often eliminate the healthiest ingredients to make this claim.

Before purchasing these items, consider what health benefits might have been sacrificed. Many products, even those touting “all-natural” ingredients, can contain unhealthy trans fats, artificial coloring, and preservatives, so check the label carefully before buying.

Calorie Content

In addition to checking the labels for nutrition information, also compare calorie content and serving size. Granola is loaded with many nutrient-dense ingredients, which provide the consumer with plenty of health benefits and energy but also increase the calorie content.

According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s 2013 report, Maintaining a Healthy Weight On the Go, just 1 cup of homemade granola contains approximately 500 calories and 55 grams of fat, much higher than the average breakfast cereal.

The NHLBI report recommends replacing granola with lower-fat and lower-calorie options such as oatmeal or bran flakes if weight control is a concern. The recommended serving size of granola is smaller than comparable breakfast foods because it’s packed with nutrients. Be mindful of this when purchasing and consuming granola cereal.

Keep It All-Natural

To preserve the health benefits of granola cereal, try a homemade recipe rather than purchasing it at the store. You can find any combination of raw ingredients including oats, nuts, and dried fruits at a health food store or farmers market.

Customize the ingredients to suit your tastes and avoid consuming all that extra, artificial stuff found in many store-bought granola brands. Seek out healthy, creative recipes, tips, and tricks for making homemade granola on food magazine websites.

Is granola healthy?

Is granola good for you or is it too high in sugar and calories? Registered nutritionist Nicola Shubrook answers these and other questions.

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What is granola?

Granola is a breakfast cereal that’s similar to muesli, but it’s usually coated in oil along with some form of sugar such as honey or maple syrup. Once the ingredients are combined, granola is baked to give it a crunchy, chunky texture. Common ingredients include oats, chopped nuts like almonds and walnuts, seeds and dried fruit.

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Get inspiration with our collection of delicious granola recipes including low-sugar granola and orange & raspberry granola.

Nutritional benefits of granola

A 45g serving of granola (without milk) typically provides:

• 220kcal/921kj
• 6.7g protein
• 10.8g fat
• 20.9g carbs
• 9.4g sugars
• 4.0g fibre

Generally speaking granola is calorie dense, although it’s important to remember that the nutritional profile will vary depending on the ingredients used and the brand or recipe chosen. Adding milk or natural yogurt and fresh fruit may help create a more balanced breakfast, and add protein as well as vitamins and minerals. Granola may form part of a varied and balanced diet, but it’s best to keep to the recommended portion size because granola is high in calories, carbs and sugar.

Is granola healthy or unhealthy?

Research suggests eating a wide variety of plant foods – ideally 30 different foods a week – is key to promoting a diverse range of beneficial gut bacteria. Granola is made up of a number of ingredients including oats, nuts, seeds and dried fruit. These ingredients are rich in dietary fibre and plant compounds called polyphenols which studies indicate have beneficial effects on the diversity of our gut microbes.

Most of us don’t eat enough fibre which is important to support digestive health and to help slow the rate of digestion and absorption. A study investigating the effects of a 45g portion of wholegrain granola containing oats, on cholesterol levels, did suggest a beneficial lowering effect.

Nutritionally, the ingredients of granola are good sources of iron, zinc and magnesium, as well as vitamins like the B group and vitamin E. It is worth saying, however, that the contribution of your bowl of granola to delivering these nutritional and other health benefits will be dependent on the type and amounts of ingredients used.

It is also worth remembering that granola is calorie dense and typically high in sugar and carbs, for this reason it should be eaten in moderation and is unlikely to be appropriate for those following a low-sugar or low-calorie diet. There are many brands and flavour combinations to choose from, and while some promise health benefits like being ‘high fibre’ or try to tempt with luxury branding, they may contain hidden sugars, salt or fat making them less of a healthy choice, especially when eaten regularly.

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Is granola safe for everyone?

As it’s cereal based granola typically contains gluten, or may be manufactured in a processing plant that handles gluten-containing grains, this means if you have coeliac disease or non-coeliac gluten intolerance you should avoid regular granola and look for products which are specifically labelled ‘gluten free’.

Being made from multiple ingredients including some common allergens such as nuts, cereals like barley and oats, as well as preservatives like sulphites, regular granola is unsuitable for those with certain food allergies.

It is also an inappropriate choice for very young children because pieces of whole nuts may pose a choking risk.

Visit the NHS website to read more about allergies.