Is Granola Good for You: Myths and Facts

Whole grains are a crucial part of a healthy, balanced diet. They’re packed with lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, and crucial vitamins and minerals that your body needs to function.

As you look for more ways to infuse healthy whole grains into your daily meals, you may consider making the switch from your morning oatmeal to a tastier option: granola. Or why not have a granola bar as an afternoon snack?

But before you begin adding granola to your daily diet, there are a few things you need to know.

In this post, we’re going to give you a much closer look at granola, examining whether it really is the great food it seems to be. You’ll soon see there are some hidden dangers that make granola a less-than-ideal option.

We’ll also look at how you actually can be healthy while eating granola, including how to make this breakfast or snack food a better, more nutrient-rich choice.

Once you learn the truth about granola, you’ll have a much better understanding of what place it deserves in your meals.

Why Granola Might Not Be the Healthy Option It Seems?

On the face of things, granola definitely seems like a healthy option.

First off, it’s made using oats, which are one of the healthiest of the whole grains.

Oats are packed with lean proteins, easily digestible starches, fiber, and vitamins and minerals (including Vitamin E, iron, zinc, folates, manganese, selenium, and copper). Extensive evidence shows that oats help lower high blood sugar and LDL cholesterol levels. They support gut health, reduce appetite, and are often safe for people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, provided the oats are certified gluten-free.

Many granolas also include a variety of seeds and nuts such as sesame, pumpkin, chia, sunflower, flax, almonds, walnuts, and pecans. These ingredients are nutrient-dense and rich in vitamins and Omega-3 fatty acids.

Put that together, and you’ve got what looks like a fairly nutrient-dense, balanced food that’s great for your gut and heart health.

Unfortunately, there are a few things that make granola a less-than-healthy option…

Sugar Content: The Hidden Danger

Even organic granola, that contains seemingly healthy ingredients, is made with some form of sweetener or sugar.

Sure, the sugar may be from natural sources—for example, honey, maple syrup, or brown sugar—but that doesn’t change the fact that there’s still a high sugar content.

Some granolas contain as much as 23 grams of sugar per serving, while others fall around 18 grams. That’s nearly the same as many sugary breakfast cereals, which can have up to 25 grams per serving. This shows that many granolas are not as healthy as their marketing suggests.

However, some brands offer options with much lower sugar content—around 10 to 11 grams per serving, with only a small portion coming from added sugars.

However, anytime you eat granola, you’re getting far more sugar and sweetener in your diet than you might realize or bargain for. While the sugar may come from natural sugar sources such as honey or dried fruit—sugar is sugar.

Before you select a granola for your daily diet, take a close look at the sugar content.

Extra Ingredients: An Added Peril

One thing many people forget is that oats is just one of the basic ingredients in granola. Often, there are other ingredients added: nuts, seeds, and dried fruits.

Each of these ingredients will add extra calories, extra fats, and extra sugars to your granola. Yes, they’ll also provide antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, but you need to realize that it’s not all good.

Plain oats are already fairly calorie-dense, and when you add in extra ingredients, the calorie, fat, and sugar content of your breakfast or snack begins to rise sharply.

Calorie Content: Watch Your Portions

Before you pour your “healthy” granola into your bowl, take a look at the serving size.

Serving sizes will range from around 29 grams to 60 or 70 grams (the typical serving in the small cereal boxes offered at hotels and resorts). However, because these serving sizes vary, what looks like fewer calories can actually wind up being more than you expect if you’re not reading the nutrition label.

For example, a 28-gram serving of some low-sugar granolas may contain around 140 calories. That seems reasonable, until the portion size increases. A more typical serving, such as 2/3 of a cup, can raise the calorie count to about 330. That’s a high amount for a quick snack.

It’s important to understand the ideal portion size. Since granola is more dense than a traditional cereal, your serving size should be much smaller, particularly if it contains high calorie ingredients such as nuts.

Before you fill your bowl up to your usual amount of cereal, read the label to see what the suggested serving size is – or your healthy morning granola will contain more calories than you require.

Natural vs. Processed: Decoding Ingredients

Although the granola you select contains rolled oats, nuts, and dried fruit, the added ingredients that make your granola taste so good may not be natural.

For example, many “low-calorie” or “light” granola products will use artificial sweeteners to reduce calorie content without sacrificing the sweet taste that makes granola such a delicious food. In your effort to eat natural and healthy, you end up putting more dangerous chemicals and additives in your body than you realize because you didn’t read the label.

Check the label for added sugars – whether listed as sugar, white sugar, cane sugar, golden sugar, or sweeteners like agave syrup, maple syrup, and corn syrup. Watch for chemical sweeteners as well. Also look out for emulsifiers, stabilizers, and preservatives such as calcium carbonate or soy lecithin.

These additives improve taste, texture, and shelf life, but they reduce the overall health value of the granola.

How to Include Granola in a Healthy Diet

You certainly can add granola to your daily or weekly diet, you just have to be mindful of its ingredients, sugar content, and serving size.

You can consider the tips below:

• Add 1-2 tablespoons to yogurt to provide fiber and boost the protein content.
• Eat a ½ cup of granola in the morning with fresh fruit or vegetable juice.
• Pack small containers with ¼ to ½ cup of granola to take with you for an afternoon snack.
• Sprinkle it on top of your homemade ice creams or sorbets to add texture and taste.
• Eat it with low-calorie almond milk or cashew milk as a post-workout snack, or between meals to quash hunger pangs.

Granola can be easily incorporated into your diet. Just remember that it may contain more calories and unwanted ingredients than you realize, so it’s not as healthy as it’s marketed to be.

Tips for Smarter Granola Choices

If you’re going to shop for granola or granola bars, here are a few things to remember:

• Always read labels. Many food manufacturers try to make their granola taste better by adding chemicals and processed sugars. You’ll only spot them if you read the labels. Anything on the ingredients list with “ose” in it—fructose, sucrose, glucose-fructose, and especially high fructose corn syrup—is an added sugar you want nothing to do with.
• Look for less sugar per serving. Oats naturally contain a certain amount of sugar, but many granolas will be made with even more sugar to dial up the sweetness. Reading the labels will help you spot any products that contain a lot of added sugars or sugar per serving. Aim for the granolas that have the least amount of sugar.
• Look for a higher fiber-to-carbohydrate ratio. Ideally, you want at least 1 gram of fiber per 10 grams of carbohydrates. More fiber intake means slower digestion and absorption of the nutrients, and a lower likelihood of the granola triggering a blood sugar rush (which leads to a blood sugar crash and, ultimately, cravings and hunger pangs).
• Look for more protein per serving. Oats contain amino acids that will facilitate muscle-building and satisfy your hunger. Ideally, you want at least 4 grams of protein per serving, though more is always better. A protein-rich breakfast will keep you from feeling hungry or snacky through lunch time, and a protein-rich snack will satisfy any cravings or hunger pangs until you can eat an afternoon or evening meal.
• Look for rolled oats. Some granolas will be made using rolled oats rather than steel-cut oats. This is the ideal, because rolled oats digest more slowly, which promotes longer satiety and prevents sugar rushes.
• Be aware of fat content. Oats naturally contain some fats, but added ingredients like nuts, seeds, peanut butter, almond butter, and coconut oil will drastically increase the fat content per serving. These fats are healthy and natural, but they are very calorie-dense. You don’t have to avoid granolas with a higher fat content (because it’ll chiefly be unsaturated fats), but it’s a factor to be aware of when considering the calorie cost of a bowl of granola or granola bar.
• Consider grain free granolas. Some granolas are made using nuts, seeds, coconut flakes, and nut butters, but no oats or other grains. These can be a safe option worth considering if you’re sensitive to gluten or suffer from celiac disease.
• Go organic. Organic granola is made using only natural, organic ingredients, and will contain no additives, chemicals, added sweeteners, or preservatives.

The truth about granola, is that it can still taste good and be healthy. You just have to know how to find the right products on shelves, and make smart, safe choices.

How To Make Your Own Granola: A Simple Guide for Healthier Eating

The best way to ensure that your granola is free of sugars, fats, and harmful chemical additives is to make it at home.

Making granola is brilliantly easy; all you have to do is:

1. Mix half a cup of coconut oil and half a cup of honey or maple syrup into a bowl filled with four cups of oats.
2. Add in whatever extra ingredients you want (nuts and seeds) and some spices (cinnamon, coriander, anise, nutmeg, etc.) for flavor.
3. Stir well to combine and pour into a baking tray.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, until the granola is lightly golden. Stir with a fork halfway through the baking process for even cooking.
5. Mix dried fruits into the granola hot out of the oven, and let it sit for around 45 minutes to cool.
6. Break into chunks by hand or using a spoon.

It’s really just that simple! The recipe is one you can learn quickly and follow easily.

The great thing about making your own granola at home is that you can experiment with different quantities or types of oils, sweeteners, and added ingredients to make great tasting granolas based on your specific tastes.

Maybe one batch of granola you want a bit on the richer and fattier side, so you add in a scoop of peanut or almond butter. Or you want to decrease the sweetness to wean yourself off sugar, so you lower the amount of honey or maple syrup you mix in. Or you want to cut unnecessary calories so you don’t add nuts, seeds, or dried fruits.

Making your own granola at home gives you total control over the ingredients, and lets you decide exactly what you put in your body.

Wrapping Up: Make Granola a Healthy Meal or Snack

Most store bought granola isn’t the healthiest option, thanks to added sugars, fats, and calories. However, there are some decent options (organic, low-sugar, all-natural, etc.) that you can find on supermarket shelves, or you can whip up your own.

Added to your diet in moderation, you’ll find that homemade granola is a quick, convenient, and tasty breakfast or midday snack that won’t have negative consequences for your health.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much is too much granola?

For a breakfast, any more than a single serving size (typically around 2/3 of a cup, or under 70 grams) is too much. For a snack, more than an ounce (around 28 grams) will provide you with more calories than you want to eat. Remember: it’s not just the granola you’re eating, but also whatever milk, nut milk, or yogurt you eat it with.

Is eating granola as healthy as eating oatmeal?

Oatmeal is typically considered healthier than granola because it’s made with less sugar and contains fewer calories from added ingredients (like sweeteners, nuts, dried fruit, seeds, etc.). Just the fact that oil is added to the granola to make it crispy when baked means it’s higher in calories than oatmeal.

What is the healthiest breakfast?

The healthiest breakfast combines fiber-rich carbohydrates with lean proteins and healthy fats. A bowl of oatmeal made with protein-rich milk and added nuts and seeds is a popular option in the United States. Around the Mediterranean, a healthy breakfast may include whole grain bread, some form of protein (eggs or smoked salmon, for example), and healthy fats like avocado, olives, or olive oil.

Sources

Health Benefits of Granola

Nutritional advantages of oats and opportunities for its processing as value added foods – a review

Best Granola

How to Find Healthy Granola/Snack Bars at the Grocery Store