Lacey, Co-Founder + Brand BuilderIs Granola Good For You?
You’re at Natural Pantry after an incredibly long day of work, but it doesn’t matter; you’re pumped. You’ve got a hiking trip with your BFF planned this weekend, and you’re in charge of bringing the snacks. You eagerly grab a bag of granola that has the word “ all natural” stamped on the front, but when you turn it over to read the ingredients, you see it’s full of sugar and words you can’t pronounce. 😱
Hold up—isn’t granola supposed to be healthy? Why the hell is one ¼ cup serving 38% of your daily sugar intake? Something’s not right.
Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Stick with us because we’re breaking it down for you right now.
🤔 What Makes Granola Healthy?
Granola comes in many shapes, sizes, and flavors, but most granola’s foundation consists of oats, nuts, seeds, healthy fats, and fruits. The chosen blend is then mixed with a sweet “binder” that holds the ingredients together when baked. When it cools, it firms up, and that’s what gives you those coveted clusters you tend to pick out first.
Each ingredient provides multiple benefits in its own right. But overall, granola has carbs to fuel your muscles and provide energy for your next backpacking trip in Yosemite. It’s also full of protein and fiber, which helps keep you fuller longer, so you don’t find yourself mindlessly snacking throughout the day (or needing to stop every ten minutes to fish out snacks from your pack.)
So what is it about these base ingredients that make granola good for you?
Rolled Oats
Rolled oats are one of the most nutrient-dense foods you could eat, making them a spectacular source of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. On top of that, oats have iron and fiber that keeps you full longer, lowers cholesterol, and improves your blood sugar in the long run. 👍 Bonus: Rolled oats are complex carbs, meaning they provide energy for highly active people by fueling their muscles. Did you just get a food crush on oats like we have? Here’s how to take your new love affair one step further.
Nuts
These anti-inflammatory powerhouses can improve your health in many ways when eaten regularly, including reducing diabetes, heart disease risk, cholesterol levels, and triglyceride levels. Loaded with antioxidants that protect your cells, many nuts provide Vitamin E, magnesium, and selenium to any diet. Despite their high-calorie count, these nutritious high-fiber treats may even help you shed a few pounds—just don’t overdo it (as with any foods.)
Seeds
Another great source of fiber is seeds! They also contain healthy fats and many essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. And the best part, by being intentional with your seed consumption, they can help you reduce blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure. Want to get to know us better? Our favorite are chia seeds.
Healthy Fats
Since the boom of the low-fat and fat-free craze of the '80s and ‘90s, fats have been considered the bad boy of dieting. However, your body needs fats—the right kind. Fats like omega-3 fatty acids and unsaturated fats play a significant role in helping you manage your moods, keeping your brain sharp, fighting fatigue, and even controlling your weight. Good granola makes sure to add healthy fats by incorporating certain nuts, oils (like coconut and olive), and coconut shreds into its mixes.
Fruit
Eating fruit is a better—and tastier—way to consume Vitamin C and Vitamin A versus those boring capsules. And bonus, fruit reduces the risk of some chronic diseases. Adding fruit to granola can add that burst of sweetness or a tart explosion when you take a bite. (But if you’re sharing any with your hiking dog, make sure the fruit in question IS NOT raisins.)
❌ What Makes Granola Unhealthy?
All that sounds great, right?
Granola seems to dot the I’s and cross the T’s on the nutrition scale, but here’s the downer ➡️ Not all granola is created equal. The additives in granola can plummet the granola’s health reputation in a hurry, making it no better than a bag of candy.
Here are some things to look out for:
Chocolate
This tasty morsel can sometimes get a bad rep in granola. And to be fair, when the chocolate in question are M&M’s, we would have to agree with you. If the chocolate to oat ratio is 3:1, then maybe it’s a granola without your best interest in mind. Besides, anytime you add something sweet like chocolate, you are bound to up the calorie count. However, some chocolate sprinkled into granola will not only add to the flavor and texture but could sneak in some health benefits. Dark chocolate ➡️ Made from the cocoa tree’s seed, dark chocolate is loaded with nutrients, soluble fiber, and a ton of antioxidants.
White chocolate ➡️ Admittedly, the force isn’t as strong with this one, but for someone who often gets headaches or stomach pains from eating dark or milk chocolate, white chocolate may be the perfect substitute—besides the addition adds a creamy layer to the mixture (And if you have a fur baby at home, this is safe to eat in moderation, unlike its antioxidant-packed cousin.)
Oils
To make large granola batches quickly and cheaply, some companies revert to using oils with fewer benefits. Canola oil and hydrogenated oil, for example, are highly processed and refined. Not simple like we like.
Sugar
Granola usually needs something to bind it together—this is where sugar comes in. But not all sugar is created equal. The main bad guy we want to stay away from? Refined sugar. High fructose corn syrup, cane sugar, cane juice, rice syrup, molasses, caramel, and basically anything ending in -ose are all sugars to stay away from (in general.) Instead, look for simpler and natural sugars like honey and pure maple syrup.
🤔 So, What’s the Verdict? Is Granola Good for You?
Yes! As long as you are an active participant.
No, we don’t mean you need to run in place while eating granola (though that would be a hilarious IG story that you should immediately tag us in it). But because there are so many options out there, it’s best to find a small-batch granola roaster that focuses on simple ingredients tailored to your health needs.
😍 How to Choose a Healthy Granola
First things first, always look at the ingredients.
Now that you are a professional at analyzing ingredients, you can pick simple granola packed with health benefits following these general rules:
Avoid any ingredients you don’t recognize.
Look for simple ingredients.
Consider serving sizes (because it’s all fun and games until you find out the serving size is a handful).
Pay special attention to sugar. And not only the grams (because some of them can come naturally from the fruit) but instead find where sugar is listed in the ingredient list. The higher up on the list, the more added sugar you’ll get in each bite.
Pick a granola that you can envision using in many different ways (don’t worry, we’ve got some ideas for you.)
Now when you reach for your granola, you’ll know you are doing something good for your body. And that, my friend, is going to score you major brownie granola cookie points when you show up for your hiking trip.
No, but seriously, you should tag us on Instagram and let us know what granola you’re eating!
What is your favorite way to eat oats? Here are some of our faves.