What is granola? Is granola healthy?

Among fans of sweet breakfasts, granola is one of the most popular choices. With the right combination of ingredients, it can be very tasty, filling and nutritionally dense. In addition, its dietary potential can be enhanced with well-chosen additives.

1. What exactly is granola?
2. What is the nutritional value of granola?
3. What to eat granola with?

What exactly is granola?

Granola is a mixture of cereal flakes, dried fruit, nuts, seeds and flavourings such as sugar and/or its dietary substitutes, cocoa, cinnamon and others. The exact composition of the product depends on taste preferences and the body's need for calories and nutrients, but in all cases it is baked.

This thermal culinary treatment makes the mixture more crumbly and crunchy, and its taste and aroma are enhanced. Although it is a more processed product than regular porridge, its composition clearly shows that it definitely belongs to the category of healthy foods. It provides significant amounts of fibre, vitamins and minerals.

What is the nutritional value of granola?

The composition of granola can be tailored to your individual needs, or you can buy ready-to-use mixes. Some of the ready-made mixes have such good ingredients that you don't even have to spend time mixing, baking and cooling them, you just need to use them.

Depending on whether the goal of the diet is to reduce or build body weight, the choice of ingredients can be geared towards lower or higher energy value. In the first case, you can use rolled oats, while in the second, instant oats. When reducing weight, it is also worth using more nuts and less dried fruit, which is the opposite of the recommendations for gaining weight.

In order to reduce the calorie content of granola, sweeteners with a lower energy value than sugar can be used, as well as defatted cocoa or cinnamon. For a weight-gain diet, you can add honey, maple syrup or even chocolate chips. Regardless of the option you choose, granola is generally considered a product with high nutritional density, which definitely helps to meet your daily requirements for numerous nutrients.

What to eat granola with?

Granola is most often eaten as an addition to products with a liquid or semi-liquid consistency. These are usually milk, natural yoghurt, kefir, buttermilk or plant-based drinks and other products imitating dairy products. The taste and nutritional value of such a dish can also be enhanced by any type of protein supplement (whey, egg, plant-based) as well as fresh fruit, flaxseed, chia seeds, hemp seeds, milk thistle, coconut flakes, bee pollen and propolis. Granola can be both an appetising and healthy first or second breakfast, as well as a dessert or supper.