Use Granola to Boost Your Diet’s Health

Granola is seeing a major resurgence in popularity today after years in the fade. Its crunchy feel is only one of the granola diet’s biggest attributes; it’s been found to pack everything from protein to fiber. But first, it’s important to know if the granola you’re consuming is healthy. If it’s not, you might be wasting your time.

We looked at some of the best granola dishes, perfect for every diet.

Healthiest Granola

Nature’s Path Hemp Hearts

This dish is a popular choice, comprised of a blend of oats, flax and hemp, and low in both saturated fat and sugar. Its fiber and protein concentrations make it a fast-filler, while its omega-3 fatty acids are perfect additions to any diet for their heart protection abilities.

Purely Elizabeth Maple Walnut Probiotic

This dish serves a lot more than the crunchiest granola ever. It’s a tasty combination of quinoa, chia and millet, which promises a sweet serving of protein, sugar healthy fats and fiber in every serving. For gut and digestive tract protection, Purely’s probiotics are a welcome solution.

Bob’s Red Mill Cinnamon Raisin

Bob’s Red Mill packs both the taste and the flavor in the dish that combines dried fruit, vanilla, molasses and more in one hearty serving. Granola features heavily here too, but you’ll love the dish even more for its super low saturated fat content and its serving of both protein and fiber.

Bubba’s Cinn-ful Apple Ungranola

For those that love good granola but prefer gluten-free meals, this is the ideal dish for you. The dish is comprised of everything from nuts, honey, apples, coconuts and spices – sans oats – but just as crunchy. You’ll love its protein and fiber components, plus that cinnamon spice scent of course.

Paleonola Original

If you prefer low carbs but still want tasty granola, consider the Paleonola. With only 340 calories per half-cup, you’ll be getting half the carbs other dishes here might give, and still get the great taste you crave.

Bear Naked Cacao & Cashew Butter Granola

The sweetness of this granola makes it feel and taste like an indulgent treat, but it’s not unhealthy. It’s soft all over but that’s not all to look out for. The cacao and cashew butter mixture is the main feature, and it’s a definite winner!

Granola’s Health Benefits

With the many nutrients and abilities that granola has, it’s no wonder it’s called a superfood. Those nutrients make it a perfect addition to any diet for a number of reasons. Some of them are shown below.

Helps with weight loss

Granola is known for its fiber content, so consuming it regularly means you won’t feel hungry so quickly between meals. That means you will also eat less, including meals that serve lots of calories, which is a direct path to losing weight. Fiber makes this possible by absorbing water from the body and lowering your appetite.

Helps with digestion

Granola contains both soluble and insoluble fibers, both of which are super helpful in easing digestion issues. Soluble fiber supports the feeding of probiotic bacteria in the guy while insoluble fiber helps to bulk up loose stool, making it easier to pass.

Lowers cholesterol levels

Because of its high soluble fiber content, thanks to oats, granola lowers bodily cholesterol levels by facilitating their excretion from the body. The fiber acts as a surface onto which the cholesterol attaches before it is excreted.

Boosts energy levels

Sugary drinks might be the most popular alternative for those looking to boost their waning energy, but if you’re looking to eat healthily, consider using a granola bar instead. It might not contain sugar, but it has manganese, a compound whose long list of bodily functions includes metabolism.

Good diet addition for pregnancy

One of the many nutrient compounds found in granola is folate, a form of folic acid, the nutrient that is essential for pregnant mothers and their unborn children. Folic acid ensures the proper development of a baby’s neurological system until birth.

A good additional source of vegan protein

Everyone needs protein for growth, cell and muscle growth and metabolism, but sometimes, a little more is required, such as when one is bodybuilding or playing a sport. Granola is a good choice for that additional vegan protein. It may not be fully protein in nature, but it gives 12g of protein in a 100g serving, which is a fair amount for anyone that needs a protein boost.

Helps with better skin health

To have proper, healthy skin, you need a good dose of Vitamin E every day. Granola is a good source of Vitamin E, with a 100 g serving being nearly 50% Vitamin E.

Ways To Eat Granola

Everyone thinks of a bar when they think of granola, but there is more than one way to consume the favorite superfood.  Some of the best, healthiest and most fun include;

Salads

Granola works perfectly with your best salad. All you have to do is prep your salad and sprinkle some salty-sweet on top.

Breakfast baked goods

Whether it’s a muffin, a pancake or bread for breakfast, you can’t do better than adding a bit of granola before you eat. It tastes wonderful too.

Gratins

You can also finish your gratin with granola instead of the usual bread crumbs, and it will be the treat of a lifetime!

Fruit crisps

Save your usual fruit toppings for another day and use granola for better, crunchier taste. All you have to do is crush some granola with butter in a food processor and you’ll have the best streusel topping ever.

You can also sprinkle some granola over puddings, cookies, cupcakes, and even trail mixes. 

There is more to granola than just bars and crunchiness. It’s a superfood, and quite easy to add to any diet. Try it today for better health.