Granola is known as a deliciously crispy breakfast , which is also healthy due to its nutrient-rich ingredients. However, appearances are often deceiving, and a look at the list of ingredients reveals the conventional crispy muesli from the supermarket as true sugar traps .
Fortunately, we know of some healthy alternatives to the calorie bombs that we don't want to withhold from you.
Find out how healthy granola really is and how you can enjoy it without a guilty conscience.
What exactly is granola?
For the production of granola , oatmeal is mixed with honey or a sweet syrup (e.g. maple syrup or agave syrup) and oil and gently roasted in the oven . By baking the sticky mixture, delicious crunchy muesli is created in no time.
In order to give the whole thing a special touch, other ingredients are often added to the oatmeal base. This happens either before baking or after. For example, you can find crunchies with nuts, chocolate chips, or freeze-dried berries on the supermarket shelf.
This seems to make granola a tasty and healthy breakfast at first glance. However, crispy cereals from the supermarket are often real calorie bombs with plenty of sugar and fat . In addition, palm oil is often used for baking, which is not only harmful to our health but also to the environment.
To offer you a healthy alternative, we completely dispense with palm oil in our VERIVAL crunchies and granolas and rely on natural ingredients in organic quality .
Is granola healthy?
Since granola is baked with fat and sugar, it's hard to believe that it can actually be healthy. However, if you take a closer look at the ingredients, you will quickly notice that crispy muesli is an excellent nutrient supplier.
Oatmeal as a fiber-rich base
Oatmeal is bursting with fiber , making it a healthy base for granola . This not only keeps you full for a long time, but also stimulates digestion. In addition, the complex carbohydrates only slowly raise your blood sugar level and prevent cravings. This property also makes oatmeal a suitable breakfast for diabetics with type 2 diabetes.
In addition, the domestic superfood contains healthy nutrients such as vitamins B1, B6 and E and the minerals iron, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus.
Nuts, seeds and Co. for additional nutrients
As already mentioned, crunchies usually contain a few extra ingredients that not only make breakfast irresistibly delicious but also provide other important nutrients .
Nuts such as almonds or cashews are particularly popular. They also provide your body with extra fiber and impress with their high protein content .
Nevertheless, nutrition-conscious people often avoid the healthy seeds, as they have a high fat content. However, the fear of fat is completely unfounded. In fact, nuts are even considered slimming . This is partly because the unsaturated fatty acids in the kernels curb your appetite and the body can only absorb about two-thirds of the calories it contains. The rest is simply eliminated again. And these are just two of the many reasons why almonds and Co. are healthy .
Those who prefer to avoid nuts because the BMI calculator spits out too high a value should therefore better rethink their strategy.
In addition to nuts, seeds such as chia seeds or flaxseed also convince with their healthy ingredients. They contain a variety of vitamins and minerals and are particularly rich in omega-3 fatty acids , which strengthen our immune system and have an anti-inflammatory effect.
Fat and sugar in crispy muesli
Unfortunately, the fact that crunchies consist of healthy ingredients such as oatmeal, nuts, and seeds does not change the fact that they also contain plenty of fat and sugar . However, it won't work without it, because that's the only way to make granola so deliciously crispy.
The fact is that many conventional crispy cereals often contain more sugar and fat than we would like, often in the form of white industrial sugar and cheap palm oil . However, some manufacturers deliberately refrain from using palm oil and opt for healthier sugar alternatives.
Healthy granola simply made by yourself!
Another way to escape the calorie trap is to simply make delicious crunchy yourself . You alone decide which ingredients you want in your healthy crunchy breakfast and which you don't.
The preparation is super fast and uncomplicated : Mix all the ingredients with a little oil and, if necessary, with some honey or the like. The mixture is then baked in the oven for a few minutes until crispy. Allow the finished granola to cool slightly after baking before enjoying it or storing it in storage cans.
Our recipe for nut granola , in which we completely abstain from sugar , proves just how healthy crispy muesli can actually be . This turns the calorie bomb into a nutrient-rich breakfast in no time.
Granola Basic Recipe – Sugar-Free Nut Granola
Ingredients
- 30 g Brazil nuts
- 20 g hazelnuts
- 20 g cashews
- 20 g walnuts
- 20 g pecans
- 50 g spelt flakes
- 1 tablespoon crushed flaxseed
- 2 tbsp amaranth pops
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp agave syrup (if needed)
- 1 tbsp almond sauce
Preparation
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First, preheat your oven to 150 degrees convection.
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Then put all the nuts on a board and chop them up a bit with a knife.
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Then put the nuts in a bowl and add the flaxseeds, the amaranth pops, and the spelt flakes.
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Next, mix all the ingredients together and add the agave syrup and liquid coconut oil.
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Mix all the ingredients well and then spread the nut granola on a baking tray.
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Put the granola in the oven for about 40 minutes and stir a little every 10 minutes or so.
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After the baking time,You can then enjoy it right away or put it in an airtight storage box.
