Why Granola Matters in Your Diet

There’s a reason that the old adage “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” never dies out. With respect to Bryan Johnson, no nutrient-dense breakfast food fuels you up while satisfying your between-meal snacking urges quite like good-old-fashioned granola. Granola is also a super versatile good. You can sprinkle it over yoghurt, blend it into a smoothie bowl, or even enjoy it straight from the bag on the go, and share it with friendly hikers encountered along the Great Ocean Walk. 

Granola’s health benefits speak for themselves. If there’s one food that could support heart health while feeding your gut microbiome, granola certainly earns its place as part of a balanced diet…provided you choose the right granola.  

Aha! Did you really think you'd just pop into your local Woolies and grab the closest granola bar on display? Don’t be fooled by the marketing. Luckily, we’ve put together a helpful granola guide…a granuide…if you will, to help you spend your muesli budget widely, and keep your body healthy!

Benefits of Granola

Filling and High in Fiber

If you’re like me, then you probably already have a cursory understanding of what fiber is and why it’s so important for your diet, just from the absolute barrage of ads or ‘biohacker’ content that the algorithm feeds to you the minute you turn 30. If not, let me clear up how granola is one of the healthiest ways of meeting your body’s growing fiber needs…and why that matters…before the Fitfluencers hijack your screen real estate.

Probably the top reason anyone would recommend healthy granola is its ability to keep you feeling “full” on a relatively small amount of calories. The credit for this feat of magic goes entirely to the oats that make up a large portion of the granola. Oats are high in fiber, specifically the soluble kind, which is shown to slow digestion and prolong satiety. So to help you connect the dots here: feeling fuller for longer makes you less likely to “cheat” on your diet and snack between meals, leaving you with a much more sustainable approach to healthy eating habits throughout the day.

Paired with the oats, the most high-fiber granolas on the market usually also contain nuts, such as almonds, walnuts and cashews which boost your healthy fat and protein intake alongside fiber, and seeds, which add omega-3 to a more complete macronutrient profile.

Improve Blood Pressure

While we’re at it, let's just leave “hey” to the horses, and trade it for some oats which are associated with healthier blood pressure levels thanks to the high amounts of magnesium which they contain. Combined with the nuts and seed, they play a key role in relaxing blood vessels while supporting cardiovascular function. The potassium contained in the various dried fruits in granola also helps counterbalance the effect of sodium on blood pressure. So if you’re looking to enjoy the full health benefits of granola, regular consumption in any form (handfuls of loose granola, or cereal bars, or sprinkled over your yogurt) is always a smart choice for heart-conscious eaters.

Reduce Cholesterol

As if oats weren’t impressive enough, the beta-glucan fibre which they’re chock full of has been hailed by researchers as one of the most effective bad cholesterol (LDL) lowering agents available. It works by forming a gel-like substance in the digestive tract which binds to cholesterol-rich bile acids, thus preventing them from being reabsorbed into the bloodstream. The health benefits of granola are a gift that keeps on giving over time, as the regular consumption of oats has been shown to lower LDL without affecting HDL (or your good cholesterol) levels. For someone at risk of a heart condition, that’s good news for your little ticker down the road.

Support Blood Sugar Control

But wait, you protest, surely as a carbohydrate-rich food, granola should wreck your blood sugar levels, right? Actually, dear hypothetical skeptical reader I’ve made up in my head, it's almost exactly the other way around. Granola made from whole oats and minimal to no added sugar have a far more moderate glycaemic impact compared to refined cereals on its own. But thanks to the ‘coalition of the willing’ which oats have formed with the fibres, protein and healthy fats, granola actually slows glucose absorption, preventing the sharp sugar spikes and inevitable crashes that lead to energy dips and hunger. But let's be clear here: for best results, pair low-sugar granola with high-protein foods like greek yogurt for the best results.

Boost Gut Health

The prebiotic fibres which oats and seeds contain feed beneficial gut bacteria, supporting a diverse and balanced microbiome: in other words, granola supports a healthy gut, and with a healthier gut comes boosted immune responses, better mood regulation, and less inflammation throughout the body. It’s like Kombucha without the fizz. Unlocking the health benefits of granola simply requires regular consumption.

Provide Antioxidants

Packed to the brim with gallic acid, quercetin, selenium and Vitamin E, Granola is surprisingly rich in antioxidants; compounds which neutralise harmful free radicals and protect cells from oxidative stress. Depending on the quality of ingredients, the health benefits of granola, at least when it comes to antioxidants, would include anti-inflammatory properties, improved immune response, better thyroid function, as well as skin and eye health.

Nutritional Breakdown – What’s Inside Granola?

So why is granola such a ‘superfood’ anyway? Well, I led a team of scientists in lab coats to take apart a few granola bars to reveal what's inside, and what we found was truly impressive. 

What this breakdown shows us is that granola is an energy-dense and nutrient-rich food. The 6g of fibre per 100g alone makes up almost 30 percent of the recommended daily intake. 10g of protein, combined with 18g of almost completely unsaturated fat can really make a difference for your macros. Understanding these numbers should translate directly into portion awareness. That’s why 40-50g  should be sufficient to extract the health benefits of granola as part of a balanced meal.

Granola Bars – Convenience with Caution

As I’ve alluded to above, there are all kinds of ways to consume granola: loose handfuls, clusters, toppings for yogurt or smoothie bowls, or sprinkled across fruit salad, but for the ‘on-the-go’ people out there, the most common way to grab granola is in cereal bar form. 

That’s where I urge some degree of caution. Sure granola bars are compact, portable, and contain most of the same wholesome ingredients we’ve covered above. But commercial granola bars can have more in common with mass-produced candy bars than health foods as they tend to come loaded with added sugars, syrups, artificial binders and other compounds which undermine any nutritional value you might hope to get from it. 

That doesn’t mean avoiding all granola bars though. The key is selecting options containing whole oats, using natural sweeteners like honey, and including nuts and seeds for protein and healthy fats. So long as added sugar is kept below 10g, you should be good to go. 

Now if you don’t like reading labels, but you’re still looking to get the health benefits of granola, you could also make them at home. It’s really easy, and that way you control all the ingredients. 

Tips for Choosing the Right Granola

Key Tips

Good for snacks & toppings

Ok, here are some rapidfire tips:

• Check the sugar content first! Aim for 15g of sugar per 100g 
• Make sure they’re whole oats for maximum nutrition
• Look for nuts and seeds for extra protein and healthy fats
• Avoid artificial additives
• The fewer ingredients the healthier

That should be easy enough to follow!

Mistakes to Avoid When Eating Granola

Common Mistakes

Did you know there was a wrong way to eat granola? Well actually, I’ve come up with five wrong ways. Let's go through them:

• Eating oversized portions: granola is really calorie dense, and also very delicious. It’s easy to overeat. 
• Choosing high-sugar varieties when natural sweeteners are so much better.
• Relying solely on granola to meet your nutritional needs when its best consumed as part of a complete meal.
• Ignoring the fat content can be very damaging to your diet, especially when some granola bars can contain large amounts of oil or butter.
• Assuming that all granola is the same when some are clearly much healthier options than others.

Delicious Ways to Include Granola in Your Meal Plan

Breakfast Bowls

There’s a reason the classic granola bowl remains king of the breakfast menu. Pour some milk, or even greek yogurt over your granola, drop in some berries, lather with honey and you’re golden.

Oatmeal Topping

Combining warm oatmeal and crunchy granola makes my breakfasts a little bit more bearable. 

Vegan Parfaits

Do you have some coconut yoghurt laying around? Pull it out and layer it with some granola, fresh or frozen fruit and some maple syrup for a stunning, entirely plant-based parfait.

Homemade Granola Bars

Combine rolled oats, your favourite nuts and seeds, a natural sweetener like dates or honey, and a binder such as nut butter or coconut oil. Press firmly into a lined tray, refrigerate until set and slice into bars. It's that easy and it can last up to 2 weeks. 

Conclusion

Granola has wide-ranging health benefits. You’ve got a single yummy, crunchy and gooey food that singlehandedly improves satiety, reduces cholesterol, improves sugar control and enhances gut health. While picking the right kind of granola makes a difference, eating it in appropriate quantities earns it an appropriate place in a balanced, health-conscious diet.

So go out there and put that trailmix together!