Is Granola Healthy? Here ’s What Experts Say

Granola, beloved by hikers and outdoorsy types, certainly seems healthy. You can buy it in health food stores and organic supermarkets, with words like “pure” and “natural” stamped right on the label. Is granola healthy? It absolutely can be. But products vary greatly, and knowing whether or not the nutty snack lives up to its nutritional claims can take a little bit of digging. Here’s what dietitians say you should know about granola before crunching down. What is granola made of? “There is no one standard formula for granola, so whether it’s healthy really depends on the ingredients and how it’s made,” says Cynthia Sass, a New York and Los Angeles-based registered dietitian, by email. Granola tends to be made from whole oats, some nuts or seeds and dried fruit. Oats are filled with fiber, which can help lower cholesterol, says Nancy Clark, a sports nutrition counselor and registered dietitian based in Boston, in an email. And while nuts provide healthy fats and dried fruits contain potassium, an electrolyte that’s essential for bodily processes including cell function and muscle contractions, the amount of nuts and dried fruit in most granola likely isn’t enough to offer big benefits, she says. Granola is also packed with carbs. “For active people, granola is best known for being a source of carbohydrate to fuel the muscles and provide energy for a busy day,” Clark says. “Grains are excelle...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Diet/Nutrition Source Type: news