By Kate Springer
Is Granola Healthy? There have been claims going around the internet saying that granola is not healthy. One such article is “Why Your Granola Is Really a Dessert” by Anahad O’Connor of the NY Times. O’Connor’s main argument is that granola is unhealthy because it has few nutritional benefits. He also points out that certain varieties, even those that are homemade, are loaded with sugar, sometimes with as much as a slice of chocolate cake with frosting. This, he and others conclude, puts granola in the junk food or dessert category.
Lisa Drayer’s CNN article, “Is Granola Healthy?”, makes another argument, that yes, granola is calorie-dense, but there are healthy kinds of granola, good-for-you ingredients in it, and benefits, as long as you keep an eye on portion size. Drayer also notes that dieticians concur ¼ cup of granola is the recommended serving size.
In response to the articles, we would like to add our view as a specialty producer of Vermont granola. Yes, many varieties of granola are sugar-heavy, but others, such as True North Granola, are not. Provided you keep the nutrition facts in mind, and consume the serving size of ¼ cup, our granolas are very low in sugar.
Drayer is spot-on in her assessment of granola. Being mindful about what you consume, and enjoying granola in moderation, is a good guideline. Since our granola is homemade, we can monitor exactly what goes into our products, making sure they are good for you and taste good. Furthermore, the ingredients we use have health benefits, from keeping energy levels high to fending off diseases. To answer the question in the blog post’s title, some granola, packaged or homemade, is healthy, and some is not, but we are thrilled to be one of the companies that sells the former type.
