By Emma Slattery, Student NutritionistGranola. I don't need to explain how awesome granola is because I'm sure you already know. Just to clarify: granola is not a grain on its own. A friend of mine thought granola was like rice or barley- a type of grain. It's not. What is it? Oats baked in with whatever you want! Deliciously crunchy nuggets of oaty goodness, but there's one major problem that the little heavenly clusters of granola tend to have. SUGAR! Oats in themselves are high fiber and high iron. They're super grains that give you energy and keep you full. They're basically overflowing with nutrients AND keep you full- most foods and filling or nutritious but oats are both. However, to make granola, especially the granola in cereals or stores, those deliciously nutritious oats are rolled and coated in sugar. Now, this does make one tasty snack. They're sugary cereal crack to sprinkle on yogurt, berries, cookies, muffins, or mix in with trail mix. But is there a way to enjoy granola without too many added sugars? YES! The easy way to enjoy healthful granola is to look at the packaging of the granola you're buying. For a moment of clarification: some sugars are naturally occurring in foods and perfectly healthful. Ex: raisins in trail mix. Raisins have naturally occurring sugar because they are a fruit. So they would have a high sugar content on the label but it is healthy natural sugar.A different example is chocolate, still high in sugar but this is sugar that is added to the food during processing, and only healthful in moderation. So where does this bring us with granola? Depending on the type of granola you buy there will be some natural sugar in it (especially if there's dried fruit), the goal is to limit added sugars. This is very easy on the new nutrition labels that clearly state added sugars as a separate section. It's much harder on foods that still have the old labels- not everyone is up to date on the labeling and with the current political climate, food labeling has been pushed to the back burner for a bit. Old labels have one section for sugars- added and natural all lumped together. It's important in this case to limit overall sugar on the label but also read the ingredients list for sugar, honey, or sweeteners that are added to the granola. Important note: granola is made with sweeteners (unsweetened granola is just oats) so we are NOT trying to eliminate added sugars just limit them. The second way- and my personal favorite way- to limit added sugars in granola is: TO MAKE YOUR OWN!! Incredibly easy, incredibly fun and will make your house/apartment/kitchen smell delicious. Ingredients: OATS- 3 c. Classic granola uses rolled oats but other flaky grains like rye or barley can be used if you want. If you're feeling particularly adventurous even throw in some uncooked quinoa, wheat germ, or wheat bran. SWEETENER- 1/2 c. This is the part that you need, but a half cup is enough sweetener to coat the oats without loading on sugars. Maple syrup, agave syrup, or honey are all strong options that both sweeten and flavor, providing a more well-rounded taste than table sugar. OIL- 1/4 c. Necessary to cook the oats to a nice, satisfying CRUNCH! Healthful oils can even add in unsaturated heart-healthy fats. I personally like olive oil or grape-seed oil, but to be adventurous and trendy you can try coconut oil too! SALT- 3/4 tsp You don't need a whole lot of salt but you NEED salt. Personal favorite is sea salt but any salt available works because for baking purposes salt is salt is salt. ADD INS! Add in some extras to make fun munchy, crunchy snacks exactly how you want. Add the ones you like in the amounts you like to make a granola tailored exactly to YOU! PEANUT BUTTER- trade it in for some oil Peanut butter is bomb amazing super food. It not only helps to coat the oats but adds some flavor. NUTS- 1-1 1/2 c. Some may say that nuts are essential to granola but to make allergen friendly granola or pure granola clusters, nuts are not needed. They are definitely more than welcome though! Peanuts, almonds, or walnuts tend to work best. SEEDS- 1-2 c. Add them if you want! They pack some protein and a crunchy texture. Sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds tend to be the most common granola additions but if you love another seed throw it on in. ADD ONS! Similar to add ins that are extra additions to a granola batch, but add ons are mixed in after the granola bakes. DRIED FRUIT- 1 c. Everyone loves fruit and dried fruit varieties add a natural sweetener to the granola mix. Make sure that the fruit pieces are small enough to mix into the granola and add them in after the granola bakes! They're already perfectly dry, baking dried fruit just makes it tough and hard to chew or eat. Don't bake it. CHOCOLATE- 1 c. Again, a go-to for my granola batches. Chips can be added in after the granola bakes but one time that I messed up and mixed them in before putting into the over made deliciously gooey chocolate clusters of oats. So to each their own! Instructions:
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ABOUTTerps With Taste is run by the Student Nutritionist Team with University of Maryland Dining Services. We write content for students, by students. Enjoy! Categories
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April 2024
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