Clean Eating Granola Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is granola considered clean eating? ›

Assuming you are consuming a true “serving size” of less than ½ cup of granola each day, and it isn't loaded with added sugars and fats (see next section), granola can be a part of a healthy diet.

Yes. "Granola does contain important nutrients, and if you enjoy it, eating some every day is probably fine as part of a balanced diet," says Harris-Pincus.

Smoothie with Granola

Try adding it to your favorite smoothie to give it an extra boost of fiber from the whole grains, healthy fats and added flavor. It's also an easy way to increase calories in a smoothie. Personally, I think it would be a delicious addition to my Strawberry Peanut Butter Smoothie!

Whole grains: The first ingredient on the label of any granola you buy should be a whole grain. Normally, it will be rolled oats, but any type of whole grain is acceptable, including kamut, spelt, quinoa, millet, and buckwheat. This will help ensure that the cereal provides more fiber and protein.

A clean diet may include whole fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats while limiting highly processed snacks and other packaged foods with added sugar and salt. It may also be associated with terms like plant-based, grass-fed, sugar-free, or gluten-free.

Granola can offer health benefits such as supporting digestive health, and heart health and providing an energy boost. On the downside, granola can be high in added sugars, hidden calories, and saturated fat, making some options less healthy.

Which One Is Better for Breakfast? Both oatmeal and granola make for a healthy, nutritious breakfast, but the winner for us is granola—the added nuts, seeds, and dried fruits give you a source of fiber and healthy fats that oatmeal can't quite compete with.

Is granola processed? Technically, all granola is processed to some degree because it's a food made out of ingredients which you have combined and cooked. However, there are huge variations in the amount of processing used across different brands.

Once you try homemade granola, you won't go back to store-bought granola. It's so much better! This granola recipe is also a far more healthy granola option, since it's made with whole grains, unrefined oil and naturally sweetened.

Whole grains, dried fruit, nuts, and seeds may help reduce and control blood sugar levels, particularly in people with obesity or prediabetes ( 12 , 13 , 14 ). Improve gut health. Granola has been found to increase levels of healthy gut bacteria, compared with refined breakfast cereals ( 11 ).

What is healthier than granola? ›

Muesli is lower in sugar and fat than granola, making it a better option for people who are watching their calorie intake. Granola is a good source of protein and healthy fats, making it an ideal option for people who want to maintain their energy levels throughout the day.

YUM! More reasons to obsess over homemade granola: Healthier: it has less sugar and is lower Calorie than anything you'll find at the store. Freezer Friendly: It will keep for months in the freezer, stored in a freezer safe bag.

Enter muesli, granola's delicious but slightly-less-addictive cousin. Like granola, it's made with a combo of rolled oats, nuts and seeds, and dried fruit. But unlike granola, which is baked with added fat and sugar, muesli is uncooked—and it doesn't have any extra stuff added to it.

Any kind of nut will work for yogurt—cashews, peanuts, pecans, walnuts, are all great contenders. But one nut in particular that nutritionists love to use is almonds. Why almonds? First, almonds give your body a boost of vitamins and minerals, which help with warding off disease and improving your bone health.

Go Whole Grain

Think whole grains that look most like their just-harvested state—quinoa, wild rice and oats. While some people abstain from eating any processed grains, we think that whole-wheat pasta and whole-grain bread made with simple ingredients are also part of eating clean.

A granola bowl is the ultimate go-to muscle-building snack. It is full of beneficial fiber and monounsaturated fats. It helps you to bulk up on calories, create essential hormones and signals molecules to start the process of muscle growth.

Items made from whole foods — such as granola made with oats, dried fruit, and no added sugar, or polenta made with whole cornmeal — are also considered minimally processed and therefore “healthy.”