You’ve gone ahead and made the decision. You’re ready to commit to making healthier choices in an effort to live a, well, healthier life. The easiest place to start is with your diet and purging your kitchen of any foods that have the potential to sabotage your weight-loss efforts. Then, you’re pumped to head to the supermarket to stock up on these healthy foods. But there’s a chance you might have a poser in the mix.
That’s right, there is one seemingly “healthy” food that is actually anything but. In fact, it would be holding you back from reaching those goals you’ve set for yourself.
Don’t worry, though. We’re here to help you out and expose the one food that is often thought to be a healthy addition to a person’s diet that might just be making things harder for you. And it’s none other than…
Granola
That’s right, that box of granola you thought to toss in your shopping cart is better left on the shelf. While granola might seem like a healthier alternative to the sugary cereals you often ate, it’s actually just as bad.
The main problem? Many of the granola options in the grocery store are made with less than stellar ingredients including butter, vegetable oil, and different types of sugars. Plus, they often contain mix-ins such as dried fruit and chocolate chips which all bring about one big offender—sugar.
Take, for example, Quaker’s Simply Granola in the Oats, Apples, Cranberries, and Almonds flavor. One serving is 260 calories, placing 7 grams of fat and 17 grams of sugar, 12 of which are added sugars. Kellogg’s Special K Touch of Honey Granola has 9 grams of sugar in one serving, which might seem not as bad in comparison, but keep in mind the sugar here is coming from four different sources. You’ve got white sugar, honey, corn syrup, and molasses all in that one small cup of granola.
“People think ‘oats’ and feel good about eating it, but it’s oats literally tossed in honey, which is crystallized sugar,” weight-loss expert Ilana Muhlstein, M.S., R.D.N, and author You Can Drop It! told us in a previous story.
So what should you do instead? First, you’ll want to leave those sugary-bombs alone and if you’re going to get granola to have as a mix-in for your morning yogurt, be sure it’s a low-sugar option. But a much better way to start your day is to make a bowl of plain oatmeal and top with fresh fruit and a touch of honey or a few sprinkles of cinnamon for some natural sweetness.
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