A bowl with yogurt, red fruits and a rain of granola It is the most shared image on social networks When we talk about healthy breakfasts. But, as is usually the case, it is not all gold that shines. Behind the crunchy brightness of toasted oatmeal and dry fruits can hide a trap: as much sugar as a pastry cake and a metabolic effect that triggers hunger in the middle of the morning.
The great change of the granola. To understand the phenomenon you have to go back to its origins. The first version was created in 1863 by the doctor James Caleb Jackson and was called “Granula”: Hard comprehensive grains, without sugar, conceived as dietary remedy. Far from what we see today on the shelves of the supermarket.
Over time, the recipe was sweet to conquer palates. As The Independent recalls, 153 years later the sugar became an essential ingredient: first with honey and syrups, then with refined. Granola went from a austere food to mass consumption product, with industrial versions that have little “light”.
The perfect combo for a sugar climb. The explanation behind this situation is physiological. Jessie Inchauspé, author of The Glucose Goddesss, explained in The Telegraph That the typical combination of granola – oatmeal, honey -free sugars and dehydrated fruit – is the perfect storm to shoot blood glucose. If you take as the first meal of the day and with an empty stomach, the peak is fast and tall.
The problem comes later: that high is followed by an abrupt drop that translates into tiredness, hunger and craving as a sweeter. To this is added what Healthline call “ration effect”: Although many brands talk about portions of 30–45 g, it is usual to be served between 60 and 100 g. Double sugar, double calories, without realizing it, it is added that many granars carry vegetable or coconut oils. They are not “bad” in themselves, but they raise caloric density and facilitate excess.
Benefits that are still present. Not everything was going to be bad. Despite the bad reputation of the most commercial versions, the granola also retains virtues if the ingredients are chosen well. As Healthline has pointed outoats, nuts and seeds slow down digestion, help control appetite, improve blood pressure, stabilize glucose and nourish intestinal microbiota. To this are added micronutrients such as magnesium, zinc, vitamin E and antioxidants that reinforce the immune system and fight inflammation.
In parallel, The Telegraph He has cited studies They show how a daily intake of three grams of oats oatmeal can reduce the so -called “bad” cholesterol.
So how to integrate it? The majority of nutritionists agree that the granola must play the role of companion and not of breakfast. In The Telegraph They recommend treating it as a toping: A couple of tablespoons on Greek yogurt or kefir, with fresh fruit – specially berries – to add fiber and antioxidants.
For its part, According to Healthlineyou have to combine it with healthy protein and fats helps reduce the glycemic impact and prolong satiety. The important thing is not to banish it, but to measure the amount and balance the plate.
The verdict. Granola is not the enemy, but neither does the panacea. According to dietitian Nichola Ludlam-Raine on The Telegraphit can be a healthy breakfast if you opt for low varieties in added sugars, rich in fiber and integral, and always in the recommended ration. Healthline coincides: It is nutritious and satiating, but many industrial versions are dense in calories and sugars. However, the counterpoint puts it The Independentsince he points out that some commercial granars rival sugar with pastries. In those cases, the result is inevitable: glucose peaks, low energy and early hunger.
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