Think of the most luxurious, resplendent breakfast you can. What are you having? There could be mountains of bacon, sausage and fluffy scrambled eggs, hash browns, pancakes, delicious boiled eggs with runny yolks, maybe even a sumptuous fruit platter with plates of croissants and cold cuts next to it? In any of your imaginings, did you see granola at all?
You might balk at the idea, but granola is actually considered a fairly premium item in the breakfast world. Delicious natural granola clustered together using whole fruit, rich in whole heart-healthy grains and tasty nuts and other offerings. When you get granola right, it’s not just great tasting, but a fantastic food in multiple ways.
Here are some of the best things about granola:
1. It’s Incredibly Versatile
One of the most interesting things about granola is that there’s virtually no accepted or universal standard of what a “typical” granola should be. You might look among some of the big granola brands and think that whatever they offer are the typical kinds, but is that right? They are just playing to what they think will work commercially. What really works for granola is whatever you think is the tastiest and most nutritious.
The versatility of granola means you can even make your own to suit your own dietary needs. If there are ingredients that you want to add, especially particular fruits, that contain vitamins, minerals or other nutrients that you lack, then you can do that.
2. Can Aid in Digestion
There are quite a number of health-related benefits, the first of which relates to digestion. When it comes to breakfast food, few alternatives are as effective in aiding your digestion as granola. A bowl of prunes might help get things moving, of course, but that wouldn’t be nearly as fun or delicious as a breakfast dish as granola is. The reason for granola’s superiority isn’t just taste, but also its fibre content, both soluble and insoluble.
The soluble fibre in particular can be very effective for relieving constipation. Insoluble fibre can help harden up your movements if you’ve been experiencing diarrhea. Therefore, granola is beneficial in either situation.
3. A Great Weight Loss Aid
Let’s not have any confusion here. Granola isn’t some weight loss miracle food. Having said that, its many positive properties do make it a good ally in the daily food intake of those who are hoping to lose weight. Why? Well, first of all it’s a light, low-sugar food that doesn’t add a lot of either cholesterol or sodium to one’s diet. At the same time, it provides a filling, satisfying and tasty meal in the morning.
This feature of being filling is important because it helps those trying to lose weight avoid the mid-morning pangs of hunger that they might fill with unhealthy sugar-filled snacks. Even if one is feeling a little peckish during the morning, a piece of fruit or some healthy trail mix should be more than enough to keep hunger away when the body is fueled in the morning by nutritious granola.
4. Granola Can Keep You Focused Through the Morning
Mineral benefits to granola include high contents of potassium, and low contents of sodium. This combination makes for better blood circulation as the veins remain loose and the blood (and oxygen) flow more freely around the body. This aids in better concentration, which can make one more productive and focused on important tasks. That’s good news both for students and for adult workers, especially office workers who can get easily distracted and lethargic at their desks.
5. It’s Good for the Skin
Finally, granola is a particularly good source of vitamin E (alpha tocopherol). This vitamin is key in your body’s ongoing battle to prevent premature aging, wrinkles and more. It’s not all about vanity, of course. It also strengthens your heart by offering a boost to your capillary walls.
