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Why granola even if organic is not a healthy choice nutritionally or for the gut microbiome. Making your own is not even a healthy choice!
Is granola healthy to eat? Are brands from the store that are organic and/or sprouted acceptable?
What about homemade granola?
Sadly, the answer to all three of these questions is a resounding NO!
Even so-called “traditional granola” recipes, where soaked organic oats (or sprouted) are used before toasting in the oven, are not in the least bit digestible.
While soaking or sprouting oats before making granola is a big improvement, the fact is that digestive damage is still going to occur if you eat it. This preparation method is not traditional in the slightest.
Many granola fans do not seem to know that oats, even if sprouted or soaked first, are still not properly prepared in a traditional manner.
Thus, the proteins in the oats remain in a form that is extremely difficult to break down in the digestive tract.
Difficult-to-digest food that is not metabolized completely leaves undigested residues in the gut that cause pathogens to thrive.
This is why some people “crave” granola…it’s an addictive food like sugar that feeds gut pathogens.
Over time, pathogen overgrowth in the gut leads to a disrupted microbiome and eventually digestive symptoms.
The high potential of improperly prepared grains to harm health…with granola being perhaps the most prominent modern example…is why traditional societies took such great pains to soak, sprout, or ferment (sour leaven) them.
Here’s the last piece many folks seem to miss…
Not only did traditional peoples soak, sprout, or sour leaven their grains. They also thoroughly cooked them as the final preparation step before eating!
In other words, toasting sprouted or soaked oats in the oven does not fully deactivate the anti-nutrients.
Let’s explore this important precept of traditional diet in more detail below.
Why Granola is SO Difficult to Digest
The dry heat of an oven at the proper toasting temperature is simply not hot enough to complete the breakdown of anti-nutrients in oats or other grains.
Thus, even homemade granola is extremely difficult to digest. Eaten often, it can damage the gut over time.
Perhaps if a person has an iron gut, then homemade granola that is soaked or sprouted but not fully cooked might work on occasion.
The reality is that most people have sensitive guts today. This is a generational decline in health that is the result of several generations of children raised on antibiotics and processed foods.
Most people have some sort of digestive sensitivity to grains, even if there are no grain allergy symptoms present.
I know for me, I bloat terribly if I eat homemade granola that has been soaked or sprouted and then toasted.
Interestingly, thoroughly cooked unsoaked oatmeal digests far better.
The lesson to me is that the final cooking step for sprouted grains is very important!
Healthy Alternatives
The good news is that when you ditch granola, there are other options to consider that are very tasty and no more difficult to prepare.
In my home, I make these healthy breakfast cereal recipes instead of granola. Several of them provide that lovely crunch that is so yummy in milk for breakfast.
Another alternative is to make grain free granola that uses soaked nuts, fruits, and soaked seeds instead of grains as the primary ingredient.
Sources and More Information
Nourishing Traditions, p. 454
I am having trouble not turning to easy things like cereal. I have four kids five years and younger. Two of which are under a year and don’t have a lot of time to do breakfast. One of the babies has bad ezcema and I suspected food allergies so we are avoiding dairy, eggs, and gluten. I need some easy breakfast ideas. We do oats, bacon or sausage with fruit, sometimes gluten, dairy, egg free muffins. Anybody have any ideas or anything that healed up horrible ezcema. HELP!
What are you thoughts on drying out soaked rolled oats after they have been baked like your cereal recipe, which is FANTASTIC by the way!
here are a bunch…http://pinterest.com/lady7aylor/sane-paleo-cereal/
i also make my granola with quick oats soaked in hot water and pureed apple, coconut oil and all sort of nuts and seeds. i dehydrate it overnight and i eat it with homemade almond milk.
Granola is usually loaded with sweeter too. Even if it’s sucanat or honey, we find it too sweet for our taste and are trying to avoid foods that spike the blood sugar. Haven’t made it for years for that reason.
I actually use the dried leftovers from my cooked oats, (And coconut flour quick breads… and sometimes even bread crumbs) which would have been eaten cold anyway. I can not think of any reason that wouldn’t work. I’d be interested to hear if others know of a reason it’s unhealthy.
Bummer.
Sara, I follow a “paleo” type of “diet” with emphasis on local eats as much as possible and proper food prep, fat with veggies, etc. I just don’t enjoy dairy but get raw milk, cheese, ect for my family. Do you have any good resources on paleo?
Oatmeal was traditionally cooked overnight in Scotland. I make mine in the bottom of the AGA but you could use a slowcooker. It was done on a woodstove which might have been warm, not hot at night? Take one part oats to three parts water. Combine in a pot with sea salt. Pop in low oven and just eat it in the morning. BUT this is not fermented. I tried it with some cider vinegar the other day and it tasted a bit funny. (I do add some toppings such as dried fruit or honey or something). And at such a temperature I imagine it was too hot to ever ferment anyway.
On a side note, occasionally you see the tv chefs here in the UK tell you to make pancake batter and Yorkshire pudding batter the day before or at least in the morning for your evening meal. And sometimes they say their grannies always put vinegar in the mix!