Granola: A punch of nutrition

Granola’s comingout party paralleled the cereal industry’s ardor to make whole grain eating more exciting.

This idea was first introduced by two men; Dr. Caleb Jackson and Dr. John H. Kellogg. Dr. Jackson first referred to his version of granola, as granula. This began back in the late 1850s but then quieted until the early 1900s, when none other than Charles W. Post was cured of his health problems and he opened a health center and innovated on Dr. Jackson’s granula by adding grape nuts.

Flash forward to the 70s, when all at once the Pet Incorporated company invented Heartland 1atural Cereal (the first commercial granola),the Quaker Company introduced 100 percent Natural Granola, Kellogg joined the race and introduced Country Morning and General Mills came out with Nature Valley.

Since then, granola remained and evolved as necessary. There are so many kinds, it becomes difficult to choose. It packs a combined punch of whole grain, and protein, while having sweetness, yet not too much so. Oats are the main ingredients of granola. Several commercial varieties are high in fat due to the type of oil that’s added to the oats before they’re baked. What contributes to the fat content are also the coconut, nuts and seeds that are used. When buying granola, go for the low-fat variety.

Or better yet, make your own. Toast rolled oats in a 300 degree oven using a baking sheet stirring them frequently to avoid sticking. I use parchment on the cookie sheet. To make a sweet granola, add drops of honey but watch them closely as the honey may cause the oats to burn. After the toasting, you can add your choice of wheat germs, nuts or sunflower seeds. Let your mixture cool and store it in a plastic bag and put it in the refrigerator. Serve your granola with yogurt combined with fresh fruit if you like.

I like to make my own because I can control the contents. Some varieties in the store have too many ingredients. You can double bake it to ensure the dry type of granola, or let it be chewy and even make bars. Once made, granola from scratch makes a great hostess gift in a cellophane bag with a pretty bow. I shared my favorite recipes below, and I hope you give them a shot. If you go to the trouble of making it, you might as well share, right?