There’s a long-standing debate about whether granola merits its reputation as the “healthy person’s cereal.” So we had to ask the question: Is granola really good for you? Or does it just have great PR and marketing?
We looked closely at granola’s nutrition facts with the help of Melissa O’Shea, MS, RD, the director of nutrition at Exhale Spa.
Here’s the good news: Granola’s oats deliver impressive numbers in fiber and iron, while nuts and seeds add heart-healthy unsaturated fats and some protein, she says. But along with these benefits, granola can be very high in calories, oils you don’t need, and contain scoops of sugar with healthy-sounding names.