There has been a long standing debate about whether or not granola merits its reputation as the “healthy person’s cereal”. Before adding granola as a healthy choice into your daily routine, apply our dietitian’s guidelines to purchasing granola.

1. Check the sugar. Granola can be loaded with sugar. Evaporated cane juice, molasses, brown rice syrup, oat syrup solids, are all sources of sugar. I advise you to aim for less than 8 grams of sugar per serving.

2. Watch the calories. These typically amount to several hundred calories per serving size. Healthier granolas have less than 200 calories per ¼ cup serving, 270 calories per 1/3 cup serving, or 400 calories per ½ cup serving.

3. Keep portion size small. This point is key: The serving size for granola is smaller than cereal, not a whole bowl. Typically it’s a quarter or a third of a cup. So rather than filling up a bowl with only granola and milk, try using granola to enhance other healthy food items such as Greek yogurt, oatmeal, muffin or pancake mix etc.

4. Trim the fat.  A lot of granolas contain heart-healthy unsaturated fats from nuts and omega-3s from seeds, but even they can still add up. Look for granolas that have between 2 and 3 grams of fat per quarter cup serving or <3 grams of fat per 100 calorie serving.

5. Review the Oils. Many granola varieties list palm oil and hydrogenated oils on their ingredient list. With their high saturated fat, these oils are bad for the heart.  Look for healthier alternatives like organic coconut oil and extra-virgin olive oil, respectively.

6. Scan for fillers. Even the ingredient list on healthy-leading brands can contain some surprises, like inulin (a soluble fiber that can cause digestive problems), soy protein isolate, and other sneaky ingredients. Try to avoid these fillers.