Granola is healthier than most other cereals

Can you tell me how your body processes raw cane sugar in a 'healthier' way than white sugar?

All of the products you mention are very high in fructose, which is a very unhealthy ingredient. How is fructose somehow OK in 'natural' sugar or honey, but bad in white sugar?

And just because a product has been processed does not make it not 'natural'. If that's the case then nothing other than an apple you pluck off the tree and eat there and then is natural. Even washing is a process.

Sugar has no artificial ingredients added, so is therefore a 'natural product'.

don't have the time or money to make stuff from scratch

@Wrennyjenwren you don’t have time to tip some oats in a bowl, add some nuts and seeds and cut up an apple? You could even leave out the nuts and seeds if you can’t afford it. A quarter of an apple and some oats? Surely cheaper than pre made cereal.

White table sugar isn't 'natural' - it doesn't grow like that, it's made into that. Sugar grows as sugar cane. So raw cane sugar - more in its natural state - is better for you than refined white sugar.
Honeys and agave syrups are even better.

Whole fruit contains a lot of fiber which slows down the absorption of sugar. Also, it's difficult to eat too much of it. You'd probably find it hard to eat 5 oranges in one sitting, but you could easily knock back the equivalent in orange juice, without the fiber to slow down absorption and in liquid form which quickly enters your bloodstream. It has more sugar than fizzy drinks, yet it's touted as a 'healthy natural product'.

Table sugar is also 'natural' but is really bad for you.

I think this idea that 'natural' = good and 'processed' = bad is really going too far.

I'm not sure that's true. Eating anything in its natural form will always be better than anything processed.

Fruit in general is FULL of sugar but you can eat as much of that as you like!

@Jumpingthruhoops thats just good marketing.

It is all glucose and fructose when you eat it.

I always thought there was a significant difference in refined sugar - the white granules you put in tea - and natural sugars like honey, agave and fruit sugars. Natural sweetener = good
Processed sweetener = bad

All cereal is just sugar in various forms, including granola. It's not as processed, but it's not nutritionally that different if you look at the macros, especially commercially made granola that often has sneaky added sugar.

It is true if you look at carbs per 100g not “of which sugars” because it’s all glucose once it’s in your body.

77.7g of carbs per 100g of bran flakes

70g of carbs per 100g of Mars bar

It’s just good marketing and the obfuscation of how nutrition and metabolism works.

Oats give me a big sugar spike (according to Zoe) so I switch them for barley instead. I just do barley, lots of seeds, sultanas and Greek yoghurt and kefir. It’s delicious.

That just isn’t true though.

Compare Bran flakes with a mars bar. Compare weetabix with a mars bar. Even compare cornflakes and rice crispies with a mars bar.

Obviously if you are eating honey nut loops or cocopops there will be sugar in them, but most cereals are not that bad. Usually better for you than toast.

I think it depends which granola.

I stick to porridge and add nuts, seeds and some fruit most of the time for breakfast.

Time maybe, money bollocks. Oats are incredibly cheap.

Granted. But banana or apple is cheaper still and better than biscuits for breakfast.

It's not a good thing that people feel the need to rush through mornings and eat junk food on the bus for breakfast.

It depends on which granola. The one I like contains honey and a small amount of refined sugar which is not ideal, but other than that, it’s entirely made-up of seeds and various nuts which is 💪

I make my own. Sounds a bit laborious, but it’s just mixing the ingredients and then in the oven - it lasts the family a few weeks. You can also add more of what you want (extra seeds and nuts, etc) and keep an eye on the sugar. The kids have ‘breakfast sundaes’ with it (fruit, Greek yogurt and granola in layers).

Come on. What about all the other nutrients you'd get from granola and not from a Mars Bar? You can't just focus on sugar to the exclusion of everything else.

Granola AND traditional cereals are all loaded with sugar. You may as well have a mars bar for breakfast!

and currently on offer for 20p per pack of 4. Nothing extra required, can be eaten on the bus in the morning.

My weetabix that needs milk and a handful of fruit (no cooking thankfully) to make it palatable costs 28p for the 2 biscuits alone.

Sometimes "unhealthy" is an easier choice... Time wise and financially.

@llamajohn
Oh yes I'd forgotten about those!

Oh come on Belvita have been convincing people to have biscuits for breakfast for years.

And it works, people have them! Actual Chocolate biscuits sold as "healthy" and look at all the imagery they use to convince you... The wheat, use of the word cocoa instead of chocolate as the main flavour

Saw this in Sainsbury's yesterday..
not even trying to hide the fact that cereals are basically chocolate for breakfast any more!

I always get the very low sugar versions and mix it 50% with rolled oats. Then microwave with milk for a nice porridge.

I now know that if I want to start an argument then I should bring up the subject of stewed apples! All I remember of granola is when I didn’t have any chocolate in the house and wanted something sweet it’s the only time I touched it, standing in the kitchen shoveling it into my mouth.