Granola Selections: What to Know Before You Buy
By Laura Cipullo, RD, CDE, CEDRD, and Mom
The Great Granola Decision
Having recently moved to the suburbs, I finally understand what it’s like for my suburban blog readers and clients when it comes to shopping. You lucky folks! The variety is simply amazing but simultaneously overwhelming! I now shop at Fairway, Shop Rite and Food Town, and when my boys walk in, their eyes light up at the colorful boxes and rows of endless cookies. My weekly shopping trip can take about two hours, as I navigate to read labels, ingredients and sort through all those fancy packages.
Granola is one of those foods that seem to come in unlimited options, and it’s a food so many of us love — even my boys, who have the most discriminating taste buds. Finding a granola that I can recommend to my clients is always a bit of a challenge, as some people (including myself) do not have the luxury of getting locally-made granola or granola that is free from added fibers. Don’t get me wrong, I love Kind, but I can’t eat it every morning, as the added inulin on a regular basis hurts my belly. So while I do recommend this yummy granola, I needed another option. Well, I found it this weekend. My new favorite is Post’s Super Nutty Great Grains Granola!
In my latest lifestyle and nutrition book, the Women’s Health Body Clock Diet (out December 22 — pre-order your copy on Amazon for a discount), I recommend Greek yogurt and granola for one of the breakfast options. You can now choose Post’s Super Nutty Great Grains Granola as one of the two, granola options to mix with the Greek yogurt. This breakfast is ideal in that it provides about 400 calories. (I do recommend eating larger breakfasts with carbs, protein and fat.) The granola itself has a warming taste with hints of spices like cinnamon. It has 9 grams of protein and a whopping 19 grams when added to Greek yogurt. And, yes, it does have fat, but I believe fat is essential to our diet. The fat in Post’s Supper Nutty Granola is from GMO-free canola oil, walnuts, pecans and almonds. These are the much needed mononunsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids. So eat it! Eat it with the All Foods Fit mentality.
If you have trouble portioning foods due to emotional eating, an on-the-go lifestyle, or just hate decision making, feel free to get Post’s Great Grains The Bar Undone mix to add to your yogurt. These are snack packs that will help you reach the carb, protein and fat goals (aka mixed meals) that I refer to in both The Diabetes Comfort Food Diet and Women’s Health Body Clock Diet. And, one more thing: If you can’t find the all-too-famous Kashi Go Lean cereal, Post has a new Great Grains Protein Blend cereal that is high in natural fiber (which I am a fan of), with moderate carbohydrates and proteins to create the macronutrient balance that will help manage insulin, blood sugar, hunger and fullness.
So for now, I have conquered the cereal aisle in the mainstream grocery store. I have found Post’s Super Nutty Great Grains Granola, which I love for me, my family, my blog readers and my clients. If the grocery store experience is overwhelming for you, know you are not alone. Your RD (or if you live in New York, I) can help you navigate services like Fresh Direct, which will minimize the anxiety by allowing you to order your food online. (And now you don’t have to guess which granola to buy!) If you want help with your food dilemmas and nutrition decisions, subscribe (in the sidebar, to the right) to get weekly lifestyle support. And do your best to eat your brekkie! It is essential to resetting your body clock! And go get some granola!
