Recently, I had 2 patients ask me for a granola recipe. Coincidentally, inspired by my uncle Daniel who started making his own granola a while ago, Caroline and I have been making an awesome granola recipe from scratch for the past month. We always make a double recipe, but, it’s usually so good that it only lasts a week…
Granola just out of the oven
There are some things you can buy at a store that work just fine, and some things, I find that I really need to make myself in order to get the quality and health aspects that I’m looking for.
Granola, fortunately or unfortunately, is one of those items. I would love to just go into the store and pick up a bag of granola – that would be very convenient.
The apricots, cherries and candied ginger – mmm!
However, the reality is that every single granola that I have tried from the store makes me feel terrible after eating it. Why is that? Well, I for one am very sensitive to white sugar. If you look at most granola ingredient lists, white sugar (or evaporated cane juice) is almost always the second ingredient.
Also, most granolas try to be low fat, to cater to the “health conscious” crowd. (See my recent post on Why Cholesterol is Good for You for an alternate view on fat). This lack of fat, combined with a high ratio of white sugar, means that most store bought granola has a destabilizing effect on blood sugar. The refined sugar creates a blood sugar level spike, and there is no fat to slow down the digestion of those sugars, which would create a more even blood sugar response.
Big Granola Chunk
So, although I’ve wanted a breakfast food that is convenient, tasty, and quick, I haven’t really found it – until now.
Caroline & Jeremy’s
Ginger Cherry Spice Granola
As you’ll see in the recipe, I’ve included coconut oil (our new favorite oil) to decrease the blood sugar spike, and added only a small amount of honey as a sweetener.
2 cups rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup almonds
1 cup cashews
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup low sugar candied ginger (from TJ’s), chopped (the twist!)
1/4 cup coconut oil (the other twist!)
1/4 cup honey
For instructions on cooking, go to the recipe we based this on.
Enjoy, and tell us how it goes in the comment section of my blog.
Caroline eating some granola
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