Granola Bars – Are Really Healthy For You?

Famous as the breakfast food, granola bars are undoubtedly classified as healthy. Granola bars made from rolled oats, nuts, dried fruit, granola is filling and healthy breakfast to go for. It also contains puffed rice and brown sugar occasionally and can be relished along with a bowl of yogurts or milk or just some fresh fruits tossed together. The granola bars are a healthy snack and great favorite with hikers, campers and backpackers as they are nutritious and filling. Energy & Nutrition bars made from granola, known as granola bars or cereal bars are even better ways to add granola to your diet. Just bunch it on your way out to crunch it anytime anywhere. Granola bars have taken the snacking market by storm. With rising awareness and need for healthy snacking options has greatly propelled the growth and demand of these power packed granola bars. To keep their products better than the rest, many manufacturers fortify their granola bars with healthful omega 3 and other antioxidants. Some enrich it with nutrients like calcium and iron making it self-sufficient meal on -the- heels for everyone.

Benefits Of Healthy Granola Bars

From hikers to a cyclist, working professionals to gym-goers granola bars are ready for action. They provide quick energy refill, nutritional boost and protein perk making it too good a deal to miss. These healthy snack bars are on tip of every tongue and why not for they provide surprising benefits that are well-documented.

1. Cholesterol Lowering Granola Bars

Granola bars prime ingredient is rolled oats which is packed with soluble fiber. Soluble fiber is responsible for scavenging cholesterol from the blood.

2. Energy Boosting Granola Bars

Granola bars boost energy as it contain the ‘good carb’ which provide energy that last for a longer time without making you feel sluggish or tired. Unlike sugars and other refined carbohydrates that provide an instant hike in energy followed by a period of ‘crash.’

3. High Protein Granola Bars

Granola bars contain adequate amounts of protein and also with its high fiber content helps curb hunger and promote satiety- a very important attribute for people on weight loss diets or using granola bars as survival foods.

Granola Bar Ingredients & Nutrition Facts

However, one has to be vigilant while buying granola bars for there are some energy bars that are just sugar filled candy bars. Always read ingredients and look for -

• Added sugar content
• total fat content
• Artificial sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup, sucralose, saccharin etc.
• Look for trans fat and saturated fat content
• Total carbohydrates
• Presence of artificial colors, flavors and other chemicals.

Homemade Granola Bar Recipe

Granola bars are fairly easy to make at home. You can try this recipe given below to make a healthy granola bar for yourself at home. This recipe gives you 12 bars of delicious, gooey granola bars

List Of Granola Ingredients

• Rolled oats- 2 ½ cup
• Nuts, roughly chopped- ½ cup
• Honey- ¼ cup
• 1 unsalted butter-¼ cup
• Brown sugar 1/3 cup
• Vanilla extract- 1 tsp
• Kosher salt- ¼ tsp
• Total extra mix-ins (about 1/4 cup of 3 different ingredients such as dried fruits, coconut, etc.)- ¾ cup

Baked Granola Bars - Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment or foil and lightly spray with cooking spray.

2. Place the oats and nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly toasted.

3. While the oats are toasting, add the honey, butter, and brown sugar to a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. When butter mixture is ready, remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt. Pour this mixture over the oat and nut mixture and stir to combine. Add any extra ingredients and stir to combine. Make sure none of the oats are dry.

4. Place all of the oat mixture in the prepared pan. Use a rubber spatula or the bottom of a greased measuring cup to press the mixture into the pan. Chill the granola bars for at least 2 hours. Lift the bars from the pan using the edges of the foil or parchment and place them on a cutting board. Cut into desired shape/sizes and serve.