Eating too much sugar may increase your risk of many conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, cavities, and even some types of cancer ( 20, 21, 22, 23, 24). Break up the granola once it’s cooled by stirring in sultanas or raisins. Keep in a sealed container for up to a month. While granola doesn’t have a lot of potassium, it contains enough to be helpful, especially since a surprisingly large number of people are deficient in this essential mineral. Potassium exerts a balancing effect on sodium and helps support your blood pressure by flushing excess sodium and water out of the body. It also has a vasodilatory action on blood vessels that contributes greatly to blood pressure modulation, and also helps to regulate kidney function. 9. Helps Treat Anemia Granola is a food consisting of rolled oats, nuts, seeds, honey or other sweeteners such as brown sugar, and sometimes puffed rice, that is usually baked until crisp, toasted and golden brown. The mixture is stirred while baking to avoid burning and to maintain a loose breakfast cereal consistency. Dried fruit, such as raisins and dates, and confections such as chocolate are sometimes added. Granola is often eaten in combination with yogurt, honey, fresh fruit (such as bananas, strawberries or blueberries), milk or other forms of cereal. It also serves as a topping for various pastries, desserts or ice cream. Muesli is similar to granola, except that it is traditionally neither sweetened nor baked. Heart-healthy, hearty, whole-grain old-fashioned oats keep their shape during baking. Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats if you need gluten-free granola. Nuts and/or Seeds

Pour in the oil, maple syrup and/or honey and vanilla. Mix well, until every oat and nut is lightly coated. Pour the granola onto your prepared pan and use a large spoon to spread it in an even layer. However, these can supply excess calories. Eating more than the specified portion may lead to unwanted weight gain, increasing your risk of obesity and metabolic disease ( 18).Though many people wouldn’t go to granola as a first choice for managing migraines, it is actually surprisingly very effective in handling this condition. This is believed to be due to the presence of ample magnesium which study after study shows helps to reduce the frequency and severity of migraines. Magnesium also helps regulate blood vessel tone under the scalp and reduces muscle spasms occurring in this area. 11. Helps Boost The Immune System You can use extra-virgin olive oil instead, if you’d like your granola to be a little more on the savory side. If you’re watching your saturated fat intake, olive oil is a better choice! Natural Sweetener Granola contains moderate amounts of iron which is extremely beneficial, especially if you are vegetarian and do not consume animal-based products to get your iron. Just have your granola with a piece of fruit rich in vitamin C to enhance the absorption of iron and increase your blood building capacity. 10. Can Help Manage Migraines Lastly, let the granola cool completely before breaking it up. I’ve even left it on the pan overnight, covered.

What’s more, you should carefully consider serving sizes, which vary from 2 tablespoons (12.5 grams) to 2/3 cup (67 grams). Particularly small serving sizes can be misleading, as you’re likely to consume more than that amount. If you’d like to add unsweetened coconut flakes, you can add it halfway through baking for perfectly toasted results (see recipe note). Don’t bake the granola too long—just until it’s lightly golden on top, as described. It might not seem like it’s done yet, but it will continue to crisp up as it cools. Over-baking the granola seems to break the sugar bonds.Just a small 100-gram serving of granola contains close to 50% of the recommended intake of vitamin E, the vitamin that plays a key role in the maintenance of skin health. Vitamin E is said to have a UV reflective ability that minimizes the amount of rays that can penetrate and cause damage to skin cells. 7. Great Source of Vegan Protein Oil helps make this granola crisp and irresistible. I prefer unrefined coconut oil, which is delicious (you can barely taste the coconut, if at all) and produces the perfect texture. Oatmeal is known to reduce cholesterol by virtue of its high soluble fiber content, something that granola also possesses and allows you to add versatility to your meals. Fiber actively promotes the excretion of cholesterol in stool by acting as a kind of sponge that traps the cholesterol and removes it from circulation. Just be sure to get granola that is not fortified with artificial fats, as they may worsen your cholesterol problem and defeat the purpose of it in the first place. 4. Improves Energy Levels