Healthy It Ain't
by tristero
Ironies of ironies. I literally finished making Mark Bittman's dead simple granola recipe when I read this:
A cup of Nature Valley Oats ’n Honey Protein Granola has 24 grams of sugar and actually contains more sugar than protein by weight. Nature Valley also has a Peanut Butter ’n Dark Chocolate Protein Granola that has 30 grams of sugar per cup. Bear Naked Honey Almond Granola has 20 grams of sugar per cup.
By comparison, a slice of chocolate cake with frosting has 26 grams of sugar. A cup of ice cream has 28 grams of sugar. A regular Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut has 10 grams of sugar, according to the Krispy Kreme website.
There are three reasons I made Bittman's recipe. #1: we recently bought some Trader Joe's granola that was so sweet that I was literally gagging. A deep-fried Snickers Bar has less sugar and a more nuanced flavor. Second, I got tired of paying $7 for a scoop or so of yuppie granola which, given the ingredients and effort, should cost - I'm guessing here - about $3 a pound. Finally, I had made a great recipe from Cook's Illustrated (this is basically the same recipe) but I wanted to see if I spent less effort whether it would make much difference.
I'll let you know. And meanwhile, next time I'm halving the maple syrup. No, it's not that healthy, but every once in a while, it's delicious. And you can freeze it like forever.
And now it's time to return to your regularly scheduled politics.