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One of the biggest irrefutable facts about health is the importance of eating healthy. We all know that the best way to live a healthy life is to avoid bad habits or bad food choices early on.1 But kids are innocent because when they are young, they don’t always understand how the things they see and hear are related to the real world.
In today’s world, eating junk food such as highly processed foods is considered the norm. As your child grows, their body will require certain foods as fuel so that they can grow up healthy and strong. It is a proven fact that junk foods and highly processed foods are extremely harmful to the body and when children eat them, they will find out how wrong they are later on.2
The importance of kids eating healthy starts when they are young. You can show your child that healthy foods will make them grow stronger and healthier by offering them vegetables and fruits once in a while. When they are small, try to teach them how to make a salad with vegetables rather than fries. Always remember to give them healthy eating quotes because they can remember them for the rest of their lives. Kids love to hear quotes about something that they love. So if they know that you love healthy foods, tell them the importance of kids eating healthy foods.
What is Granola?
Unlike the much simpler answers of chocolate-covered popcorn and raisins, granola has a lot more to offer as an occasional treat. While it is typically enjoyed as a delicious dessert, granola can also be used in a wide variety of other foods – such as sandwiches, cereal, cookies, and oatmeal – and is also a popular treat for children.3
Granola consists of dried fruits, nuts (the most common being sunflower seeds and prunes), and various other ingredients including sugar, cinnamon, raisins, and other dried or fresh fruits. Granola is usually served cold; however, you can also eat it hot from the bag, with milk, or just as a nice crunchy topping on fruit yogurt. Because both kinds of granola contain almost all of the same ingredients, their overall nutritional values are very similar.
While granola comes in many different shapes and flavors, its two main components – the dried fruits and nuts – provide the bulk of its nutritional value. The bulk of granola is comprised of small, high-calorie seeds and nuts. High-calorie foods such as nuts and seeds are always better than those that are lower in calories and provide little nutritional value. Many times, granola can be replaced with other types of nuts and/or seeds if you are looking to minimize your impact on your diet by eating less.4
What Are the Benefits of Granola For Kids?
Many parents are wondering what are the benefits of granola for kids? If you are looking for a healthy snack, granola for kids is a great place to start. Not only are there many health benefits of granola for kids, but it is also a very convenient snack that kids will love. They can eat it just about anywhere; it can be at their bedtime, beside the computer, in their room, or just about anywhere that they have access to snacks. You’ll find that the healthier varieties of granola for kids are also less expensive than the traditional ones.5
The main benefits of granola for kids are getting enough vitamins and minerals. Some parents even add some protein to their child’s granola bars. There are many different varieties to choose from, so parents can make sure their child gets the nutrients that they need. Many of the granola bars are free of any artificial flavors and colors, so your child will get plenty of nutritional benefits from this snack as well.6
The fact that granola for kids is so easy to make is also a big plus. Most kids are easily able to make their own granola bars or snack mix with no special skills. In fact, they can make things like cookies and bread by combining nuts, raisins, and cereal in the blender, too!
Granola can also be stored for longer periods of time, unlike other snacks. When you want to give your kid a healthy snack, you don’t have to go through the trouble of changing more than a handful at a time. You can also store granola in airtight containers, so it is easy to grab a bag and go whenever you need it. This also prevents spoilage, which is another benefit of granola.
If you take care of some of these benefits of granola for kids, then your child is sure to enjoy his or her daily dose of this healthy snack. Make it the centerpiece of their diet, and give them plenty of help along the way as well. By introducing them to granola on a regular basis, they will develop a taste for it that they will also be likely to eat granola for kids when they get older. As long as you choose good-quality granola for kids that are made with whole grain oats, natural sugar, and good-quality fruit, you will be providing your child with lots of nutrition without any harmful ingredients.
What Are the Best Types of Granola For Kids?
Parents often wonder what the best types of granola for kids are since there is an endless array of choices in many grocery stores. Granola, like most other snack foods, can be mixed up and re-combined to create new flavors parents love, but it is important to choose a product that has a reputation of being easy to prepare and nutritious. While granola may seem like a simple item to pick out, it must be chosen properly to ensure the health of young children.7
Most granola for kids comes in the form of a cereal-like snack with pieces of cracker, granola, nuts, or dried fruit. When purchasing this product, keep in mind that the bag should be opened in the refrigerator, not microwaved, so the moisture stays in the granola. Additionally, parents will want to look for the best types of granola for kids that are made from whole grain flour instead of refined flour. This helps provide children with the essential nutrients necessary for a healthy diet.
Parents are encouraged to consider what their children like when selecting a type of granola for kids. Perhaps your child prefers the taste of cinnamon, which is available in several different flavors, including regular and dark. Or maybe your child likes to eat cereal with nuts in it, so look for granola with sunflower seeds. With all the varieties, finding the best types of granola for kids is not difficult.
Is Store Bought Granola Healthier?
If you have made homemade granola before, you know that store-bought granola always tastes better than homemade. And this may be because store-bought granola recipes are usually made with very high sugar content and refined white flour, which are not good for most people’s digestive systems. But did you know that store-bought granola has many more health benefits than homemade? You might not realize it, but store-bought granola can also be healthier than your average granola recipe. So, how is this so?
It is because store-bought granola is usually in a smaller size, which makes it easier for you to eat it and still get all of the vitamins and nutrients that it has. Plus, store-bought granola is cut up into very small pieces, which means that the pieces are very easy to chew and get all of the nutrients and fiber that one needs without having to go through the trouble of breaking down the large chunks of bread and cereal that is commonly used. Therefore, it is much easier for our bodies to absorb the nutrients from this type of food and we do not get as many empty calories as we do when eating a big piece of bread with all of the empty calories.
Also, store-bought granola is usually lower in calories because it is not as difficult to process and use for baking. Homemade granola is much higher in fiber, which helps one to feel full much faster. This means that when a person ingests more food, it takes less time for them to get full, which is a great incentive to lose weight and maintain a healthy diet. Lastly, store-bought granola does not usually contain artificial preservatives or colors that can be harmful to the body like those found in homemade recipes. Therefore, a person may find that homemade food is healthier and better for their health and is more preferable for those trying to lose weight and have a healthier lifestyle.
Image Credits
Splenda / 2021
Pinterest / 2021
Seattle’s Child / 2021
The Kitchen / August 14, 2019
1 “Poor Nutrition | CDC.” https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/factsheets/nutrition.htm Accessed 13 Aug. 2021.
2 “What Are the Dangers of Poor Food Choices?.” https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/dangers-poor-food-choices-3401.html Accessed 13 Aug. 2021.
3 “Is Granola Healthy? Benefits and Downsides – Healthline.” 25 Sep. 2019, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/is-granola-healthy Accessed 13 Aug. 2021.
4 “What is Granola? |Brief History of Granola | True North Granola.” https://truenorthgranola.com/blog/what-is-granola-and-granola-history/ Accessed 13 Aug. 2021.
5 “What is Granola? – The Spruce Eats.” https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-granola-4771372 Accessed 13 Aug. 2021.
6 “5 Benefits Of Granola & Why It Makes For A Perfect Snack – MissMalini.” 26 May. 2021, https://www.missmalini.com/2021/05/26/5-benefits-of-granola-why-it-makes-for-a-perfect-snack/ Accessed 13 Aug. 2021.
7 “10 Granola Flavors We Absolutely Love | Bob’s Red Mill.” 22 Oct. 2019, https://www.bobsredmill.com/blog/healthy-living/10-granola-flavors-we-absolutely-love/ Accessed 13 Aug. 2021.
