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Several readers have emailed me recently inquiring about how to best go about making homemade granola.
One person carefully soaked oats for 24 hours in water with an acidic medium and then dehydrated before mixing with the other ingredients and toasting in the oven.
Another used sprouted, organic rolled oats and baked in a 200F oven with various other ingredients to make her favorite version of homemade granola.
While both of these approaches to making granola are certainly a huge improvement over any of the granolas to be had at the store, the fact is that even organic granola made with rolled oats that have been sprouted or soaked is not an easily digestible food.
The proteins in grains are extremely difficult to digest. They have the potential to cause health problems over the long term, which is why traditional societies took such great pains to soak, sprout, or sour leaven them before consuming.
Not only did traditional peoples soak, sprout, or sour leaven their grains, they also thoroughly cooked them as the final preparation step before eating.
Why Granola is SO Difficult to DigestÂ
The dry heat of an oven at the proper toasting temperature is simply not hot enough to complete the breakdown of anti-nutrients in oats or other grains. Thus, even homemade granola is extremely difficult to digest. Eaten often, it can damage the gut over time.
Perhaps if a person has an iron gut, then homemade granola that is soaked or sprouted might work on occasion. The reality is that most people have sensitive guts anymore due to several generations of children raised on antibiotics and processed foods. Most people have some sort of digestive sensitivity to grains even if there are no grain allergy symptoms present.
I know for me, I bloat terribly if I eat homemade granola that has been soaked or sprouted and then toasted. I have no grain allergies and my digestion is in pretty decent shape. Interestingly, thoroughly cooked unsoaked oatmeal digests far better. The lesson at least to me is that the final cooking step is very important!
I have only made granola for my family once or twice. However, I stopped after observing the undigestibility of consuming this non-traditional food even when seemingly prepared in a traditional fashion.
Do your digestion a favor and opt out of any grain based granola entirely. Even homemade, organic, and soaked and/or sprouted versions aren’t good for your long term gut health.
Healthy Alternatives to Granola
Don’t hesitate to use soaked or sprouted grains that are fully cooked for all your other dishes and baked goods!  This article plus video tutorial for a healthy cold breakfast cereal recipe is a very digestible alternative to granola.
Another alternative is to make grain free Paleo granola using the linked recipe.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
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Sources and More Information
Nourishing Traditions, p. 454
Soaked Oatmeal Benefits Without the Soaking?
Hi Sarah! Thanks for the great article! I wanted to share with you my grain-free granola that uses soaked and dehydrated nuts as the base. SCD and Paleo legal, and definitely better on the gut!
I used to love Granola…but there are so many other options (if you have time to cook your breakfast!)
I been studying the poor quality and health issue surrounding our breakfast cereals recently:
I guess the world wasn’t designed to go at such a pace. We are meant to take time over cooking AND eating. Fast food will never be REAL food (even something as innocent looking as the humble granola).
Natasha’s last post: Crispy Duck with Fried Potatoes:
I went back and took a look at Sally’s comments on granola in “Nourishing Traditions” for a little guidance. I remembered a comment about granola’s not being a part of traditional diets. Here’s the quote:
Hi Sarah,
Any suggestions / recipes for a care package for a college student? I usually put in some homemade granola! Thanks
My point is that you took a very extreme position in your post and then implied that it was backed by NT, which it was not, based on the text. Opinion and science are not the same thing. “not good for some” is not the same as “not good for all”. As I mentioned, for several years now the WAPF has ranked “soaked granola” as GOOD in their shopper’s guide and it has been offered on the breakfast bar at the Wise Traditions conference since 2009. This seems inconsistant with your position that “No Granola is Good Granola”. And if Sally contributed to your article and shares your viewpoint, why didn’t you quote her directly or refer to her input in your post? Your blog seems well respected as a vehicle to support people who want to embrace a traditional diet and I’ve appreciated your work.
My point is that you took a very extreme position in your post and then implied that it was backed by NT, which it was not, based on the text. Opinion and science are not the same thing. “not good for some” is not the same as “not good for all”. As I mentioned, for several years now the WAPF has ranked “soaked granola” as GOOD in their shopper’s guide and it has been offered on the breakfast bar at the Wise Traditions conference since 2009. This seems inconsistant with your position that “No Granola is Good Granola”. And if Sally contributed to your article and shares your viewpoint, why didn’t you quote her directly or refer to her input in your post? Your blog seems well respected as a vehicle to support people who want to embrace a traditional diet and I’ve appreciated your work.
@Michaeleen I emailed Sally Fallon Morell about granola before I wrote this post and she said that soaked or sprouted granola dried in an oven would not be a good idea and would only be digested by folks with an iron stomach. She doesn’t like granola, period.
oops… I mean bulgur wheat is sprouted AND fermented. And one big difference is I soaked the bulgur in the yogurt for 48 hours… not just 24hours.
Hi Sarah
on pg 112 of NT, it states that bulgur wheat is a coarsely ground sprouted wheat. It is not flour… but as you mentioned previously, it is sprouted so that must be the difference. An update on todays batch: it is working much better then the 1st batch. I have the oven temp at the lowest temp. Much better results, even if it is a much slower process.
Also, You WERE advising your readers correctly. On pg 464 in NT, Ms Fallon states that they do NOT recommend granola because it is extremely indigestible. So thanks for being here to answer all of your readers inquires!!!
Page 454 of NT, as you reference, does NOT say to avoid ALL granolas. Rather, in referring to commercial granolas, they say “we do not recommend granola”. In fact, the WAPF, in their annual shoppers guide, gives “soaked granolas” a GOOD rating. Be careful. Your readers are relying on you to post accurate information about traditional foods. If YOU feel strongly for/against soaked/sprouted granolas, then claim it as your opinion and don’t bring NT into it as if the authors share your postion.
I emailed Sally Fallon Morell about granola before I wrote this post and she said that soaked or sprouted granola dried in an oven would not be a good idea and would only be digested by folks with an iron stomach. She doesn’t like granola, period.