Holy Granoli ...

As of lately (although this research has been around for many a year), refined sugar has had a very bad wrap.  Even small amounts in our diet can be considered "lethal" by some anti-sugar fanatics.  It's no news that refined sugar can cause diabetes and tooth decay, but what else?  I've read quite a few articles about the subject, and I wanted to find one that was easily understood when it came down to simplifying the breakdown of sugars.

Since I have been been avoiding foods and drinks with refined sugar, a very interesting realization dawned on me; Sugar is addictive and it is in everything. Originally when I went from 195 lbs down to the 130 I am today, the fastest way to lose was true diligence in making sure my diet was no more than 30 grams of sugar a day (this included drinks, breads, pre-prepared foods).  This was also the point in time when I realized that gluten and dairy was my guts arch nemesis.  It certainly feels nice to have much more energy and relatively no more gut pain.  

In light of finding ways to make things delicious without the aide of refined sugars, here is a recipe for yummy granola I recently concocted.  This recipe calls for honey which is still mainly fructose and glucose, however it has not been processed (as long as you are buying unpasteurized/raw honey).  Honey also maintains some particles of antioxidants and trace amounts of vitamin C and Catalase.  Sugar on the other hand is a completely empty calorie that can cause free radical damage in the human body.

Holy Granoli

3 cups rolled oats

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup walnut pieces 

1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup flax seeds

1/2 cup raw (unpasteurized) honey

1/4 cup vegetable oil

pinch of salt

1 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 250º.  In a large bowl, mix the oats, nuts, coconut and flax seeds together.  In a separate bowl, combine the vegetable oil, honey and salt.  Combine the honey mixture and oat mixture, mix well.  Spread the mix out onto 2 cookie sheets.  Bake for an 1 hour 15 minutes, making sure to stir the granola a few times during the baking process to ensure even baking and colour.  Let cool before mixing in the raisins. Store in an airtight container.

Perfect on top of yogurt!