Granola Is Not As Healthy As Everyone Think It Is, Experts Claim

Granola has always maintained a reputation as a staple "healthy" food. It's packed with oats, nuts, dried fruits and other grains that entice people to love them even more. However, they are really not what they seem to be, and some other seemingly healthy foods don't always live up to their image.

According to an article in The New York Times, the Food and Drug Administration has recently agreed to reassess its standard for what foods can be classified "healthy". This is a bold move that shows how much nutritional knowledge has changed over the years, and how much still remains unknown.

A survey conducted by the NY Times compared the views of a panel of nutritionists with those of an average American. It revealed that the panel of experts and the public don't often see eye to eye about which foods can be considered health and which ones aren't. And the food that always gets the most arguments is granola.

A report made by 13wmaz.com revealed that although 71 percent of the public rated granola bars as a healthy food, there were only 28 percent in the panel of nutritionists agreed. When asked about the regular loose granola, there were 80 percent of the general public said it was healthy, however, there were less than 47 percent of nutritionists that think it is.

This made a lot of people wonder. Well, granolas and granola bars can differ tremendously in ingredients, Sharon Zarabi, a nutritionist and fitness expert at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, told CBS News. So it's a good idea to read ingredient lists and nutrition labels.

"In order for something to be considered healthy, you're looking at calories, fat, sugar and nutritional content," said Zarabi. She also pointed out that when you check the ingredients list, it will show that many granola bars and granola cereals are jammed with sugar.

An example Zarabi gave was Nature Valley Oats n' Honey granola bars. She said that the bar contains oats as its main ingredient and sugar as its second ingredient. If you look further down the list, it will reveal the presence of honey and brown sugar syrup. Another example she gave was Quaker's peanut butter chocolate chip chewy granola bars which contains brown sugar, sugar, corn syrup, and corn syrup solids. Zarabi also pointed that out that KIND Oats & Honey with Toasted Coconut bars use sweeteners like tapioca syrup, dried cane syrup, honey, and brown rice syrup.

There's a difference between those sweeteners, Zarabi noted.

"Sugars are defined by their glycemic index, how quickly it gets absorbed into your bloodstream and how it affects your blood sugar levels in the body. Corn syrup has a higher glycemic index than, for example, honey," she said.

Zarabi also said that making homemade granola is one way to reduce the sugar but still enjoy it. "Granola is basically toasted oats glazed in some type of sweetener -- whether it's honey, sugar or light syrup -- to make it bind and taste sweet," she said.

Zarabi also suggested that toasting oatmeal, skip the sweetener and add fruit, such as frozen dried blueberries, for sweetness instead. She added that it is also a good idea to add nuts for fat and protein. "This will also help keep you fuller longer," she advised.

Another food that had opposing votes in the survey is coconut oil. There were about 72 percent who considered it healthy while there were only 37 percent of nutritionists who agreed.

In the same way, almost 50 percent of Americans thought that SlimFast Shakes were healthy, but only 1 in 5 nutritionists agree. Frozen yogurt was viewed as healthy by at least two-thirds of the American public, compared to just one-third of nutritionists.

Another big surprise was quinoa, the New York Times noted. Often boasted as a "superfood," there were only 58 percent of the total public who considered it healthy, while 89 percent of nutrition experts gave it a thumbs up.

But, wine drinkers can relax as wine, along with tofu, sushi, hummus and shrimp were all voted healthy by more nutritionists than by the general public.