I went to the little store that is part of the company I work for yesterday and they had "store made granola". I am really hoping that nobody says it is bad for me but I wanted to put the ingredients out there and see what you guys thought. It is delicious. I bought 4oz and at about 1-1/2oz yesterday afternoon.

It contains...
oats, vegetable oil, brown sugar, honey, ground cinnamon, sunflower seeds, coconut, wheat germ, walnuts, pecans, raisins, almonds, dried cranberries, dried apricots.

So what do you think?

I'd say "it's all good!". Seriously, I'd buy this in a heartbeat. I'm surprised they're not using olive oil, but veg is OK. Brown sugar is a plus as far as I'm concerned. It's less refined than white sugar and it's not artificial. So what if it's a little bit of sugar (hopefully). Eat the granola bars in moderation and ENJOY!

I use brown sugar with my oats and grits (in very limited amounts and in moderation).

If you want, post the nutritional value. I wouldn't mind seeing that.

I wish it had nutritional value on it but it doesn't. Kind of like buying something homemade at a bake sale. It lists the ingredients and that is all. I may ask the girl who made it though. She usually has some idea of the value of the foods she prepares. This is a loose granola, not formed into bars.

It's the veg. oil #2 and sugar and honey #3&4 that concern me. The knock on preparted granola is that it contains too much fat and too much sugar to be a really good choice. A healthier version of Granola is pretty easy to make at home. Cassie (cjohnson) has posted various recipes and links over the years. While this isn't the worst choice, I don't think I would buy it. (sorry )

Well, let your taste buds be the investigator then as well. Does it taste really sweet? Or is the sweetness not noticable? How does the sweetness compare to other loose granola you've had? I'd say if it passes the sweetness test you should be fine, but still eat it in moderation. If it tastes "really sweet" to you, then just ditch it.

Also to consider is the vegetable oil. I wasn't aware that it was "bad" until Pam mentioned it. I wouldn't be too concerned however since again, you're eating the granola in moderation.

Here's a link about vegetable oil that may help you decide:

Vegetable Oil: Why It Is Bad | EnergyFanatics.com

Although I'd still go with your storebought granola if it passes the sweetness test.

Thanks guys! I asked the maker if she had any values on it and she doesn't. She did say it would be high in fat from the nuts. It is not overly sweet and honestly I can't say that the ingredients are in order of most - least like on a normal nutritional label. I wouldn't think it could have more veg oil than the rest of the contents. ... Could it? I am still not that great of a label reader.

This just occurred to me. There has to be salt in there, one would think. I'd be pretty surprised if there isn't any.

You could suggest to the chef that she enters values on "the website with the free recipe calculator" (wink wink) and then print out the Nutrition Facts and post it for customers. As an incentive, tell her more people would be prone to buy something when they could look and make sure that they're allowed to eat it or not. But my guess is that she'll like the idea of using that recipe calculator, especially since it's so easy to use.

This would of course help you to know the Nutrition Facts as well.

It might even encourage her to switch to olive oil when she learns that it would be healthier. Although, it is more expensive.

I would think olive oil would add a funky taste to granola, but that's just me. Canola oil would be a better choice, IMO.

I do love making the stuff at home, though, so I can control the amount of sugar.

The biggest thing for me with granola is moderation; since it's high calorie and I love it so much . I've got white-chocolate cranberry granola bars calling my name this week from the kitchen counter and it's a struggle every time I make any kind of granola treat at home.

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Your store-made granola sounds delicious and, in moderation, it's a nutrient-rich snack full of fiber, healthy fats, and antioxidants—just be mindful of portion size due to the added sugars and oils.