Granola enjoys a powerful health halo while hiding dessert-level sugar. Research on health halos shows “healthy” labels increase consumption—people eat more when they believe food is good for them. Most commercial granola contains 10-15 grams sugar per small serving—a typical bowl delivers 30-40 grams, comparable to candy. Granola bars are often worse: cookies in healthy packaging.
This companion covers the audit process, granola numbers, comparison to actual desserts, ingredient checks, and better alternatives. (5 min read)