Delicious Sugar-Free Coco-Nutty Granola

The biggest dilemma for anyone quitting sugar is deciding what to eat for breakfast. If you can’t have fruit, juice, granola, raisin toast, cereal, muffins, banana bread or pancakes, what’s left?

A lot, actually. It just means learning to let go of an idea (that was invented by breakfast cereal companies in the 1940s!) that the morning is a time for sugar-and-starch-based “breakfast foods." It's not.

The aim at breakfast should instead be to eat plenty of protein and good fats. Eating these slow-burning fuels is like throwing a sturdy log onto your metabolic fire that will keep you fueled until lunch (sugars and starches are the equivalent of paper and twigs). I no longer hold on to the idea that my first meal of the day should be shaken from a box. Since quitting sugar, my breakfast is now all about eggs, cheese, yogurt, bacon, coconut and nuts, along with a lot of vegetables and a little low-sugar fruit, such as berries or kiwifruit.

For a sweet breakfast option without all the sugar, try this Coco-Nutty Granola recipe from I Quit Sugar.

The brown rice in this syrup is optional—I personally don’t sweeten my granola at all. Perhaps make half a batch with the syrup, half without, and see what you like. I like to eat this granola with yogurt—nice and chunky.

MAKES 5 CUPS

Ingredients:

• 3 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
• 2 cups almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds (preferably sprouted), roughly chopped (you can either use one type or a mixture)
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
• 5-7 tablespoons coconut oil or butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons brown rice syrup (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F and line a baking tray with baking paper. Combine all the ingredients, then spread evenly on a tray. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden, turning halfway through the cooking time. I like to bake mine until quite dark—the darker it is, the crunchier. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, then eat while it's still crispy.

Variations: If you wish to add rolled oats, toss 2 cups into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients, and add a little more oil and syrup.

To make chocolate granola clusters, mix in 1/2 cup raw cacao powder and 2 tablespoons cacao nibs with the rest of the ingredients before baking. Place the clusters on top of coconut yogurt as a dessert.

For more tips, guidelines and advice on ways to limit your sugar intake, check out I Quit Sugar.

This post is presented by Clarkson Potter

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