Lizi's High Protein Granola, 350g

Product Information

Slightly darker than most, this is more porridge than clusters. Sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds are visible, along with a few scraps of chopped toasted nuts, but the taste is bland, like raw porridge, and the nuts don’t taste the freshest. Muesli-like, with lots of pumpkin and sunflower seeds, some teeny bits of what seems to be pecan, and lots of medium to light toasted oats. There’s no crunch, but a pleasing flavour, even if it isn’t toasty. Just not granola.

A n essential part of our diet , protein h e lps the body to increase its glycogen storage, aids post-workout recovery and promote s muscle growth through providing the amino acids required to build and repair muscle tissue . It also plays an important role in the synthesis of hormones and enzymes . There are in fact, 20 different amino acids, and the sequence in which they are chained together will determine their functions – going to show how much attention to detail naturally occurs in our wonderful bodies! Pale, containing no fruit or any visible nuts. There are a few clumps in the mix, which are sweet and crunchy but leave a weird, bitter aftertaste.Turn on the oven and allow it to fully preheat fully. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside. In a large mixing bowl, add the oats, protein powder, cinnamon and salt and mix to combine. Add in the pepitas, almonds, flax meal and chia seeds and stir once again until everything is well incorporated. Having a high-protein breakfast not only replenishes the sources that have been absorbed by the digestive system overnight, but it keeps you feeling fuller for longer , giving you the energy to go about your day – whatever may await you! Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and mix thoroughly, until everything is coated evenly. Spread the mixture out on your prepared pan. When we think of high protein foods, we tend to think of meat. That’s correct – animal products like lean meat contain all the essential amino acids and are referred to as ‘complete’ proteins. The same can be said of fish and eggs too.

With puffed quinoa, pumpkin seeds and oats this does not have a traditional look. There is a bit of honey flavour, though not overwhelmingly sweet, very crunchy, but more like breakfast cereal than a granola. Fun though. Of course, our High Protein granola contains the natural oat flakes, seeds and nuts that gives it the Lizi’s crunch. No nuts in this, just a few sunflower seeds and oats in nice size clumps. A good medium dark colour but with a sweetish and bitter aftertaste. Not much going on otherwise. A shame about the bitterness. Very dark, almost like it has cocoa in (it turns the milk brown). Contains puffs of cereal and flakes of almonds, cashew and coconut. Not madly sweet but the flavour is complex, with slightly bitter treacly flavour; it comes across like a grown-up Coco Pops. The puffed cereal is divisive - does it have a place in granola? A fruit-free blend that’s pale, with a few clumps, some sunflower seeds and one or two big whole almonds. The flavour isn’t bland but it’s not sweet at all. Delivers lots of nutty and seedy flavours. If you don’t want any sugar this could be good.At 6g of sugar per 50g serving an d made with soya protein flakes and crispies , it’s 100% plant- based and lower in sugar than you might expect. Extremely sweet but manages to be balanced by nuts. Good and crunchy with a nutty flavour. I like the unblanched almonds. A pale mix and not very clumpy (looks like a muesli), but it does seem lavish, loaded with nuts and fruit, including big, expensive-looking raisins as well as oats and wheat flakes. Sadly, the granola is on the soft side, not crisp and not very sweet. Oddly bland given the amount of nuts. There are loads of nuts in this, including whole almonds, along with sunflower and pumpkin seeds and slivers of toasted coconut. It has a toasty appearance but not very clumpy - there’s more nut than oat. Slightly salty, almost savoury, but you’d need to like coconut.

Contains lots of nice-looking things including raisins and pumpkin seeds but the few pale clumps there are aren’t crunchy; it’s more of a muesli texture. Not sweet, with a slightly bitter aftertaste. Nicely toasted oats, gathered in a few clumps, but very little else; there was definitely one sunflower seed in our bowlful. A good toasty flavour on the sweet side, with some crunch, but no discernible nutty flavour or fruit. Has a pleasing amount of nuts, including toasted hazelnuts, cashews halves, whole unblanched almonds and flaked almonds, and clusters of medium to light oats. Looks granola-ish. On the sweet side but not overwhelmingly so. Decent crunch. Tastes fresh, just not as generous with the nuts as it could be. An attractive pale gold mix with some clumps and small amounts of raisins and flaked almonds. Tastes very sweet and sugary (there’s desiccated coconut in there) so it’s not very complex, but it’s chewy. A good base to add other nuts and its low price bumps up the value score.As well as being responsible for making new bones and muscles, enzymes and hormones, protein is a source of energy for the body. Eating the right amount makes sure that you have all the energy you need for an active lifestyle, busy day or the exercise you have planned. Protein is an important part of our diet and, for many people, has grown in significance in recent years. There’s been a rise in awareness largely fuelled by the ‘clean eating’ trend, not to mention the number of women introducing strength and resistance training into their fitness regime, realising the role that protein has to play. So, whether your choice of fitness is yoga, running, strength training, hiking or biking – make sure that you are rewarding your exercise efforts with protein to keep your body in tip-top condition.

Dark, but doesn’t dye the milk so much as some others. There are lots of chewy coconut pieces in there and chunks of nut, and date syrup and vanilla flavouring in the ingredients list. It’s a promising colour but too sweet. Good if you love coconut.Health is big news when it comes to marketing granola. Over the past year, there’s been a rash of granolas with extra health claims such as FODMAP compatible and microbiome friendly. “Prebiotic” – providing food for gut bacteria – is another term that’s bandied about, often for granolas that include inulin, a kind of indigestible fibre, although any granola or muesli containing a good mix of different whole grains, nuts, seeds and fruits fits the bill. If you’re following a vegan or vegetarian diet, it’s so important that your diet is rich in variety. By taking this approach you can ensure you are consuming all of the healthy protein your body needs. There’s an added bonus to using plant-based foods as your source of protein – these foods are also incredibly nutrient dense and full of vitamins, minerals and that all-important fibre – providing further health benefits.