Methylation Recipe: Crunchy Healthy Granola
This recipe is from the Methylation section of the 3×4 Genes To Plate Recipe Book.
Ingredients:
- Rolled oats, 750g
- Coconut shavings, 1 cup
- Sunflower seeds, 1 cup
- Pumpkin seeds, 1 cup
- Almonds (raw, unsalted), 1 cup
- Walnut or Pecan nuts (raw, unsalted), 1 cup
- Macadamia nuts (raw, unsalted) 1/2 cup
- Cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon
- Ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon
- Vanilla essence, 2 teaspoons (or 2 vanilla pods)
- Honey, 1/2 cup
- Butter, 60g
- Coconut oil, 60g
- Unsweetened dried berries or raisins (cranberries, goji berries, sultanas)
- Salt to taste
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 150 °C
- Mix all the dry ingredients (save for your dried berries /fruit) in a large bowl
- Mix all the liquids together, pour over the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
- Spread the mixture evenly on a paper-lined baking tray
- Bake at 150 °C for about 25 minutes or until golden, stirring every 10. minutes.
- Add the cranberries, sultana raisins or goji berries after cooking. Allow the granola to cool before you transfer it to jars for storage.
Serve with your milk, mylk or yogurt of choice.
Or sprinkle over a smoothie bowl OR grab a handful as a delicious crunchy healthy snack!
Familiar with Methylation?
It’s a cellular process that happens more than a billion times per second in our bodies.
When optimal methylation occurs, it has a significant positive impact on many biochemical reactions in the body that regulate the activity of the cardiovascular, neurological, reproductive, and detoxification systems.
Certain foods – “referred to as methyl donors” – help to keep methylation running optimally. These are typically B-vitamins (folate, B6, B12), Zinc, Choline, and Magnesium. Nuts and seeds – included in this recipe- are a good source of B vitamins, Magnesium and Zinc.
Curious to know more about your own body’s Methylation ability?
The MTHFR gene is one of the best-researched genes in Nutrigenomics. Research has shown that having certain variations of this gene could decrease MTHFR enzyme activity by 30% -60%. Several chronic conditions have been associated with sub-optimal methylation including cardiovascular disease and strokes; mood disorders; premature aging certain types of cancers; and mental deterioration as seen in dementia.
The great news is your genes are not your destiny. There is a lot you can do to compensate for inherited gene variants.
Once you know what your methylation genes and enzymes are up to, you can adjust your diet and lifestyle accordingly. It’s not magic, it’s the power of pathway-based genetic testing.
Stay tuned for more recipes designed with your genes in mind!