Kokova Magazine

The Paleo Diet has become hugely fashionable over the last few years and involves going back to basics; the simple version is along the lines of eating only meat, fish, vegetables and fruit - and excluding most dairy, cereal products and processed food from the diet.

So what to eat when it comes to breakfast? Most granola and cereals are out and replaced with meats and vegetables, like most other meals. But for some the need to feel like they are eating breakfast is hard to resist.

Paleo granola is made without grains (like wheat or oats) and does not contain refined sugar, completely opposite to most breakfast cereals available on the mass market. Mainly they are made from a selection of nuts, dried fruits and natural sweeteners. As with all nuts and dried fruits, even on a paleo diet, it is best to keep them in moderation, but for those that still need to feel they are eating breakfast the Paleo Foods Co. offers a grain-free granola.

So to find out exactly what a Paleo granola consists of, I have been sampling their selection. I had a choice of three flavours: -

Honey & Pecan (Toasted Pecans & A Drizzle of Honey)
Berry & Almond (Tangy Cherries & Blackcurrants)
Cocoa and Hazelnut (Toasted Hazelnuts with Cocoa)

Claire Dinsmore created her version of 'Paleo Granola' in 2013. Having quit her job as a junior food buyer she took her entrepreneurial skills and launched The Paleo Foods Co. with just a small loan.

Initially she started making her Paleo granola in a little production kitchen in North London but is now manufacturing on a larger scale in a factory in Essex, to meet supermarket and consumer demands.

"Paleo granola is quite unique in its category; it is the only breakfast cereal/granola on the shelf that doesn't contain any grains. The nuts, fruit, seeds and honey are the types of ingredients we would have sourced back then from foraging our breakfast.

When starting the business I really wanted a breakfast cereal that went back to nature, as I found other breakfast cereal alternatives currently on the market contained mostly oats and sugar and provided little nutritional quality.

We are seeing a rising trend towards non-processed and more natural breakfast choices but with mornings often time-limited we can rarely fire up the stove and cook something from scratch. Paleo granola therefore provides a more convenient choice for people looking for a more natural alternative."

I have found these cereals to be a welcome healthier alternative for the family at breakfast time. We have had them served with milk or in plain yoghurt with added fruit.

My children were immediately drawn to the Cocoa & Hazelnut and liked the chocolatey taste. I enjoyed them as a snack between meals and my husband could also easily take some to work, to help avoid the snacking.

The granola packaging is attractive, simple and explains clearly the Paleo principles. The Berry & Almond and the Honey & Pecan flavours were both won Great Taste Awards in 2015.

I found all varieites to be crunchy and very nutty, with a small bowlful being quite filling. They really do work as a substantial snack or replacement meal but also with the healthy eating benefits of having no gluten, no refined sugar, lower in carbohydrates and being packed full of nuts and seeds.

For more information visit www.paleofoodscompany.com