What is muesli?
Muesli (this word comes from the Swiss German «Birchermüesli«, which means «Bircher cereal porridge») is a emblematic food of the natural and healthy diet.
The doctor invented it Maximilian Bircher-Benner at the beginning of the 20th century, inspired by a shepherd’s dinner on one of his excursions with his wife through the Alps.
It has become popular as a healthy, nutritious, energetic and satiating food. Its ingredients are cereals, nuts and dried or dehydrated fruits, mixed without a rigid recipe, depending on the manufacturer.
If a homemade preparation is made, «seasonal» products that are fresh in the market are normally used.
Among the cereals What makes it up may be oats, wheat, rye, barley, corn or rice, either flaked or puffed, whole or refined.
In the selection of fruit You can find apple, pear, banana, raisins, date, plum, mango, fig, peach, strawberry, pineapple, coconut. And among the nuts and seeds, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, peanuts, sunflower, flax or sesame.
Properties of muesli
It is nutritious and tasty combination of whole grains, fresh and dried fruits and seeds along with vegetable milks, It provides energy and a number of health benefits: insoluble fiber reinforces intestinal transit; The mixture of fresh fruit and cereals benefits the flora.
Whole grains provide vitamins of group B, essential to obtain energy from food; In addition, they strengthen the heart and nervous system.
We receive antioxidants from nuts, seeds and whole grains vitamin E, an antioxidant power that is multiplied by the provitamin A and selenium from raw oat flakes. Any muesli is also rich in iron, calcium, phosphorus, copper and magnesium.
Health benefits of muesli
Those who choose it to start the day enjoy its long-term benefits, as it helps prevent frequent disorders associated with the passing of the years.
Due to its nutritional composition, muesli is especially indicated in the following cases:
- If you suffer from sugar problems: If you avoid sweeteners such as sugar, muesli has a low glycemic index and is well tolerated by diabetics. To sweeten it, you can use raisins or other dehydrated fruits.
- If you are already of an age: muesli has a rejuvenating effect. Antioxidant vitamins E and provitamin A, as well as selenium, are responsible, along with apple pectin. In addition, Its richness in calcium and magnesium, especially if prepared with almond or sesame milk, prevents osteoporosis.
- To protect the heart: The vegetable fiber, antioxidants and fatty acids in nuts and seeds act in synergy against cardiovascular accidents.
- As an ally against cancer: All muesli formulas are recommended, but especially the Budwig cream recipe. Johanna Budwig (nominated for the Nobel Prize in Medicine) discovered that the mixture of low-fat cottage cheese, flax oil and cereals provides the body with an injection of highly assimilable essential fatty acids that, by promoting cellular respiration, are effective in the treatment of cancer and other degenerative ailments. This formula was complemented by Dr. Katherine Kousmine, adding lemon juice, oilseeds and seasonal fruit.
- In case of digestive problems: a study from the San Carlos Clinical Hospital (Spain) points out that muesli can help combat problems related to bacteria Helicobacter pylori.
Muesli in the kitchen
By being able to choose the ingredients that will be part of the muesli ourselves, we have the possibility of customize the recipe, And most importantly, we can control the quality of these products and ensure, for example, that they do not contain hydrogenated fats, preservatives or undesirable sweeteners.
When preserving them, it is better to store the ingredients separately. You can have a certain amount made already mixed and toasted, but it is important not to store it for too long so that its fats do not go rancid.