Muesli: all the properties and health benefits

What is muesli?

The muesli (this word comes from the German Swiss “birchermüesli“, which means “Bircher’s 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 it is prepared at home, normally “seasonal” products found fresh in the market are used.

Between the cereals that composes it can be oats, wheat, rye, barley, corn or rice, either in flakes or inflated, integral or refined.

In the selection of fruit you can find apple, pear, banana, raisins, date, plum, mango, fig, peach, strawberry, pineapple, coconut. And between the nuts and seeds, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, peanuts, sunflower, flax or sesame.

muesli properties

It is nutritious and tasty combination of whole grains, fresh and dried fruits and seeds along with vegetable milks, It provides energy and a good number of health benefits: insoluble fiber strengthens intestinal transit; the mixture of fresh fruit and cereals benefits the flora.

Whole grains provide group B vitamins, essential to obtain energy from food; In addition, they strengthen the heart and nervous system.

From nuts, seeds and whole grains we receive the antioxidant Vitamin E, an antioxidant power that is multiplied by the provitamin A and selenium from raw rolled oats. 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 like sugar, muesli has a low glycemic index and is well tolerated by diabetics. To sweeten it, you can use raisins or other dried fruits.If you are of an age: muesli has a rejuvenating effect. The 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: Vegetable fiber, antioxidants and fatty acids from 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 assimilated essential fatty acids that, by promoting cellular respiration, is effective in the treatment cancer and other degenerative diseases. This formula was supplemented by Dr. Katherine Kousmine, adding lemon juice, oilseeds, and seasonal fruit.For digestive problems: a study of the Hospital Clínico San Carlos (Spain) points out that muesli can help combat problems related to the 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 personalize the recipe, And what is most important, we can control the quality of these products and make sure, 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 already mixed and toasted, but it is important not to store it for a long time so that its fats do not go rancid.