While I like to eat healthy, frequently I would not have enough time to make my favorite healthy breakfasts like eggs or avocado toast. I would resort to things like bagels and cereal, and while these breakfast foods taste good should absolutely be enjoyed for breakfast sometimes, it was not how I really wanted to begin all of my mornings. These breakfasts are high in simple sugars, low in fiber and nutrients, and can cause people to get an energy crash, experience inflammatory symptoms, and feel tired and groggy from lack of nutrients and vitamins.
I was in major need of a breakfast that was nourishing, healthy, and most importantly, really fast to eat and make. The solution? Muesli.
To my absolute delight, when I was traveling abroad and in Stockholm, I discovered an amazing breakfast solution for busy mornings. Something nourishing, healthy, and incredibly fast to make– muesli! Like cereal, muesli is fast and easy to eat, but unlike cereal there is no added sugar (in most brands– you need to check!) and it is full of healthy ingredients like nuts, seeds, dried fruit, oats, and other fiber-rich grains. It’s important to note that muesli is very different from granola in terms of being healthy, even if they look similar. Granola is toasted in oil and lots of additional sugars frequently, and is meant to be used as a light topping to things like yogurt or ice cream, rather than the bulk of the breakfast. The process of adding oil, sugars, and heat also remove many of the original health benefits that muesli still contains, so be aware of this when eating granola!
Muesli was actually first created in the 1920s by a Swiss physician and nutritionist Maximilian Bircher-Benner. He prescribed muesli to his patients as part of a healthy diet rich in fiber, nutrients, minerals, and antioxidants, when he determined that most of the illnesses experienced by his patients could be addressed with a well-rounded diet.
Fiber is key to maintaining your digestive system, absorbing important vitamins, and keeping you full, so it’s especially important your breakfast has a lot of it. Because muesli is also rich in complex carbs, it keeps your energy levels high, but at a slow release so you never crash during the day. In addition to various vitamins and minerals, dried fruits and nuts provide different types of antioxidants to prevent aging, decrease inflammation, and increase metabolism. Also, muesli is packed with iron, which is super important for people like me, who are prone to iron-deficiency anemia (a frustrating source of fatigue and tiredness that I didn’t know I was dealing with for years! How I discovered I had it is a story for another time however.)
If you’re looking for a healthy breakfast, muesli with plain yogurt is a great way to get your day started. I like to fill my bowl with yogurt, top it with muesli and blueberries, and add cinnamon for extra flavor, to set me for the day! I find that I usually don’t need to add any additional sweeteners like honey or sugar, because the sweetness in the dried fruit, cinnamon, and blueberries are enough. However, if you’re finding it to be too tart, I suggest you do add your own sweeteners to make it taste good to you! However, be modest and don’t use flavored or sweetened store-bought yogurt, for you can’t control how much sugar goes into these products and you are probably consuming a lot more sugar than you believe.
You can also put muesli with almond milk in a jar and leave it overnight for a delicious and easy overnight oats. The sweetness in the dried fruits comes out into the almond milk, and turns out a lot sweeter than you might expect– in my opinion, overnight oats will turn out sweeter than muesli on top of yogurt!
Some people will choose to add cacao powder, sesame paste, or peanut butter, to add more sources of fats or flavonoids into their breakfast muesli. Depending on your preferences and your nutritional needs, these could be smart additions into your diet.
I still eat this breakfast at least 4x a week, when I’m having a busy morning. While there aren’t as many kinds of muesli in the US, I love love love Mu Mu Muesli (although I’m afraid they’re only available in the NE in the United States) or you can visit your local grocer’s bulk section and make your own custom blend at home!
Muesli is a great alternative for those who are in need of a quick, healthy breakfast. There are many ways to enjoy it, so it’s not boring, and if you’re already a cereal person, you’ll find this alternative very quick to adapt to!
If you have any questions, comments, concerns, advice, or thoughts– email me at kokumura@kakikata.space! I respond to every email I get!
