10 mins for preparing the healthiest Bircher Muesli breakfast
Bircher Muesli may have been invented by Dr Maximilian Bircher – Benner back in the early 1900’s, but since then, this vitamin and mineral packed breakfast dish has evolved hundreds of times, with most top chefs adapting the recipe to suit their own style.
Maximilian Bircher-Benner
Recipes vary mainly with the amount of fruit used – traditionally apples should be omnipresent if following the original recipe. The base ingredient is of course, heart-healthy oats. Some other recipes include different whole grains, such as rye, and others will feature heavily on more fruit (dried or fresh), nuts, coconut and spices such as cinnamon. There really is no set rule – but it is not a bircher muesli if it does not contain oats and fruit, either dried, grated or juiced!
Dried fruit
Dr Bircher was a huge fan of feeding his patients bircher muesli for breakfast every day, as he felt that this particular start to the day was the best he could give to his charges, and that it combatted many of the illnesses we know today. It is also an excellent afternoon snack, or a replacement for dessert – varying the fruit keeps it alive and interesting. The beauty of bircher muesli is that it can be prepared in advance – even up to three days, so will always be there in the fridge if you are in a rush.Top up with fresh fruit whenever you want to. Bircher muesli on the go is also a great idea – put into an airtight container in the fridge and take it to work with you!
My Bircher Muesli
I am very proud of my own recipe for bircher muesli, but why is mine different? Firstly, I use only the finest honey, Manuka honey, for the sweetness. Secondly, I use orange juice and not lemon juice as in the original recipe – and I don’t use apples (sorry Dr. Bircher!). Probably the most different ingredient I use is buttermilk as opposed to using just normal milk, I use half milk and half buttermilk – it makes a lot of difference to the flavour, adding a different dimension to the final taste.
Bircher Muesli Infographic
Here are some interesting stats about ingredients I use for my Bircher Muesli:
- Orange juice is made from unfermented fresh oranges and provides many benefits for the body. Fresh orange juice is the richest source of vitamin C and fulfills an entire day’s worth of vitamin C in just one serving.
- OATS MAY REDUCE ASTHMA RISK IN CHILDREN. While there is widespread belief that introducing solid foods to children too early may cause later health problems, a Finnish prospective study of 1293 children found that those introduced earlier to oats were in fact less likely to develop persistent asthma.
- Natural yoghurt – “Fat around your waist produces the hormone cortisol, which tells your body to accumulate even more belly flab,” says nutrition professor and lead study author Michael Zemel
- Milk and dairy products are providers of calcium, phosphorous, magnesium and protein which are all essential for healthy bone growth and development.
- Manuka honey, produced in New Zealand by bees that pollinate the Manuka bush, is one of the most unique and beneficial forms of honey in the world. There are many Manuka honey uses that range from healing sore throats and digestive illnesses, to curing Staph infections and gingivitis.
- Buttermilk is very effective in washing down the fat, oil or ghee that normally coats the inner walls of your food pipe and stomach. Apart from this, ginger, pepper and other spices in the chaas help to improve digestion and thus prevent belching.
Try my Bircher Muesli recipe, experiment with it, add some other ingredients that are your favourite – but keep it healthy, and don’t forget the oats!
I would like to hear from you what would you add to this recipe?
