I began making my own muesli around 6 years ago. Since then, I’ve probably bought store bought ones around 5 times in total. I don’t think I will ever find one that will have all the things I want in it and be as inexpensive as mine is – organic, with all the nuts and seeds I use, not too much sweetener and coconut oil. So I make my own!
It’s wonderful for quick weekday brekkies when I can’t / don’t want to rush and cook a breakfast (although, in saying that, I still do cook brekkies on weekdays when we get bored of muesli). We are a family that like a LOT of variety in our food.
You can make this a completely sugar-free muesli by omitting the honey. I do this – I warm some frozen blueberries and add it to my museli along with a tablespoon of coconut yoghurt. My type of yum!
I add oats, a wide variety of nuts and seeds and spices to my muesli. It is high in omega 3 and good fats and it will keep you fuller for longer…a great way to begin the day.
Almonds are loaded with biotin, vitamin E and copper. That means they reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Make sure you choose the ones with the skin on as this has antioxidant flavonoids. This, along with the vit E they contain increases the antioxidant level.
They also contain manganese, magnesium, copper and vitamin B2. These help with improving our energy levels and at the same time relaxing us. Be aware though, that with certain conditions like pyroles, you do need to lower your intake of copper.
Oats are an excellent source of manganese. It also contains phosphorus, copper, biotin, vitamin B1, magnesium, chromium, zinc, fiber and protein. They help to keep us full and therefore helps us to maintain our weight.
It helps to stabilize our blood sugar levels and improves our digestive and heart health. It may improve our gut bacteria by acting as a prebiotic.
Chia seeds and flaxseeds are wonderful sources of omega-3 and ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) which reduces the risk of heart disease, full of fiber and are loaded with minerals and vitamins.
Flaxseeds (or linseeds) are an amazing little powerhouse – it contains phytoestrogen which plays a very important role in balancing hormones and reducing menopause symptoms. It is anti-inflammatory, anti viral, anti bacterical and an antioxidant. So it helps to reduce inflammation in the body, prevents viral infections, kills harmful bacteria and fights free radicals.
With flaxseeds, you need to grind them just before use as this form is easier to digest. Also, the exposure to heat, light and oxygen oxidizes it’s wonderful nutrient properties. Use it within 24 hours of grinding.
Enjoy this nutrient rich muesli with some coconut yoghurt or plant based milk.
Breakfast Muesli
Ingredients
- 4 cups oats
- 1 cup mixed nuts and seeds I use almonds, cashew nuts, brasil nuts, pistachios, macadamias walnuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pepitas
- 1/3 cup mixed seeds
- 1/3 cup chia seeds
- 2 pinches salt
- 2 tbsps flaxseeds freshly ground
- 1 cup desciated coconut
- 2 tbsps cinnamon powder
- 1 tbsp cardamom powder
- 1 tsp all spice
- 1 cup coconut oil
- 1/3 cup honey or freshly squeezed orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 175 C
- Mix all the ingredients (except honey and coconut oil) together
- Add the coconut oil and honey (or OJ if adding)
- Spread a thin layer of the museli onto two separate oven trays
- Place in the oven for 20 minutes
- After 20 minutes, take it out, stir and put it back in for another 10 minutes or till it is browned to your liking.
- Take the museli out and transfer onto a wide plate and let cool completely before storing them in airtight containers for upto 2 weeks.
- You can add dried cranberries, raisins, goji berries, etc. once cooled
- Enjoy with yoghurt / coconut yoghurt or milk (or even plain!)
REFERENCES
Abbey M, Noakes M, Belling GB, Nestel PJ. Partial replacement of saturated fatty acids with almonds or walnuts lowers total plasma cholesterol and low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol. Am J Clin Nutr 1994 May;59(5):995-9. 1994. PMID:16240.
Chen CY, Milbury PE, Lapsley K, Blumberg JB. Flavonoids from almond skins are bioavailable and act synergistically with vitamins C and E to enhance hamster and human LDL resistance to oxidation. J Nutr. 2005 Jun;135(6):1366-73. 2005. PMID:15930439
Durlach J. Commentary on recent clinical advances: almonds, monounsaturated fats, magnesium and hypolipidaemic diets. Magnes Res 1992 Dec;5(4):315. 1992. PMID:16250
Hou Q, Li Y, Li L, et al. The Metabolic Effects of Oats Intake in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2015 Dec 10;7(12):10369-87.
Fulgoni VL, Chu YF, O’Shea M, et al. Oatmeal consumption is associated with better diet quality and lower body mass index in adults: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2001-2010. Nutrition Research, Volume 35, Issue 12, December 2015, Pages 1052-1059.
Valeur J, Puaschitz NG, Midtvedt T, et al. Oatmeal porridge: impact on microflora-associated characteristics in healthy subjects. Br J Nutr. 2016 Jan 14;115(1):62-7.
Bloedon LT, Szapary PO. Flaxseed and cardiovascular risk. Nutr Rev. 2004;62(1):18-27.
Di Y, Jones J, Mansell K, Whiting S, Fowler S, Thorpe L, Billinsky J, Viveky N, Cheng PC, Almousa A, Hadjistavropoulos T, Alcorn J. J Am Coll Nutr. 2017 Nov-Dec;36(8):646-653. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2017.1342213. Epub 2017 Sep 18. PMID:28922068
Cetisli NE, Saruhan A, Kivcak B. Holist Nurs Pract. 2015 May-Jun;29(3):151-7. doi: 10.1097/HNP.0000000000000085. PMID: 25882265
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