Muesli is considered one of the most popular breakfasts in the world. They have long won the love of adults and children. But are they so useful? To understand this dish, you need to delve into its history, appearance, invention, modern recipes, additives, as well as the presence of nutrients and calorie content.
Let's see if muesli is useful? What is and how to eat them right? You will find the answers to these questions in the article.
What is muesli?
Muesli - what is it? Are they helpful? To prepare this dish, cereals are flattened or ground so that they are as small as possible and easily soaked even in cold milk or juice. Sliced dried strawberries, bananas, cranberries or even oranges can often be found in finished packages, but in classical recipes only dried fruits, such as raisins, dried apricots or dates, are added to cereals, and fresh fruits and berries are added before consumption. This is the only way to extract maximum nutrients from this dish, since dried berries, and even more so an orange, can rarely be of much use. Also, in classic recipes, nuts and various seeds are sometimes added. But the latest supplements are not suitable for everyone due to the high calorie content and the presence of an allergen.
Depending on the composition, the presence of various additives, as well as the processing method, they are of several types. Raw materials do not require heat treatment, they flattened and grated cereals and additives that do not require cooking. Such a product needs only to be poured with milk or with something else, cold or warm. This is enough to make the dish ready to eat. Baked granola requires heat treatment. They should be poured with milk, and then put to bake, only then they are suitable for food.
A bit of history
Muesli - what is it and when did they start to eat? The invention of breakfast in 1900 belongs to Maximilian Bircher-Benner. Initially, they were intended for sick people in hospitals, hence the name, which translates from German as “mashed potatoes”. Since the 1960s began to spread throughout the world. Due to its taste, benefits, a large number of nutrients, as well as the speed of cooking, this dish quickly gained worldwide fame. Since that time, many manufacturing companies have appeared, which began active competition in the market.
Although the competition is considerable, most firms specialize in different types of granola. Some are exclusively for diabetics, others are simple (cereals and a couple of dried fruits), others are richer, but also less healthy, with different exotic fruits, coconut, chocolate and other excipients that do not contribute to proper nutrition. It was thanks to the emergence of such diversity that their benefits began to be called into question.
Muesli: calories and composition
The composition of the muesli is quite simple. Usually these are some cereals, minced and flattened: barley, buckwheat, wheat, rice, oats, millet rye and so on. All kinds of dried fruits are added to them, such as dried apricots, figs, raisins, dates or prunes. As well as nuts or seeds. All this is mixed and packaged in packages.
In the cooked granola, you can put fresh fruits and berries: strawberries, cranberries, blueberries, apples or pears and much more that can be found in the refrigerator. In addition, it is useful to add any nuts and seeds, but in reasonable quantities. The measure here plays an important role. Since this dish is usually used for breakfast, you need to maintain a balance in the amount of certain products. Nuts are heavy enough for the stomach, like seeds, so they need to be added in small quantities.
Is a product like granola a diet? Calorie content on average is estimated at 352-450 kcal per 100 grams, provided that only cereals and dried fruits are included. But most often chocolate, honey and sugar are also added to branded packaging, which significantly increases the already large number. Muesli, the composition of which we examined, is a rather heavy product. But this is far from accurate data. On the packaging of the finished product you can see the calorie content, it is usually standard, but if you make muesli at home, this figure can be significantly adjusted by adding lighter and less high-calorie berries, cereals, nuts. This is what determines the attention of people who want to lose weight to them. A dish allows you to get the maximum of nutrients in the morning, while its nutritional value and calorie content can be controlled.
Benefit
What is muesli useful for? Many nutritionists and chefs recommend them for breakfast, and during the working day is a good way to eat and endure dinner.
The high fiber content contributes to the normal functioning of the intestines, and also removes radionuclides, cholesterol and salts of heavy metals.
Complex carbohydrates protect the intestines and prevent the development of tumors in it.
A wide vitamin and mineral composition significantly improves the immune system, positively affects nerve cells, the general well-being of a person, and also improves the mood and tone of the body. The composition usually contains vitamins of groups A, B, C, E, PP, etc.
What is more useful muesli? It has been proven that with the regular use of this dish, the appearance of the hair improves after a while, the nails become stronger and less often exfoliate, the skin acquires a healthy color, less often acne, age spots, wrinkles are smoothed out.
Harm
Can muesli be harmful? What is this product and how useful is it, we have already figured out. Now let's talk about its negative side. Muesli does not bring harm on their own. But all kinds of additives, dyes, seasonings and determine the undesirable effect of such a breakfast on the human body. Therefore, in order to avoid most contraindications, it is better to carefully read the composition or do them yourself. Overweight people, children, as well as diabetics and allergy sufferers should be more careful about choosing this product. You should also carefully read the instructions for people with any diseases of the heart, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract and so on. The presence of harmful products in the composition can lead to bad consequences.
Therefore, for people with any disease, as well as overweight and diabetes, it is advised to make granola on their own at home to avoid a large number of dyes, additives, berries and fruits harmful in one case or another. Freshly prepared muesli will be much more useful if only because they used only high-quality and fresh products. The fried product is heavy enough for the stomach and can harm the elderly and people with gastrointestinal diseases, so they need to be selected with great care.
People with diabetes need to give up muesli with dried fruits, sugar, chocolate and some types of berries and fruits. At the same time, you should not completely refuse the dish, you can do it yourself, adding only healthy berries and sucrose, sometimes honey, if the sugar level is not high.
Muesli: cooking
There are two types of granola: instant and long. The first is enough to fill with milk, even if it is cold. The second should be baked, again, previously pre-filled with milk. Oddly enough, it is the latter that are considered less useful, since they are often fried before packaging. This makes the product heavier and more nutritious. But in reasonable measures, it is unlikely to harm the body.
To make homemade granola, just buy oatmeal (or any others that you like). You also need a couple of types of dried fruits. Here you can build on the preferences of the body and on the desired effect. For example, figs and dried apricots perfectly support the heart, raisins and dried apricots are useful for the work of the brain and liver, dates perfectly support the nervous system. As for nuts, there also have their own characteristics. Hazelnuts, for example, are useful for the brain, pistachios - for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, almonds are recommended for cores, and walnuts contribute to the general health of a person. In general, paying attention to such things, you can create your own unique and very healthy breakfast. Fresh berries can be added to the freshly prepared breakfast, which will further enrich the dish.
For weight loss
Is it possible to eat muesli for weight loss? What is muesli, what is their composition - we already know. From the foregoing, certain conclusions can be drawn. Given the high calorie composition, muesli is rarely recommended for those who wish to lose weight. However, if you follow a few simple rules, they will not only help to lose weight, but will also help keep the body in good shape throughout the entire period of the diet.
- You should do them yourself, at home, so you can track and control calories and, if necessary, add or remove from the composition of certain products.
- The composition is best made minimal: one or two cereals and a couple of additives from fresh berries, fruits or dried fruits.
- A couple of times a week, you need to add nuts and seeds to them to replenish the supply of vitamins B and E, as well as potassium, phosphorus and magnesium.
- You need to eat them only for breakfast. So you will allow the body to get the maximum of nutrients in the morning and replenish the supply of vital energy. And the calories that were eaten in the morning will have time to be spent throughout the day.
- To get the maximum benefit, you need to fill them with low-fat dairy products, juice or compote, monitoring their composition and calorie content, and never add sugar and chocolate. They can be replaced with a small amount of honey.
What and how to eat?
What does muesli eat with? They eat the dish most often for breakfast. But they need to be poured with any kind of drink: milk, compote, juice, kefir, yogurt, water. Which of all this will be most useful? To answer this question, you must first decide on the goal that you want to achieve with their help. For example, if a person wants to lose weight, he should fill this dish with low-fat dairy products or water.
What do children eat muesli with? For kids who prefer taste over good, you can use yogurt or juice. But it is important that the juice is homemade or at least high-quality. Compote is suitable for a change. The calorie content of compotes can be controlled, so that they will not hurt, of course, if they do not have sugar.
A low content of ascorbic acid is often the reason for refusing this breakfast. But this problem can be easily fixed by filling the product with freshly squeezed orange juice or rosehip compote, and also adding slices of lemon and orange to it.
Muesli has a number of positive and extremely negative qualities. Their benefits have long been proven, but with disproportionate or improper use, such a breakfast is more likely to harm than heal. Therefore, it is important to correctly approach the choice, but it is better to make them yourself and monitor their composition and calorie content. It is possible and useful to use this product no more than 3 times a week.