The benefits and harms of muesli, how to prepare them correctly? Recipes and videos

Today we are talking about the benefits and harms of muesli, we present the best homemade recipes for weight loss bars and cooking options for breakfast. We will also consider the use of flakes in cosmetology, in particular rejuvenating and toning face masks.

Muesli is useful for athletes and for those who want to lose weight

Most often, those who want to get the maximum benefit from products begin to think about the beneficial and harmful properties before using them, and muesli is no exception. Muesli is cereal mixed with dried fruits. The mixture comes from Germany and was first used for medicinal purposes. If selected correctly, it helps to reduce body weight, and if chosen incorrectly, it helps to gain extra pounds. Below is information on the following:

• muesli: what is it;
• benefits of muesli;
• muesli: harm;
• which muesli is most popular.

What is muesli

Muesli is a mixture of products, which includes:

• cereals;
• bran;
• pieces of fruit;
• nuts, etc.

Muesli is divided into two varieties according to the method of preparation of the cereals included in its composition:

• baked;
• raw.

The first ones are called granola, they are made by baking at low temperatures, the composition includes:

• natural juices;
• fruit or berry purees;
• honey;
• cereals;
• vegetable oils.

In the manufacturing process of the second variety, no heat treatment is used, and the mixture for consumption contains mechanically processed oat flakes (products of the “Lux Version” brand, muesli E.G. Lavrova is the contact person; muesli “Matti”). In some cases, the flakes are fried, which increases their nutritional value.

Commercially available muesli is a dry mixture ready for further preparation of breakfast, lunch or dinner in an accelerated version: long cooking or baking is not required. Due to the nutritional supplements included in the cereals, quick and long-lasting saturation and cleansing of the body occurs.

Who invented Muesli?

It is gratifying that nowadays most adults and many young people are trying to monitor their health and maintain it at the proper level.

Giving up bad habits, sports, food - all these are small fragments of one big puzzle called “Health”.

Currently, the most popular food trend in youth and other circles is considered to be muesli - the invention of Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, a Swiss doctor who was a big fan of the raw food diet.

He tried to develop the most healthy and tasty menu for his patients, which was an obligatory part of therapy.

It is interesting that the impetus for the search and successful creation of a healthy breakfast was the illness of the doctor himself - he suffered from jaundice, and he had to seriously think about proper nutrition.

As a result of Bircher-Benner's painstaking work, the world received an excellent alternative to the omelet - a healthy breakfast consisting of exclusively healthy ingredients.

Muesli is a ready-made dry mixture of flattened or whole grain cereals (in some cases raw or steamed) wheat, oats, barley, wheat germ, etc., and a whole set of additional ingredients, distinguished by their usefulness for the human body: nuts, candied fruits, dried fruits, honey, admixtures of other grains, etc.

It is customary to eat muesli for breakfast with milk, or better yet, natural yogurt, kefir or fresh fruit and vegetable juice.

Calorie content and composition of muesli

Rapid saturation is explained by the addition of not only intestinal cleansing and fiber-rich bran, but also calorie supplements:

• raisin;
• nuts;
• vegetable oil;
• salt;
• sugar;
• honey;
• palm oil, etc.

This helps to increase the nutritional value of the dish. When choosing for healthy nutrition or dietary purposes, you should carefully study the composition and manufacturing technology given on the packaging, and the appearance of the flakes: fried ones contain vegetable oils. A product containing chocolate cannot be called dietary, therefore, if purchased in order to maintain your figure, it is worth considering:

• value for nutritional value in kilocalories for one hundred grams is not more than 450;
• no salt, sugar, honey, chocolate, oils.

The baked variety of muesli (granola) is made with the addition of vegetable oil, so it is not considered dietary.

Products containing the above-mentioned flavoring additives should be purchased in order to obtain a tasty dish - they have a higher calorie content and contribute to satiety for a long period of time.

Calorie content is directly related to the answer to the question of what benefits this product has for the body. The first thing to consider is grains. There is a variety of suppliers on the market; each manufacturer has its own processing technology and composition, which are regulated by the company’s technical specifications.

Below are data for the Vitalis fruit brand of oat, rye, wheat, corn flakes, vegetable oil, rice flour, fruit pieces, flavorings and other additives.

The value for energy value is 317 in kilocalories. The chemical composition for the muesli product, including cereals and excluding other additives, is characterized by the presence of the following vitamin and mineral compounds:

The product contains 82 percent of the daily value for iron; double – pyridoxine; sesqui-folic acid; quadruple – cobalamin. The average composition for oatmeal is given, without taking into account the addition of other varieties of cereals: it is different for each brand.

Nutritionists around the world advise eating cereals for breakfast.

Benefits of muesli

Regardless of the type of cereal flakes included in the composition, the product has a rich vitamin and mineral composition and has the following effects:

• increasing immunity;
• eliminating the feeling of hunger;
• eliminating constipation;
• strengthening hair and nails due to the high content of B-group vitamins;
• normalization of blood sugar levels.

When choosing a product, you should pay sufficient attention to its composition:

• best before date;
• appearance (depending on the availability of storage conditions);
• flavorings and other food additives should be absent;
• The content of honey in the composition to add sweetness is preferable to sugars - the first component has an additional antiseptic effect.

It is advisable to choose flakes that consist of several types of cereals - they have greater benefits.

Calorie content

I remind you again that when purchasing this healthy product, you need to carefully study the packaging, because otherwise you can purchase a harmful high-calorie analogue. Check the additives carefully, make sure that there is no excess salt, chocolate or any other sweet ingredients.

This is important, because the calorie content is very dependent on it: depending on the type of preparation, muesli can contain from 140 to 500 kilocalories. And to lose weight, you need to eat low-calorie foods, this is a no brainer. Our choice is options with no more than 300 kcal per 100 grams.

You can make muesli with your own hands, be sure to read the article about it!

Is there any harm from muesli?

The wrong choice of product for the purpose of losing weight can lead to gaining extra pounds - the opposite result. The composition should be:

• balanced;
• natural.

People with:

• diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
• gastritis;
• kidney diseases;
• allergic reactions.

The reason for selecting an alternative option may be the presence in the composition:

• dyes;
• flavorings;
• thickeners.

It is worth considering that, according to data from some sources on independent control, the products of some manufacturers contain mold fungi in acceptable quantities. This fact can affect the quality of the product if the expiration dates are observed, but also if storage conditions are violated (excessive dryness, humidity, temperature conditions). Therefore, if the packaging allows, it is advisable to pay attention to the appearance.

For this reason, to avoid gastrointestinal disorders, it is recommended to cook for a few minutes when preparing a dish.

Added fruits or candied fruits can cause no less harm, so you should pay attention to their color: too toxic shades indicate the addition of dyes of synthetic origin. Preservatives may also be present. It is recommended to choose flakes with the simplest composition and the least number of added components. And include berries and fruits during the cooking process yourself.

If you have diseases of the cardiovascular system, vegetable fats contained in the product can cause harm, so you need to pay attention to their presence in the flakes. As can be seen from the data provided, the product is of great benefit. But if you choose a product of poor quality for preparing a quick breakfast, you may not get the desired result when losing weight, but also cause harm to the body in the presence of certain diseases or harmful additives.

Muesli can be combined with different fillings and filled with any liquids

How to make muesli at home

You can prepare muesli yourself at home using the following ingredients:

• oatmeal;
• nuts;
• dried fruits

All ingredients are baked in the oven. This option is distinguished by the absence of:

• dyes;
• flavorings;
• other unwanted additives.

The finished product can be combined with fruit juices or fermented milk drinks. Recommended storage:

• poured into a container;
• placing it in the refrigerator.

Flakes should be used for cooking, but not for instant cooking.

Muesli baked with nuts

An analogue of a homemade dish according to the recipe below for “WOW!” muesli.

Recipe for granola with nuts

Preparation does not require exact adherence to the specified components - replacement and addition of others is possible - the given proportions must be observed. The list of ingredients for cooking consists of the following components:

• three hundred grams of oatmeal;
• one hundred eighty grams of nuts;
• dried fruits – 180 g;
• one hundred twenty-five grams of honey;
• sixty grams of vegetable oil;
• one hundred twenty-five grams of apple or grape juice;
• two tablespoons of cinnamon;
• salt, black pepper (add to taste).

Preparation: Measure out the indicated amount of oatmeal, dried fruits and nuts. Cut nuts and dried fruits into small pieces, mix with oats. In a bowl, mix the indicated volumes of honey, vegetable oil, juice, cinnamon, salt, pepper and put on fire.

Stir the mixture until all components are dissolved (dressing). Pour the prepared dressing into the mixture of oatmeal with nuts and dried fruits and stir. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay out the granola, trying to make the layer thin, and place in an oven preheated to 160 degrees for fifty minutes. Stir the mixture every ten minutes to prevent particles from sticking together.

Determine readiness by the formation of a golden brown crust. When the granola muesli is ready, remove the pan from the oven, stir and leave to cool.

Granola is a mixture of healthy cereals, dried fruits, nuts, spices

Muesli bars

The value for nutritional value in kilocalories is 3600. The recipe for preparing the bars may differ from the one below by adding other ingredients or replacing ingredients; pre-grind the oats using a coffee grinder. The list of ingredients for preparation consists of:

• one hundred and twenty grams of oatmeal;
• two hundred and fifty grams of dates;
• one hundred and fifty grams of dried apricots;
• fifty grams of dried cherries;
• forty grams of raisins;
• fifty grams of cashews;
• fifty grams of walnuts;
• one hundred milliliters of apple juice;
• two tablespoons of honey;
• one teaspoon of cinnamon;
• one tablespoon of flour;

Preparation: Measure out the indicated quantities of dried fruits, wash. For dates, dried apricots, and raisins, do the following additionally: immerse in water (hot water) for fifteen minutes and after the specified time, place on paper towels to dry.

Grind the dates using a blender, chop the nuts and dried apricots. Add cinnamon and juice to the chopped dates. Bring the mixture to a boil over low heat and cook for several minutes. Place the oatmeal on a baking sheet lined with parchment and immerse it in an oven preheated to 170 degrees for ten minutes, cool. Place the cereal in a bowl, add date puree, dried fruits, nuts, and stir.

Form bars from the resulting mass, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the oven preheated to 180 degrees, bake until ready (about 10 minutes). Wrap the finished dish in the form of bars in foil (each separately) to prevent drying out, and store in the refrigerator.

Muesli baked with apple

The dish obtained in accordance with this recipe can be consumed ready-made or supplemented with drinks. Can be used for weight loss or as a dessert.

Apple granola recipe

The list of ingredients consists of:

• two hundred twenty-five grams of whole grain oat flakes;
• one apple;
• half a teaspoon of cinnamon;
• two tablespoons of raisins;
• one tablespoon of peeled nuts;
• one tablespoon of sunflower seeds.

Preparation: Grind the apple until pureed, add cinnamon, oatmeal, stir. Place the mixture on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in an oven preheated to 125 degrees. After fifteen minutes, add the seeds and nuts (crush with a rolling pin) and bake for another half hour, stirring constantly. When a golden crust appears, the granola is ready. Lay out the finished dish and add raisins (you need to soak them in water and dry them in advance).

Muesli “Budwig”

The recipe is excellent by adding oil, flax seeds and cottage cheese, then it is possible to add components to add flavor (lemon juice, honey, etc.) Ingredients for preparation:

• low-fat cottage cheese - six tablespoons;
• linseed oil - three tablespoons;
• flax seeds - two tablespoons.

Preparation: Grind flaxseeds using a coffee grinder. Mix cottage cheese with flax oil in a blender, add crushed flax seeds. Use within twenty minutes – the dish will spoil quickly.

Muesli with banana

Muesli with banana and yogurt
The recipe is easy to prepare. List of required ingredients:

• muesli flakes - fifty grams;
• dark chocolate – fifty grams;
• six tablespoons of yogurt;
• one banana.

Preparation: Fry the muesli in a frying pan until golden brown, cut the banana into four parts and place in deep plates (in each piece). Place muesli into bowls, pour in some chocolate (melted) and yogurt.

Muesli: how to eat them?

Muesli is an instant food product. However, a quick breakfast is not suitable for children.

Swiss “porridge” contains components (bran, whole grains) that are difficult for a small child to digest, and pieces of dried fruit and nuts are dangerous for a child who cannot chew. Therefore, specialists from the Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences do not recommend introducing this product into the diet of children under three years of age, and they do not recommend giving it to preschool children without heat treatment.

Before feeding the baby, muesli should be poured with boiling milk or water or boiled for several minutes. Due to such processing, the product will not lose its valuable properties and will become suitable for baby nutrition.

For children under three years of age, offer cereals such as muesli, produced specifically for baby food. Their composition meets the physiological needs of the baby’s body. In addition, they will not only enrich the child’s diet with nutrients, but will also “teach” him to chew. Such cereals should be introduced into the menu of children no earlier than 1.5 years.

Muesli for breakfast

To prepare a store-bought product, you do not need to have any specific culinary skills: the answer to the question of how to prepare muesli will have several options. The flakes can be poured with boiling water or another drink and, after a certain amount of time, the quick dish is ready to eat. Please see below for more information on breakfast options.

With milk

Milk can be added to a home-cooked dish, or it can be used as a base for something purchased ready-made. Store-bought flakes can be poured with warm or cold dairy product and left or boiled in it. Homemade granola can be washed down with milk or poured in and left until it swells.

With kefir

The dish is prepared extremely simply: pour muesli with kefir and leave. You can get the best flavor by doing this within a few hours. It is worth considering that the mixture is placed in the refrigerator while it swells. It is recommended to prepare this breakfast in the evening in the morning.

With juice

Muesli with juice is prepared as follows:

• the cereal is placed on a plate;
• pour out boiled water;
• add three tablespoons of juice;
• cover and leave in the refrigerator.

It is advisable to keep the dish for more than one hour until ready - it is better to prepare such a breakfast in the evening.

With honey

This option is a quick one: pour boiling water over the flakes, leave for five minutes, add honey. Instead of honey, jam or jam can be added.

With yogurt

The preparation recipe is similar to the version with the addition of kefir: the flakes are poured with yogurt and left in the refrigerator for a long time.

To lose weight, it is better to cook muesli yourself

How to choose and eat correctly to lose weight?

When purchasing a product, carefully read what is written on its packaging. On the label you will see the content of sugar, dried fruits, nuts and seeds, which the manufacturer guarantees.

Of course, whether or not to consume muesli with nutritional supplements is up to you. By the way, many experts consider food additives and flavorings to be the norm. They are considered safe to eat.

However, if the manufacturer has not provided complete information about the presence of additives in muesli, then this is a clear sign of the manufacturer’s dishonesty. We recommend giving preference to sealed packaging made from a composite or polymer material. Unsealed packaging is recommended if you will be storing it under suitable conditions. It is very important that they do not become damp or saturated with foreign odors.

Muesli recipes for weight loss

For weight loss, you should select cereals with special care, taking into account the above recommendations: no dyes, flavors, etc. For diets, store-bought muesli should be raw, but not baked. You should bake a dish for weight loss yourself. The presence of complex carbohydrates in the composition saturates the body and prevents the absorption of excess amounts of food.

Weight Loss Bars Recipe

Ingredients:

• oatmeal – three hundred grams;
• nuts - thirty grams;
• dried fruits – thirty grams;
• honey - sixty grams;
• sunflower oil - sixty grams.

Preparation: Place the indicated components in appropriate quantities in a bowl, mix thoroughly. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, lay out the prepared mixture and place in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for forty minutes. After this time, check readiness, cool and cut into strips.

Granola recipe

Ingredients:

• hazelnuts - one handful;
• oats - one glass;
• cashews - one handful;
• raisins - one handful;
• refined sunflower oil – three tablespoons;
• flower honey - three tablespoons.

Preparation: Mix the ingredients in the indicated quantities, cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, lay out the prepared mixture and place in an oven preheated to 170 degrees, bake for fifteen to twenty-five minutes.

Recipe for mixed cereals with pear

Ingredients:

• a mixture of cereals in the amount of two stem spoons;
• one pear;
• cinnamon - on the tip of a spoon;
• honey - one spoon;
• yogurt;
• lemon - one piece.

Preparation: Peel and chop the lemon (zest), chop the pear using a grater.
Combine the zest, cereals, cinnamon, honey, pour yogurt on top and lay out the chopped pear.

How to make your own muesli at home, how to store it

To prepare your own breakfast you will need:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. You will need to pour the instant oats onto a dry baking sheet and place them in the oven for five minutes.
2. While cooking, do not forget about the flakes and stir them from time to time. It is very important that the flakes do not burn.
3. Once five minutes have passed and the cereal has cooked, you can remove the pan from the oven. However, do not rush to turn off the oven.

By the way, using this recipe you can prepare not only oatmeal, but also mixtures of various grains. For example, you can use buckwheat, wheat and rye. At your discretion. The resulting cereal will be delicious and as healthy as possible. The thing is that all cereals contain the necessary set of nutrients.

1. Take a frying pan with a deep bottom. Fry sesame seeds without oil. It will take you a few minutes to fry them. You can tell that the flakes are ready when they turn yellow. Then you can remove the pan and pour the seeds into the cereal.
2. Then start roasting the pumpkin seeds. It will take you five minutes to get ready.
3. Place dried apricots and raisins in a colander and pour boiling water over them.
4. Place them on a napkin. It is necessary that the moisture is completely absorbed.
5. Then chop the dried apricots into small strips and add raisins and pumpkin seeds to the baking sheet.
6. Do not wash dates and figs. Such dried fruits are almost always sold in packages. They are clean. Finely chop the dates and figs and add to other foods.
7. Then add roasted peanuts and orange or lemon peel powder to the mixture. Mix everything thoroughly and place the baking sheet in the oven. Preheat the oven. The baking sheet needs to be placed there for a few minutes.
8. Then transfer the hot muesli from the baking sheet into a container. Melt the honey in a water bath, pour it into a container and mix everything thoroughly. Then cool at room temperature.
9. All you need to do is place the prepared mixture in a clean bowl with a lid.
10. Your most healthy and satisfying breakfast is ready! Bon appetit! You can add pieces of fruit or berries to homemade muesli. Pour milk over everything.

Muesli in cosmetology

The product has a rich vitamin and mineral composition - benefits for the body not only when taken orally, but when used externally. Due to the daily supply of B vitamins in one hundred grams of muesli, flakes are actively used as masks that promote:

• increasing immunity;
• preventing dehydration;
• increasing skin tone;
• hydration;
• normalization of the sebaceous glands;
• transport of oxygen to the matrix.

When applied to the skin, the products remove free radicals and have a pronounced antioxidant effect. This explains the prevention and slowdown of the processes of aging and wilting of the epidermis with systematic nutrition of masks with muesli.

It is worth considering that for cosmetic purposes it is necessary to select a product without harmful preservatives, candied fruits, dyes, flavors, and nuts.

Anti-aging mask recipe

The list of ingredients for cooking consists of:

• one hundred grams of cereal;
• one hundred and fifty milliliters of kefir;
• one teaspoon of honey (flower).

Preparation: Grind the muesli with a rolling pin, pour in the specified amount of kefir, leave to swell for twenty minutes, grind in a mortar, add honey.

Application: Before application, you need to steam the skin using a bath (pour boiling water into a bowl, add linden or chamomile in the amount of a tablespoon per liter of liquid, hold for ten minutes), apply a scrub. After the deep cleansing procedure, apply the prepared mask.

Result: The product has a nourishing effect on the epidermis and helps smooth out wrinkles.

Toning mask recipe

The list of ingredients for cooking consists of:

• strawberries (only the pulp is needed);
• five tablespoons of cream;
• one teaspoon of corn starch;
• one hundred grams of muesli.

Preparation: Grind the strawberries until pureed, pour in the specified amount of cream, muesli, corn starch, mix. If the consistency is thick, adding boiled water is allowed.

Application: Apply the product to your face and leave for twenty minutes. After removal, it is not recommended to treat the dermis with tonic or lotion, but should immediately moisturize with cream.

Result: The mask has a nourishing and tonic effect.

Reviews from those who have lost weight

Reviews from those who have lost weight are of the opinion that muesli, purchased ready-made and made independently, is a component of a balanced diet. Switching to a diet that only includes cereal has little positive feedback. There is an opinion that this product prevents weight gain when used daily; some note rejection by the body with prolonged use. The best results were achieved by girls who included physical exercise in their daily practice.

Yana, 24 years old

I jumped off the oatmeal diet several times, but after switching to muesli, I managed to hold out and lose weight. I think if you do fitness, the result will be better.

Irina, 34 years old

For me, muesli is a tasty, healthy food. I can't imagine breakfast without cereal. Constant use led me to believe that the weight was maintaining and not increasing. My husband uses it as a breakfast supplement and prefers chocolate ones. I recommend.

Read also:  Recipe for pureed pumpkin soup. Calorie, chemical composition and nutritional value.

Marina, 32 years old

For a long time I couldn’t find a tasty way to lose weight. A friend recommended muesli - the result is stunning - 10 kilograms in a month in combination with swimming.

conclusions

1. Muesli is a healthy base for an easy to prepare breakfast dish.
2. There are several options for preparing flakes purchased ready-made: one requires cooking in the evening, the other just before use.
3. The correct selection will allow you to achieve your desired goals.
4. Baked muesli and granola are easy to prepare at home.
5. If you have gastritis, kidney or gastrointestinal diseases, or allergies, you should choose and consume muesli with extreme caution.

How to cook and what to eat with

Many people do not know how to eat muesli for breakfast, namely how they are prepared. There is nothing difficult in preparing such a dish. The combination of cereal, milk and fruit is very tasty. You can choose fruits according to the season. In summer or autumn, it is good to add finely chopped pear to a healthy breakfast. Pour milk over the dish, add pieces of fruit and leave for literally 5-8 minutes.

You can also prepare breakfast using natural yogurt and other fruits of your choice instead of milk. Everyone decides to add sugar or honey for themselves.

If you regularly eat a healthy breakfast, you can notice positive changes in your body. The desire to indulge in unhealthy snacks disappears, because the feeling of fullness lasts for a long time. In addition to breakfast, muesli with milk can be a complete but light dinner. The diet will give its results quite quickly. The easiest way to notice this is in the scale numbers, which will gradually decrease.

You can add chopped nuts and chocolate pieces to muesli. It should be remembered that each addition to the cereal makes the dish more nutritious. Therefore, here everyone decides for themselves what to add to the plate.