Birchermuesli
August 1st is Switzerland’s National Day. Being Swiss, we celebrate with traditional foods starting with breakfast and it doesn’t get more traditional for the first meal of the day than Birchermuesli. The history of Birchermuesli (named after the doctor who created this recipe made up of raw ingredients) was that Dr. Bircher-Benner (1867 – 1939) saw great healing benefits when his patients, who were ailing from various illnesses, consumed a raw mostly, if not exclusively, plant based diet. A raw diet was totally against the diet regimes in Switzerland in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s and was dismissed by other physicians and scientists until the 1930’s with the discovery of how many essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients are in fruits and vegetables, and how very beneficial they are to our health. It was then that his colleagues started to come around to his ideas – especially with the impressive healing results he could demonstrate. Dr. Bircher-Benner believed ”raw fruits and vegetables held the most nutritional value, cooked and commercially processed foods held even less, and meat held the least nutritional value.“ Of course we now know how right he was about fruits and veggies! His ‘new food science’ spas (sanitoriums) became very popular in Switzerland with guests coming from all over Europe and other parts of the world. While Dr. Bircher-Benner’s sanitoriums are gone, healing spas exist all over Switzerland and Europe, and many (if not all) serve Birchermuesli on their menus!
There are so many recipes on line for Muesli – akin to overnight oats, soaking the oats for a long time. My recipe is a more traditional Birchermuesli with soaking the oats for a much shorter time – an hour at most. This recipe is naturally gluten free and my version is dairy free as I use almond milk to soak the oats in.
Goodness in this breakfast:
Oats – a nutrient dense, gluten free whole grain, high in fiber and contains higher amounts of protein than other grains. A rich source of manganese and phosphorous and thiamin (VitB1).
Coconut kefir – a fermented food, adds beneficial bacteria and enzymes to the intestinal flora, increasing the health of the digestive system and gut microbiome which is beneficial to the immune system.
Apples – a low calorie, zero fat, soluble fiber rich fruit (the skin provides half the fiber in the apple) which aids in controlling cholesterol, with naturally occurring sugars that are more easily used as fuel in the body and blood sugar friendly, contains VitC , antioxidant polyphenols (again, in the skin of the apple) which support the immune system and heart heath.
Lemons are a good source of VitC which protects your heart from disease and stroke, good against the formation of kidney stones as it increases pH making a less hospitable environment for the formation of kidney stones, the citric acid in lemons help absorb iron better in the body, and studies have shown that citrus fruits help to fight certain cancers.
Nuts – low in carbs, do not spike blood sugar, have many nutrients, including Vitamin E, magnesium, selenium and copper and they contain fiber – so your gut is happy, an antioxidant containing polyphenols and anti-inflammatory to reduce risk of disease and supports healthy aging.
Other fruits and/or berries of your choice – filled with vitamins and minerals!
So, make up some Birchermuesli for your breakfast and En Guete!
As always, when you make this recipe, please post a photo of your Birchermuesli goodness and tag my IG account #RenataCollective or leave a comment with your thoughts!
Prep Time: 10 minutes / Oats Soaking Time – 1 Hour / Cook time: no cook time / Makes: 2 Generous Servings
Ingredients
2/3 Cup Large Flake Oats
½ Cup Almond Milk
1 Cup Coconut Kefir – alternate: plain yogurt
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
2 Apples - I used Royal Gala but any variety will do
½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon and/or Ground Ginger - optional
1 – 2 Cup of Fruits - I used 2 peaches and ½ cup blueberries - use any fruit of your choice or what you have on hand (pears, apricots, berries, shredded coconut, raisins, cranberries)
½ - 2/3 Cup of Nuts – I used 1/3 cup each of almonds, pecans and hazelnuts
¼ - 1/3 Cup Maple Syrup - when serving
2 Tablespoons Sliced Almonds – garnish
How It’s Made
Soak the oats in the milk in a bowl for an hour. If you only have a half hour that’s ok too – it will just be a little bit chewier. And you certainly can soak them overnight as well to speed things up in the morning.
Mix in the coconut kefir (or yogurt), the lemon juice and the lemon zest.
Grate the apples, with the skin, with the large hole side of the grater, and mix the grated apple into the oat mixture.
If you are adding ground cinnamon and/or ground ginger, add that in now too, stirring to make sure the spice is evenly distributed and mixed in well.
The fruit goes in next – cut larger fruit into smaller pieces. Add them in and gently stir to mix them in.
Coarsely chop the nuts and add them in, again gently stirring to mix them in.
Serve the Birchermuesli in bowls and drizzle a little maple syrup on top. Sprinkle with sliced almonds to garnish if you wish.
Enjoy! En Guete! = Bon Appetit!
