A slim breakfast?
With some yogurt and fruit, you can quickly turn muesli or cruesli into a tasty, filling breakfast. Is it also a slim start to the day? And what is the difference between muesli and cruesli?
Muesli is an invention of Maximilian Bircher-Benner. This Swiss doctor developed it around 1900 as food for his patients. He experimented with vegetarian, raw and as little processed food as possible because he was convinced that it is healthier than meat, canned food and white sugar.
Apple porridge
Bircher-Benner made a paste of grated apples, soaked oats, lemon juice, milk and nuts and served it in his sanatorium as a light evening meal. The fruit was the main ingredient. He called it Apfeldiätspeise. His healthy snack became known as Bircher muesli, a combination of his name and the word muesli, which in Swiss German means something like mash or mash.
Muesli became popular with us in the 1960s, when more and more people became interested in healthy food. Our muesli hardly resembles Dr. Bircher-Benner’s anymore. Nowadays, in addition to oats, it contains all kinds of other grains, for example wheat, barley, rye and spells. In addition, nuts, dried fruit, grated coconut, chocolate and other seasonings are sometimes added.
Cruesli
Cruesli is a variant of muesli. It is actually not a product name, but the brand name that breakfast cereal brand Quaker gave to its crispy muesli. This term has become so well established that we call all crunchy muesli skirts cruesli, whether they are Quaker or not. It is made by baking muesli with oil or butter and sugar, honey or a sugar substitute. The cakes that are then created are broken into small pieces.
Fibres
Just like bread, muesli and cruesli contain a lot of fiber: a bowl of muesli averages 3.6 grams, a bowl of crispy muesli 2.7 grams. In comparison, one slice of wholemeal bread contains about 2.3 grams of dietary fiber. Good for your bowel movements and they also ensure that you are full for a long time.
In addition, muesli contains carbohydrates, proteins, fiber, B vitamins and minerals. If you add some fresh fruit, you will already have one of the two recommended pieces of fruit at breakfast.
Sugar and fat
The disadvantage is that manufacturers often put extra sugar in the muesli. When making granola, fat and sugar are needed to make it so nice and crispy, so cruesli contains even more sugar and saturated fat than muesli.
The exact amounts of sugar and saturated fat vary by brand and type. It is therefore smart to look carefully at the packaging to see what exactly is in it, especially if you pay attention to your line. You can also make your own healthy muesli from oatmeal and other grains, seeds, unroasted nuts and dried fruit.
