A new form of breakfast food is gaining popularity and is being consumed in many household, replacing breakfast cereals, eggs, and Indian preparations like dosas, idlis, upma, etc. This superfood is called muesli and is a combination of oats, wheat or bran flakes, dry fruits and nuts, with variations including honey or fruit extracts.

Better than your regular bowl of cereal, muesli can account for a large portion of the nutrients that your body requires. It is the perfect breakfast food since it gives you a full dose of energy and nutrition to kickstart your day. Containing zero cholesterol and trans-fats, a small amount of healthy fats and fatty acids, and a whole long list of goof food elements, muesli can also make for a good snacking option between meals, keeping you away from resorting to junk food to satisfy your hunger pangs.

For more information on how muesli can help you achieve your fitness goals, click here.

Muesli is available in two forms, dried and fresh:

1. Dried

Dried muesli is the pre-prepared variety easily available that you can store for a long time in an airtight container. It tastes best accompanied by milk (hot or cold) or yoghurt and if you want to up its health quotient to the max, you can have it even with water. Children can be tempted to eat muesli by adding some cocoa powder to the milk.

2. Fresh

This variety of muesli can be prepared easily at home by soaking oats overnight in water or fruit juice and blending this mixture with fruits like apples, bananas or berries and a little milk the next morning.

Muesli is also available in the form of health bars or snack bars, but it is better to stick to eating the original version of muesli since these bars may contain sugar and additives, and may have lost some nutritional value during processing.

Eating a bowl of muesli regularly can benefit you in the following ways:

1. Muesli contains high amounts of fiber, both soluble and insoluble, that helps your body in various ways like reducing your blood cholesterol levels, stabilizing blood sugar levels and preventing diabetes, harmonizing your digestion function, detoxifying your body by flushing out harmful substances from your system, reducing the risk of cancer by eliminating free radicals and reducing the impact of carcinogenic substances, as well as helping you shed those excess kilos by playing the role of a natural appetite suppressant since it fills you up quickly and keeps you satiated for a long time, thereby reducing your calorie intake.
2. A bowl of muesli is a rich source of instant energy due to its carbohydrate content, keeping you active and ready to tackle all that life throws at you.
3. Eating muesli regularly helps improve your overall wellness since it increases your immunity levels protecting you from allergies and common colds, and accelerates your body’s ability to fight bacterial infections. It is also extremely beneficial for those suffering from emotional disorders like depression or anxiety, and can even help wean patients off anti-depressants in the long run. Studies show that the variety of nuts in muesli can boost your mortality levels by over 20%.
4. One of the main constituents of muesli are nuts that are extremely nutritious due to their high contents of calcium, protein, mineral and vitamins, all of which are essential for the smooth working of your bodily functions.
5. Muesli contains manganese and healthy fats that keep your heart healthy, maintain blood pressure levels and protect you from cardiovascular diseases.

The milk, yogurt, fruits, dry fruits, etc. that can be added to your bowl of muesli help enhance its food value. You could also add flax seeds and honey to up the goodness of this food preparation.

Muesli is a good addition to a healthy active lifestyle and should be included as part of a balanced diet. So, go ahead and get yourself a serving of muesli and sit back and enjoy all its benefits. For more information on this super food, click here.                                                                                                                                                                                                   .