Muesli is delicious and healthy – if you do it right

Bircher muesli is an international star. You can find it on the breakfast menu in just about every hotel in the world. Invented around 1900 by physician and wholefood pioneer Maximilian Bircher-Benner, Bircher muesli at the time was made with just a few ingredients: 1 tablespoon of grated almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts, 1 tablespoon of oatmeal soaked in 3 tablespoons of water for 12 hours, 1 tablespoon of sweetened condensed milk and the juice of half a lemon. And the most important part: two to three apples with the peel and core, freshly grated over the muesli before serving. That’s why the original muesli was called «Apfeldiätspeise», or apple diet meal.

Bircher muesli has long since emancipated itself from its inventor, now coming in variations with yogurt, fresh berries, raisins and cinnamon. Nowadays, the unsweetened oats or other cereal flakes make up a larger portion of the dish than back in Bircher-Brenner’s apple-rich mush days. But muesli remains ever popular in Switzerland.

Muesli in Switzerland – a no-brainer

According to Statista, an average of 4.92 kg of breakfast cereals and/or muesli will be consumed in Switzerland per capita in 2023. Adjusted to the population, the average person in Switzerland will spend around 56 Swiss francs on cereals this year. And there’s no stopping the love of muesli. Consumption has been rising steadily for years, with sales expected to grow by 4.6% in 2024.

What’s interesting is that, whether you tend to reach for bread or muesli depends on the language region. This was revealed by the national nutrition survey MenuCH, which analysed breakfast behaviour in Switzerland. The Swiss Nutrition Bulletin 2019 (link in German) states, «Our analysis showed that French-speaking participants are overrepresented among those with the bread-heavy breakfast pattern, for example. German-speaking participants, on the other hand, are overrepresented in the Bircher muesli breakfast pattern.»

The study also revealed that women eat cereals more often for breakfast, while there was an above-average representation of men in the category of people who don’t eat breakfast at all.

What do studies say about muesli? Good for cholesterol and the gut

Various studies have investigated how a breakfast based on cereals influences health, well-being and performance.

This study examined people at risk of cardiovascular disease to determine whether consumption of whole-grain oatmeal had a cholesterol-lowering effect and a positive effect on the gut microbiome. Indeed, the results showed both effects – but researchers don’t yet know which mechanisms are involved in what way.

Surprisingly, ready-to-eat breakfast cereals – including pre-sweetened mixes – don’t appear to increase the risk of overweight and obesity in children, at least not according to this study. Even so, it’s important to keep an eye on your sugar intake. In Switzerland, the daily pro-capita consumption of sugar is four times the amount recommended by the WHO – and children’s cereals in particular are often far too sweet.

Finally, this comparative study points to the consumption of breakfast cereals being associated with a lower risk of overweight and obesity. There’s also evidence that muesli may reduce the risk of high blood pressure and improve cognitive function.

Healthy muesli: ingredients matter

Let’s step away from the science and toward the kitchen table. There are a few things to keep in mind to make muesli part of a healthy diet.

Mind the sugar

Scanning the list of ingredients is the first indication of how healthy your breakfast cereal is. The further down sugar is on the list of ingredients, the better. Beware: there are different forms of added sugar. The classic white household sugar is called sucrose. Look out for things like barley malt extract/maltose, glucose, fructose, dextrose, agave syrup, corn starch, sweet whey powder and fruit juice. So when shopping, look for muesli mixes with a low sugar content – ideally, less than 10 grammes per 100 grammes of cereal, but at the very least less than 20 grammes per 100 grammes. The best option is unsweetened cereal. There are indeed some with a sugar content of less than 1 gramme per 100 grammes, as shown by a cereal study carried out by a German health insurance company (on page 16 of this PDF) (link in German). The crunchier the muesli, the tastier – and, unfortunately, the higher its sugar content. For natural sweetness, you’re best off grabbing some fruit.

Fresh fruit, not dried

Dried fruit is commonly considered healthy – and it is, for one, because of its antioxidants. But it’s much less filling than fresh fruit, meaning you’ll tend to eat significantly more of it. What’s more, dried fruit contains more fructose than fresh fruit and fewer vitamins. Mind you, this isn’t to say you should avoid dried fruit entirely.

Healthy vegetable oils, nuts and seeds

Just like sugar, fat is one of the ingredients you should avoid in ready-to-eat cereal. At least when it comes to saturated fats, which are components of palm oil and coconut oil, for example. From a health perspective, so-called (poly)unsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids are recommended. The latter can inhibit inflammatory processes in the body (link in German). In concrete terms, feel free to pimp your muesli with seeds (for example, hemp or sesame seeds) and nuts, as well as a dash of high-quality vegetable oil such as walnut oil, linseed oil or hemp oil (they contain omega-3 fatty acids).

Fibre

Dietary fibre in muesli is good for your intestines and keeps you full longer. Moreover, it can even lower blood pressure. That’s why whole-grain oats are the healthier option compared to corn flakes made from corn or sweetened pops. And if you sprinkle a spoonful of wheat bran or flaxseed into your bowl, your gut microbiome will thank you.

Greek yogurt

Your body needs fuel in the form of carbohydrates. But it also needs the building block protein. In affluent Western societies, people tend to eat too much fuel and too little protein. Give your muesli a protein kick by mixing in a few spoonfuls of Greek yogurt. It has a significantly higher protein content than standard yogurt.