Simplify Your Mornings with This Delicious Muesli Recipe
A quick and easy gut healthy breakfast and why that matters!
I’ve had this simple gut healthy breakfast on repeat for a while now, and thought it was about time I share it with you.
But if you’re wondering why a gut healthy breakfast matters, let’s talk about it!
Our guts are home to TRILLIONS of bacteria. Yep with a T. And more research is coming out all the time about how these tiny microbes impact our health! A recent study in the journal Nature even found that the desire to exercise is influenced by our gut microbiome!
Fascinating, right?!
Or maybe you’re not as nerdy as me.
I get it, fiber and gut microbes are not exactly the sexiest topics in the world. But they are important ones! And eating a wide variety of high fiber plant foods is one of the best (and simplest) ways to keep our gut microbes happy and healthy!
But most of us probably aren’t getting enough.
It’s estimated that the average fiber intake for adults in the U.S. is around 15 grams. Quite a bit lower than the American Heart Associations’ recommended 25-30 grams daily. Which means 95% of us aren’t meeting the current recommendations ooof!
People love to hate on carbs these days, but it’s probably more important to choose the right kinds of carbs (aka: high-fiber ones), than to stress yourself out about avoiding them.
This recipe is one of my favorite ways to start my day. It’s super simple, really delicious, and gets me closer to hitting that daily recommended amount of fiber!
And perhaps most importantly, it’s really easy to prep ahead of time. Because if your house is anything like mine, little things that make mornings a little easier is a major win!
Named after the Swiss doctor, Maximilian Bircher-Brenner, Bircher muesli is essentially just a mix of raw oats, nuts, seeds, and dried or fresh fruit soaked in milk.
I like to mix up a big batch and store the muesli in jars in the pantry so all you have to do in the morning is mix together a scoop with some milk or yogurt, and top with whatever fresh fruit you have on hand.
To make the muesli:
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup slivered almonds or hazelnuts (or a mix of both!)
1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/2 cup hemp seeds (or chia seeds)
1/2 cup dried cranberries or apricots (cut into pieces)
2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of sea salt
½ cup collagen or your favorite protein powder (optional)*
Directions:
In a large bowl mix together all of the ingredients until well combined.
Transfer to glass mason jars to store.
To make a bowl:
½ cup muesli mix
¼ cup milk of choice
½ cup vanilla yogurt (dairy or plant-based) *
½ green apple (or another tart variety) diced
½ banana (sliced)
Additional berries or other fruit on top (if desired)
Directions:
Stir together the muesli mix, milk of choice, yogurt, and grated apple. Let sit for 10 - 15 minutes or in the refrigerator overnight. Top with sliced banana before serving.
*typically i like to use unsweetened greek yogurt but in this case a sweeter vanilla yogurt (like Wallaby) is really good!
*adding protein or collagen is optional, but I like the extra protein for a more blood sugar balancing breakfast that keeps you feeling full a little longer.
A Gut Healthy Diet
According to research from the American Gut Project, aiming to eat 30 different plant foods each week seems to be the sweet spot to support a healthy gut microbiome. And it gets us closer to that goal of 25-30 grams of fiber daily.
In a study that compared the gut microbiomes of over 10,000 volunteers, they found that those who consumed more than 30 types of plants per week had healthier, more diverse gut microbiomes, when compared to those who consumed less than 10 types of plants per week.
But if eating 30 different plant foods a week sounds overwhelming, don’t worry. ‘Plants’ doesn’t only mean fruits and veggies. It also includes: whole grains, nuts and seeds, legumes, teas, . . . even herbs and spices! So you may already be closer than you think!
And if you break it down, including 5 different plant foods, 6 days a week gets you to that goal of 30 plants a week.
Here are a few ways to make it easier:
✨ Change up the nuts you usually snack on, instead of a handful of almonds or cashews, try pistachios or Brazil nuts. This nut butter is a good option too!
✨ Swap out some (or all) of the meat for beans or lentils in spaghetti sauce, soups, even tacos.
✨ Add frozen veggies like zucchini, spinach or cauliflower into smoothies (I promise you won’t even taste it)
✨ Sprinkle seeds like hemp, flax and chia onto oats, yogurt, and just about anything!
✨ When grocery shopping, choose a new fruit or vegetable to try each week. Even changing up the variety of apples counts! But it’s fun to try new foods too (this week ours was romanesco, for sure the prettiest vegetable!)
Try making little tweaks to the things you’re already eating (like changing up the fruits or veggies you eat each week or adding a different type of nut butter to the smoothie you already make everyday) to make it easier to stick with for the long term!
Enjoy!