Muesli - picking the good from the bad

starbuck

I normally alternate between porridge and cornflakes/toast for breakfast.

I am in the middle of sorting my diet so I can lose weight and be better fuelled for training.

I've never tried muesli but have heard it's a good alternative to porridge, and nuts (from what I've heard) are good for protein.

Looking in the supermarket, there are many different ones to choose from (some of which seem to have quite a high proportion of sugar in them, leading me to think they're not necessarily that healthy).

What should I be looking for in a good muesli? There are various mixes, so which are better than others?

Any suggestions/tips would be appreciated.

The Real Radioactiveman

https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/information/p ... ut-muesli/


awesome stuff and cheap.nice bits of fruit and if you like it crunchy use yoghurt in place of milk

matt-h

I have the Sainsburys http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/groceries/i ... 5458287893

Matt

cerv50

Asda no added sugar swiss style muesli and mix the 1.5kg bag with 2 bags of Asda Scottish porridge oats for me

sloppyschleckonds

Drop the toast and cornflakes and stick with porridge.

team47b

yep as SS says drop the toast and cornflakes as they are just fast acting carbs the muesli is a mixture of simple and complex carbs, slower to digest, slower release, longer term energy, get sugar free if you can, possibly buy the cheaper one and add the ingredients you want, your choice of fruit and nuts according to your taste and protein requirements.

complex carbs will keep you feeling fuller for longer so can help with weight loss.

amaferanga

Just have porridge and add some nuts and dried fruit.

LegendLust

Make your own. Good quality rolled oats, add some seeds (pumpkin & sunflower) and a sprinkle of chopped dates. Then add berries (blueberries, strawberries & cherries) and top off with a splash of milk and full fat yoghurt.

sungod

i make it in batches in an old high5 tub

1kg jumbo oats
250g raisins

add a handful of bran flakes per bowl, and at the moment i'm taking advantage of the british strawberry mountain and chopping a few into it

oats/raisins/bran come from the local veggie store, plain wrappers, no added sugar/whatever

Baby Trek

Trouble with that stuff is it usually has some element of sugar in it too...I chop nuts and fruit into my porridge instead and feel a bit more confident on what I am actually eating. I have tried several in the past but do not find they fill me up and last as long as good old porridge.

simon_e

I used to like Alpen but Swiss style muesli just seems like sugary floor sweepings while Bran Flakes is like eating manila envelopes. It surely can't have any real nutritional value.

Aldi luxury muesli is very nice. I cheat my DIY approach by using a Dorset muesli or granola (currently favouring Jordan's crunchy oat granola as its not too sweet), adding dried fruit, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, walnut pieces and dried coconut. And sometimes Rice Crispies for a nice texture.

imposter2.0

starbuck wrote:

I've never tried muesli but have heard it's a good alternative to porridge,

There is no such thing as a 'good alternative' to porridge.

liter

Oats are suitable for animals in winter. Porridge is for people who can't afford, or are too lazy to prepare, proper food.

imposter2.0

liter wrote:

Oats are suitable for animals in winter. Porridge is for people who can't afford, or are too lazy to prepare, proper food.

And sweeping generalisations are for idiots.

team47b

Simon E wrote:

while Bran Flakes is like eating manila envelopes. It surely can't have any real nutritional value.

and the sugar free version of bran flakes have even less flavour than that :shock:

Nutrional value is it is a good source of complex carbs and fibre.

Very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Zinc, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Iron and Manganese.

My cat eats bran flakes for supper, so it must actually be food, she hasn't touched the envelopes I left in her bowl

sloppyschleckonds

team47b wrote:

My cat eats bran flakes for supper, so it must actually be food, she hasn't touched the envelopes I left in her bowl

Thanks for posting

Druidor

Tbh I don't like rolled oat porridge. But like runny ready brek

Alpen all the way others just dont add up

Ouija

Druidor wrote:

Alpen all the way others just dont add up

+1

All the other super market muesli tends to leave out that fine powdery stuff found in Alpen making them harder to chew and more 'crunchy'. Courser oats as well. Can actually make your jaw ache trying to eat them.

sloppyschleckonds

Druidor wrote:

Tbh I don't like rolled oat porridge. But like runny ready brek

Alpen all the way others just dont add up

How much sugar & salt do they add?

simon_e

team47b wrote:

Simon E wrote:

while Bran Flakes is like eating manila envelopes. It surely can't have any real nutritional value.

and the sugar free version of bran flakes have even less flavour than that :shock:

Nutrional value is it is a good source of complex carbs and fibre.

Very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Zinc, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Iron and Manganese.

My cat eats bran flakes for supper, so it must actually be food, she hasn't touched the envelopes I left in her bowl

Very low in everything except fibre (indigestible wheat husk or padding) and vits added during processing (so not as good as the real vitamins found in real food). Some manufacturers use iron filings to add iron. Most processed breakfast cereals are junk, and BF is not an exception.

The tide is turning on Sat fats and Cholesterol. Educated nutritionists are now saying they are not the evil harm-doer they were made out to be. Most 'low fat' foods are highly processed and have to be sweetened because they are crud.

People who do not have the strength to chew oats should either soak it or switch to smoothies and baby food. And while they're at it should trade their bike for a mobility scooter, as they're obviously not going to have the strength to press hard on a bicycle pedal more than a few times.

shmo

I can't stand oat heavy muesli. Used to get dorset cereals and sometimes I'd end up with a boal of oats and 3 raisins, proper unappetising. The most palatable one I've found is the Mornflake stuff with 50% nuts/fruit/seeds. Closest thing to a balanced breakfast that I can prepare and eat within 2 minutes.

sungod

proper bran flakes aren't from the kellogg empire of sugary cack, kellogg liked giving people yoghurt enemas, probably where he got the idea for his breakfast products

the contents list for proper bran flakes is barley, wheat, that's it, no additions
10% protein
25% carbs
5% fat
11% fibre
most of the rest is moisture

yum

nehanpoole

starbuck wrote:

I normally alternate between porridge and cornflakes/toast for breakfast.
I am in the middle of sorting my diet so I can lose weight and be better fuelled for training.
I've never tried muesli but have heard it's a good alternative to porridge, and nuts (from what I've heard) are good for protein.
Looking in the supermarket, there are many different ones to choose from (some of which seem to have quite a high proportion of sugar in them, leading me to think they're not necessarily that healthy).
What should I be looking for in a good muesli? There are various mixes, so which are better than others?
Any suggestions/tips would be appreciated.

Yup,, I had heard about it plus used it for a month,,
And if I remember then its taste was really awesome for me but I had tried it with my favorite Manuka honey which makes it more sweeter in taste,, and to be honest I haven't tasted it as it is.

BigFatBloke

A lot of has added sugar, avoid. Some have a much higher fruit content so are high in sugar from the fruit, some have a higher nut content. Some like Alpen have a lot of dried skimmed milk.

Go for the ones with the higher nut content and which have no added sugar.

dave35

liter wrote:

Oats are suitable for animals in winter. Porridge is for people who can't afford, or are too lazy to prepare, proper food.

So what do you call proper food for breakfast?

team47b

poached eggs on advocado if you're rushed, or cut advocado in half take out the stone crack an egg into each half and bake in the oven if you have more time.

liter

dave35 wrote:

liter wrote:

Oats are suitable for animals in winter. Porridge is for people who can't afford, or are too lazy to prepare, proper food.

So what do you call proper food for breakfast?

I am sorry if I have offended any porridge eaters.

Since the invention of agriculture grain products such as porridge, bread, pasta, rice have been used as cheap belly fillers for the masses who were too poor to eat meat. Production of grains enabled the expansion of population at the expense of health.

In the past 40 years breakfast cereal manufacturers have done an extraordinary marketing job in presenting these products made of the cheapest, most basic ingredients as some kind of health food.

I would class proper food as meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, eggs, honey... Which allows plenty of options for breakfast.

sloppyschleckonds

team47b wrote:

poached eggs on advocado if you're rushed, or cut advocado in half take out the stone crack an egg into each half and bake in the oven if you have more time.

I wish I had a missus who made that for me every day

Biscuiteer

I either buy the Aldi ones or Dorset Cereals. IMHO, Alpen is vile stuff.

The Aldi ones I like are different to the one in a bag that Radioactiveman linked to - I think that they're still Harvest Morn branded but they're in boxes and come in three flavours which I think are called Very Berry, Totally Tropical and Really Nutty. Often I find the packs have so much fruit in them, I have to 'dilute' each bowlful with a quantity of jumbo rolled oats. But don't just buy the cheapest value bag of porridge oats to add to them - they're full of dust and don't taste of much and you'll be descending back in to Alpencrapness if you use them. Buy some decent rolled oats instead.

Aldi also do little bags of mixed raisins, cranberries, nuts etc which are good if you're wanting to mix up your own muesli.

Dorset Cereals are good too, and again I find I have to dilute them with rolled oats because they've got so much fruit in them. Nice big, juicy raisins too - not the rabbit poo raisins that cheap mueslis have. I like the berry flavour, the spelt flavour and the high fibre flavour best.

Finally, a handful of chopped dates goes a long way to redeeming any disappointing bowl of muesli.

team47b

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

team47b wrote:

poached eggs on advocado if you're rushed, or cut advocado in half take out the stone crack an egg into each half and bake in the oven if you have more time.

I wish I had a missus who made that for me every day

Alpen made my breakfast today, Mrs T added the crushed walnuts, cinnamon and craisins though

simon_e

liter wrote:

I am sorry if I have offended any porridge eaters.

I eat porridge but I don't get offended by provocative statements like that so I ignored it (which often means I also ignore the rest of that poster's contribution).

liter wrote:

Since the invention of agriculture grain products such as porridge, bread, pasta, rice have been used as cheap belly fillers for the masses who were too poor to eat meat. Production of grains enabled the expansion of population at the expense of health.

In the past 40 years breakfast cereal manufacturers have done an extraordinary marketing job in presenting these products made of the cheapest, most basic ingredients as some kind of health food.

I would class proper food as meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, eggs, honey... Which allows plenty of options for breakfast.

Agricultural grains weren't "invented" but I think I know what you mean. While cereal grains are low in nutrients they do a fair job of supplementing premium and seasonal foods. Try doing the palaeo thing properly - eating only locally produced, seasonal food, catching your own fish and killing your own meat - and see what how plentiful your diet is in January, February and March.

I agree that the marketing of sugar-laden breakfast cereals is a huge con,most are rubbish. Lots of people seem to have healthy lives despite having oats as a staple, for example. I would suggest that it is counterproductive and unconvincing to simply label all cereal grains as A Bad Thing.