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Muesli: Suggestions needed


mccoy

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Suggestions are welcome to improve this muesli recipe which Is my daily staple now. It's incredibly nourishing (especially so if pea protein is added) and good-tasting besides being portable. 100% plant-based. maybe some of you guys are eating something similar.

 

Supermuesli

 

  • 100 gr whole grain oat flakes
  • 20-30 gr almonds
  • 20-30 gr sunflower seeds
  • 60-70 gr raisins
  • 10 gr acai berries
  • 5 gr goldenberries
  • 500 gr soymilk (I use vanilla-flavoured)
  • 1-2 tbspoons pea protein (if wished, after workouts)

Most ingredients are organic. I let the ingredients soak in the soymilk overnight. I'll eat plenty of fresh fruit first, wait about an hour or as soon as I feel I've completely digested the fruit, then eat the muesli. 

 

Anyone has some suggestion about other ingredients to add or to swap with the cited ones? I tried cashews, flaxseed, some other nuts. I would be interested in ingredients with high phytochemical content which also taste good in the ensemble. I'm almost wondering whether to add more types of flakes, I'm kind of reluctant since oatflakes taste just  perfect

 

post-7347-0-47403300-1495484828_thumb.jpg

 

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I was a fan of Deutsche Kuche Premium Raisin & Nut Muesli:

504C9C06-0694-525A-4CDB-AF306ECE61ED.jpe

Contains: rolled whole grain oats, rolled whole grain wheat, rolled whole grain rye, raisins, hazelnuts, grated coconuts, linseed, cornflakes (milled corn, barley malt extract), sunflower seeds, almonds, peanuts.

It was inexpensive, sold at Aldi. But they no longer carry it in the U.S. apparently.   I like that it had whole oats, wheat, and rye.  I would soak with almond milk but usually just ate it pretty soon after adding the "milk".

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@mccoy: Oatmeal is also my staple. They are very convenient since I don't want to spend too much time to prepare a breakfast. I use sour fruit juices such as cranberry, pomegranate with the addition of flax seeds and sometimes frozen berries. Your recipe is like a dream breakfast to me, so I have nothing to offer to improve upon that.

 

@Thomas: Isn't that expensive for a 500g bag? Organic oatmeal and mixed cereal flakes change between €1.7-2.75 for half a kilo here, without the dried fruits and nuts though. That should increase the price over €3.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks mechanism for your input.

 

I wonder about oats and groates. As far as I've gathered, oat flakes (whole grains) is just crushed and flattened groats. Do I have it right? Since oats is not a flour, I also believe its GI is similar or just a little lower than groats (but it may not be so). Fiber content is really high, over 10%. Also, I cold-soak oats and like the muesli soft-textured, would I have the same effect with groats? I have no clue, never tried that out.

 

I'm aware raisins is glucose-rich, but I'm eating vegan now and, having eliminated dairy products and eggs, I feel the body needs some sensory satisfaction. Besides, Dr. Greger classifies raisins as berries. On the other side, I also swapped the vanilla flavoured, slightly sweetened soymilk for pure soymilk. I find I'm not missing dairy milk at all. I use pea protein only after some heavy workouts, which is not happening lately. I also complete the nuts scenario in the evening, eating the varieties I don't eat in the day. I'm a nuts buff as well, phytosterols and phytostanols rule!!

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Mechanism, thanks for the oats link, at last I understand what's 'steel cut oats', which I never saw here in Italy; also, after reading that post I was able to single out groats in health food stores, and they are usually precooked.

What I eat is classic rolled oats. According to that site, GI is similar to steel cut.

Old Fashioned Rolled Oats are made by steaming oat groats so they're softened and then rolling them into flakes. This process stabilizes their healthy oils and extends their shelf life without significantly effecting their health benefits. In fact, their nutritional profile and glycemic index is virtually identical to steel cut oats, helping to stabilize blood sugars while keeping you feeling full longer than many grains.

 

 

Of course GL in my muesli is governed by raisins. However I find I cannot eat oats without something sweet, be it raisins or honey. 

 

Maybe I'm trusting too much my tolerance to simple sugars, I agree a BG test is in order.

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I just measured my blood glucose, 50 minutes after the muesli meal (noon meal). I ran out of sticks, so I couldn't measure any further. Anyway, since BG was 147 mg dl-1, and it is suggested that after 2 hours it drops below 140  mg dl-1, it appears that my glucose homeostasis works reasonably well. (at least, I hope so).

 

Below are the details, that was a meal with 152 g net carbs, of which 72 grams simple sugars, mostly fructose and glucose. The fact that the quantity of glucose is moderate and the presence of 27 grams of fiber may account for the lack of a large peak in BG. 

 

In your opinion, are those values compatible with an healthy homeostasis?

 

post-7347-0-92752600-1497188854_thumb.jpg

 

post-7347-0-11702400-1497188859_thumb.jpg

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Mechanism:  ...unfortunately the lower coumarin Ceylon cinnamon in contrast with Cassia cinnamon based on the research does not necessarily help

 

Btw, there is evidence that an extract of Ceylon cinnamon may reduce  postprandial hyperglycemia:

 

Acute effect of Ceylon cinnamon extract on postprandial glycemia: alpha-amylase inhibition, starch tolerance test in rats, and randomized crossover clinical trial in healthy volunteers.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4246455/ PMID:25249234

 

...this study demonstrates that a well-defined hydro-alcoholic Ceylon cinnamon bark extract reduces the glycemic response to starch in normal rats and healthy male and female subjects by inhibiting pancreatic α-amylase starch digestion. This extract may be of great interest with regards to the many recognized benefits associated with the reduction of postprandial hyperglycemia. These benefits namely include reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in people with IGT, helping with the lipid profile management, helping with the control of fat mass, body weight, and oxidative stress, and finally helping reduce the risk for cardiovascular diseases occurring.

 

Taken all together, these results show that a hydro-alcoholic Ceylon cinnamon extract appears to be an optimal solution in terms of coumarin content and efficacy as far as cinnamon extracts for use in the management of postprandial glycemia are concerned.
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The patented cassia cinnamon extract Cinnulin PF  is claimed to have no coumarin content.

 

Cinnulin PF® is the patented and clinically studied water–soluble extract of cinnamon containing Type-A Polymers.  Cinnulin PF is extracted from the Cinnamomumburmannii species and unlike raw cinnamon powder does not contain coumarin or other undesirable components.  Cinnulin PF has been shown to support healthy blood sugar metabolism

 

http://f1rstquality.com/the-science/the-science-behind-cinnulin-pf/

http://cinnulin.com/more_info.html

 

Cf. Cinnamon: Potential Role in the Prevention of Insulin Resistance, Metabolic Syndrome, and Type 2 Diabetes

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2901047/

PMCID: PMC2901047
 
It has been observed14 that a water extract of cinnamon (Cinnulin PF®) reduced blood glucose, plasma insulin, and soluble cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36), which is reported as a novel marker of insulin resistance.15 Cinnamon extracts also inhibited retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4), a novel adipokine that contributes to insulin resistance in plasma and adipose tissues.16 Retinol-binding protein 4 is increased in the serum of insulin-resistant humans and rodents and mediates insulin resistance in muscle and increases glucose production in liver.17,18 Plasma RBP4 levels are inversely correlated with the expression of GLUT4 in adipose tissue.17,18 Cinnamon extract consumption also appears to regulate glucose uptake-related genes, such as Glut1, Glut4, glycogen synthesis 1, and glycogen synthase kinase 3β mRNA expression in adipose tissue.14
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Mechanism, I agree that I should have monitored the whole curve. Also, AUC value throughout the day is believed to be significant, besides peak.

 

I'm also going to open a new thread on blood glucose optimization, something I'm becoming skeptic about. After all, the body is already optimizing  glucose concentration by its own fine tuned homeostatic processes, barring existing metabolic disorders.

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Thirdly, if your true peak is close to the value ascertained on your test, that may be fine. Indeed, not only do practitioners of CR tend to be at greater risk for impaired glucose tolerance (Michael and Dean have both written regarding this before as have others), I have also seen but do not have the reference, unfortunately, of data suggesting normal non-prediabetic and apparently very healthy individuals have a high rate of excursions in the so-called prediabetic range or beyond. Not that this is optimal but it simply made matter less than we emphasize here on the forums depending on the blood levels ( in contrast average blood glucose levels even below the prediabetic range have in other studies shown some correlation with mild cognitive decline – also don't have the reference, I really should be considering archiving these!). By way of comparison Dean mentioned in his own practice – having one gigantic meal daily – he is able to achieve blood glucose levels under one 125 mg/dL. He is a rare breed and tough act to follow., God bless him.

 

 

Actually, I remember that Dean wrote he was the person most affected by IGT (impaired glucose tolerance) in the tests led by Luigi Fontana. After that, he started doing a lot of exercise to burn glucose and improve mitochodrial metabolism, besides starting cold exposure.

What Dean does, without absolutely wanting to play down his dedication and singlemindedness, alas is usually impossible to do if having a full time employment.

 

IGT is a serious issue for CR practitioners, it means, told bluntly, that you have messed with the natural glucose homeostatic machine. And that may be unfavourable to longevity.

 

https://www.crsociety.org/topic/11752-mechanisms-of-cr-associated-impaired-glucose-tolerance/?hl=%2Bfontana+%2Bdean+%2Bblood+%2Bglucose

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Sometimes I cook it (just in water), sometimes I eat it with almond/soy milk, but I haven't tried letting it soak for too long. Maybe I should try that. Does it soften it up and change the texture a lot?

 

Thomas, yes, 12-hours soaking makes it softer, almost like it is cooked but it is fridge-cold and some nutrients are not heat-degraded.

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  • 2 weeks later...

As an update, now I added more cereal flakes (buckwheat) and cut drastically seeds, raisins and berries.

 

It turns out the meal is more digestible, which is a great benefit to me. Cacao powder and buckwheat provide a naturally strong and appealing flavour. In the previous recipe, many raisins, berries, nuts & seeds evidently impinged detrimentally upon digestion.

 

Present recipe (mixture is left to soak overnight, main ingredients are all organic, since their price relative to amounts needed is very reasonable):

  • Unsweetened soy milk 550 g
  • Oat flakes 100 g
  • Buckwheat flakes 40-50 g
  • Unprocessed cacao powder 3 tablespoons
  • raisins 20 g
  • Almonds 20 g
  • Honey 2 tablespoons
  • Pea protein 1 tablespoon (facultative)
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Sibiriak, your colorful and enticing illustration represents something similar to the original Bircher Brenner Muesli, made with littel soaked cereals, yogurt, grated apple and fresh fruit. traditionally, it's used for breakfast.

 

My requirements are different, in that it constitutes the midday meal, one of my two daily meals, so it must be satiating but not too much. Another requirement of mine is that must be hydrating, so I mix into more than one pint of soymilk. In summary, the supermuesli I propose, especially the latest version has the following characteristics:

 

  1. Nourishing, healthy and balanced meal (together with fresh fruit consumed one hour before and already digested)
  2. hydrating
  3. Good-tasting (in some aspects a subjective feature)
  4. Satiating
  5. Digestible
  6. relatively unexpensive
  7. Portable ( I must be able to eat it in the office while working)

Of course it fits into a vegan, hi-fiber, moderately hi-carbs dietary pattern (I'm at 50% carbs now), not suited to a low-carb or ketogenic regimen.

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  • 2 months later...

I've been recently experimenting another version of the supermuesli which I find to be more digestible: the superporridge.

 

Of course cooking, even for a very short time oat flakes creates a porridge and digestibility is considerably improved. I simplified the ingredients, am cooking the superporridge the night before, putting it in a glass jar and bringing it to work. It feels less hydrating than the raw version, but actually water content is the same, only lthe liquid became a gel.

New ingredients:

  • Oat flakes 100 grams
  • Buckwheat flakes 25 grams
  • raisins and dried berries 50 to 75 grams
  • Undutched cacao powder 1 tablespoon
  • almonds or walnuts or other nuts 30 grams
  • honey 2 tablespoons
  • Soymilk 500 to 600 grams

I find that a little sweet taste is necessary to make the food palatable and keep the hypothalamus interested in vegan food. In other words, I have to prevent that the bodyweight homeostatis adjusts itself to some lower setpoint. In a nutshell, it's easy to me to loose weight and I regretfully abhor it.

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