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Cheap muesli vs expensive muesli
Muesli can be quite expensive when you set yourself for premium brands, such as Dorset(R) (3.99 at AH for a 540 gr. package). True, you get a stylishly packaged organic grains mixed with exotic ingredients like wild figs, biodynamic pears, white mulberries, and pistachios. While posh muesli may be delicious, the extra euros you fork out – which can be around € 8.00 per kilo for some brands – won’t necessarily buy you a healthier product.
At the cheaper end (for as little as € 1.49/kg at AH) the fruit ingredients are more likely to be sultanas and apricots than barberries and goji berries. You’ll also usually get fewer nuts in the mix (mainly almonds), but you’re just as likely to get a nutritious start to the day.
Nutrition claims
When choosing a muesli always check the nutrition values panel (NVP) first and don’t be swayed by nutrition claims alone – despite its healthy image, muesli can be sugary and calorie-dense.
The most common claims on muesli packs are gluten- and wheat-free or claims about fiber and/or wholegrain content, but “low in salt”, “no added sugar”, “high protein”, “low GI” and “low fat” claims are also popular.
The problem with nutrition claims is that they don’t tell the whole story – products claiming “no added sugar” can still be high in total sugar, for example, and on the flip side, products that are low-fat or contain more than average fiber may not proclaim it.
Fiber
Adults should be eating about 30g of fiber a day, and a high-fiber breakfast cereal is a good starting point – muesli will often fit the bill.
Tips for choosing higher fiber:
- Foods that contain at least 4g or 7g of dietary fiber in a serving are defined in the Food Standards Code as “good” and “excellent” sources of fiber respectively, so check the NIP.
- Don’t rely solely on claims like “good source of fiber” or “high in fiber” – many mueslis with above-average fiber may not actually claim that on the packaging.
Sugar
With its healthy image, you might not expect muesli to be laden with added sugar. But even when sugar isn’t listed as an ingredient, muesli can still be high in sugar if it’s full of dried fruit. While it can provide valuable nutrients, dried fruit is also a concentrated form of sugar. A muesli might also claim “no added cane sugar” but contain enough dried fruit and honey (sugar, just in another form) to give you a decent sugar hit.
Tips for choosing lower sugar:
- Genuinely “low-sugar” mueslis have no more than five percent (5g per 100g) sugar, according to the Food Standards Code, so check the nutrition values panel.
- Check the ingredients list for added sugar. It can be disguised as honey, maple syrup, golden syrup, corn syrup or glucose, for example.
- Watch out for dried fruit in the top three ingredients.
Fat
Mueslis are intrinsically higher in fat than other cereals, but the fat is often from oats, seeds or nuts, so it’s the “good” unsaturated type (and you get the valuable nutrients that are found naturally in these ingredients).
Tips for choosing lower fat:
- Check the NVP. For true low-fat muesli look for ones with three percent (3g-4g per 100g) fat or less.
- The type of fat is also important. Again, check the NVP – the lower the ratio of saturated fat to total fat the better. The ingredients list can help you determine whether the fat comes mainly from nuts and seeds (unsaturated fat) or added fat, depending on which is listed higher up. Where added fat is listed as “vegetable oil”, it could be from coconut oil, which is a saturated fat, or “hardened” vegetable oil, which can contain trans fat – as bad for us as saturated fat.
- Rather than avoiding higher fat mueslis, simply be restrained with the portion size you serve yourself – this will mean you get the benefits of these good fats while limiting your intake of the associated calories.
Jargon buster
Bircher muesli
Muesli was created around 1900 by Swiss physician Max Bircher-Benner, who used a diet of raw vegetables, fruit, and nuts to treat patients. The original Bircher muesli was uncooked rolled oats soaked in water or fruit juice, served with grated or chopped fresh fruit. Bircher muesli is moister than most packaged mueslis and is like a cold, fruity porridge. Nowadays, Bircher or Swiss-style mueslis tend to be oats mixed with other cereals, nuts, seeds and various dried fruits, but grated apple is still a common ingredient.
Natural muesli
Natural muesli implies that it hasn’t been toasted or baked, but it’s a meaningless term for helping you choose a healthy product.
Toasted, roasted or baked muesli
In the past, toasted mueslis were often higher in fat. But these days many toasted (and roasted and baked) mueslis contain lower than average fat, and not all of them list oil as an ingredient. On the other hand, many contain added sugar, often in the form of honey. Honey could be used in the heating process to give that glazed look common to toasted mueslis.
Granola
Originally ‘granula’, this is a muesli-like cereal invented in New York around the same time as the Swiss were inventing muesli. Granula consisted of wholegrain products clustered together and baked until crispy. It was revived as a ‘health food’ in the 1960s when fruits and nuts were added. The name granola is trademarked in Australia by Sanitarium, but there are plenty of granola-style products on the shelves, usually marketed as ‘clusters’ or ‘cruesli’. Most granola-style cereals, like most mueslis, are oat-based. The majority contain added oil and sugar (sometimes in the form of honey or other sweet syrups) to hold them together.
So which should I choose?
Below you may find a table that contains a few popular granola, cruesli and muesli popular brands you can find at any supermarkets. I have made the comparison based on the number of calories, sugar, carbs, and sugar. All of the values are visible on the product’s NVP.
My personal choice and my favorite pick for almost every day of the week for breakfast is AH natural Muesli. And as you notice in the table below it is also the most cost-effective value for money and the most nutritious alternative.
Compare yourself and let us know in the comment below which is your healthy choice of Muesli.
