There is no one Indian palate: bread and jam, idlis, parathas, eggs, our mornings look as diverse as our culture. Some of us are gulping down the juice and organising our bags, grabbing a toast as a loved one admonishes to carry some fruit which shall be gobbled on the way to work.

Delhi based nutritionist Ekta Tandon tries to sort through rushed breakfasts, “A bowl of Muesli with milk and fruit/ dry fruit is a great balanced breakfast option. It provides fibre. Foods high in fibre can help you keep full. Addition of dry fruits and nuts can add Omega 3. Often accompanied with milk or curd, it can even take care of your calcium requirements.”

This delicious energy solution did not happen on its own. Muesli, means ‘mix’ in Swiss, the language of Dr Maximilian Bircher-Benner, a Swiss doctor and nutritionist who studied the effects of raw foods on the body at the turn of the 20th century. Contrary to the beliefs of the time, Bircher-Benner stressed on the quality of food to keep people healthy and not merely to satisfy hunger. This was a revolutionary thought at that time and one that has indirectly inspired many diet trends since. In his book ‘The Prevention of Incurable Disease’, he said that people should ensure that at least half of the food they ate was raw foods—fruits, nuts and vegetables. He opened a sanatorium in the Swiss Alps to further develop his beliefs and it was there that he concocted muesli. With oats that recharge cells, good fats from dried fruits, vitamins and minerals from fresh fruit he designed it with the intention of replacing breast milk. Encouraging his patients to alter their eating habits from the traditional meat and potato European diet to one that focused on fruits nuts and vegetables, Dr Benner was inspired by the healthy eating habits of the Swiss mountain herders who easily worked through chilly conditions.

Muesli then travelled across Europe and into America where health food and vegetarian diets were in vogue in the 1960s and never looked back. Of course, the muesli we get in stores now is not identical to Dr Benner’s version. It has evolved and travelled from health stores to holistic ‘hippy’ food stores to supermarkets and finally to your local kirana shop. In doing so it has brought the attention back on health. Far from being part of a fad diet, the grains present in muesli like oats, cereals and millets are part of our indigenous cuisine.

Muesli is a great way to sneak in nutritious foods into your diet that you otherwise may not manage to eat regularly. Sunflower seeds, chia seeds, crushed almonds are some of the favourite options.

A lot of favourite ingredients can be added to muesli such as prunes, berries, fresh or dried fruits/nuts, all of which combine very well. And you can have it in a myriad of ways. With yogurt, or milk, or mix it into pancakes, cookies or muffins, or even soak it overnight in milk or yoghurt and that way, there is not much left to prepare for breakfast next day but eating it!

Making it even more convenient is Anil Kumar, Executive pastry chef at Le Meridien, Gurgaon. He shares with us the recipe of his delicious Caramel Muesli that can be stored and eaten on the go.

Whether it’s with plain milk or with cream or yogurt, muesli can be an excellent breakfast option. Packed with nutritious grains including wheat, barley, rice, corn and oats along with delicious almonds, raisins or dried fruits, Kellogg’s Muesli is tasty, nourishing and a great way to start your day. For more delicious recipes and information, see here.

This article was produced by the Scroll marketing team on behalf of Kellogg’s and not by the Scroll editorial team.