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Birchermuesli

"Birchermüesli" was invented by Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner (1867-1939), a pioneer of organic medicine and wholefoods. Dr Bircher was active in Zürich and he had a great impact on our feeding habits. Around 1900 he put forward the controversial view that cereals, fruit and vegetables have more nutritional value than meat.

The view at that time was that meat was the best source of human nutrition, and that vegetables and fruit were a second-best option for the poor. But Dr Bircher continued to believe in what he called "the food of sunlight", meals based on natural organic ingredients.

He was also convinced that health care should be much more than just medical treatment. In 1897, Dr Bircher founded a sanatorium in Zürich where he practiced a holistic therapy which included wholefoods, a daily walk, bathing and exposure to sunlight. He even set up exercise equipment, so we can see his sanatorium as a kind of forerunner of the gym and fitness centers that we know today.

Ingredients for four people:

• 4 tablespoons oat flakes
• 8 tablespoons water
• 4 tablespoons sweet evaporated milk or cream
• Honey or sugar according to taste (use as little sugar as possible)
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 8 apples

Method:

1. Put oat flakes, water, sweet evaporated milk and juice of lemon in a bowl.
2. Wash apples, cut in pieces, remove core (do not remove skin!)
3. Grind apples into the bowl and mix well.
4. Add sugar and honey according to your own taste and mix well again.

Variations:

• Use plain yogurt instead of water and evaporated milk.
• Add cream, half and half or milk according to taste.
• Include any kind of berry, oranges or other fruit instead of, or in addition to, the apples.

Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of ground almonds and/or hazelnuts