Gluten Free Muesli

I don't think I get enough fibre.

A lot of gluten free breads and products contain little fibre and lots of high GI carbs with no whole grains or chewy bits. I know that fibre is pretty essential for all sort of health reasons, and as I head towards 40 I should probably start to pay attention to these kinds of things.

We eat very well overall, I don't like pre- packaged stuff, we eat lots of 'real' foods and a have a very varied diet. I'm supposed to eat low GI and of course, gluten and lactose free are a given. One of the other problems we face in my household is that we are carnivores. Flesh eating, canine teeth bearing, carnivores. A large percentage of our dinner plate has a slab of meat on it. That's fine, I looove my veggies too, and we have a big garden of our own, but I need to keep a balance, and I think I need to boost my fibre intake.

According to Wikkipedia, some of the functions and benefits of dietary fibre include:

'Adds bulk to your diet, making you feel full faster, May reduce appetite,
Attracts water and turns to gel during digestion, trapping carbohydrates and slowing absorption of glucose, Lowers variance in blood sugar levels
Lowers total and LDL cholesterol, Reduces risk of heart disease
Regulates blood sugar, May reduce onset risk or symptoms of metabolic syndrome and diabetes
Speeds the passage of foods through the digestive system, Facilitates regularity
Adds bulk to the stool ,Alleviates constipation
Balances intestinal pH and stimulates intestinal fermentation production of short-chain fatty acids, May reduce risk of colorectal cancer'

Hmmm, so it does seem rather important.

I can increase the amount of fibre we eat as a family at dinner, I grab a quick bite at work for lunch, but the meal that jumped out at me for change was breakfast. BigJ and the kiddies eat cereal every day, and we stock about 5 types at any given time, including oats and weetbix. My usual morning fix is a small tin of tuna, 4 rice crackers, and a tablespoon of mayo. That's an OK meal, and I get my dose of omega 3's, but I think I can do better.

I need something that's tasty, easy, tasty, quick to bolt down in a hurry, and that tastes really good.

Of course, being gluten and dairy free, I can't eat regular cereal, the ones at the supermarket did not look appealing and the ones I tasted weren't nice at all! A friend has been on a successful mega health and exercise kick lately and gave me the recipe he's been using from his trainer. It seemed to tick all the boxes regarding InTolerances, flavour and fibre, so I stole some from his cupboard when he wasn't looking.... I mean got a small sample to try at home, and decided to give it a go.
Now, you know I can't just follow the recipe for something like this, I felt it needed just a little 'bling'. The original called for whole sunflower seeds, and crushed linseeds, I decided to go with LSA mix instead, as it's easy to find in the supermarket and just a lot less hassle. I also like almonds.The cocoa nibs and cranberries are mine too- hey a bit of luxury never hurts, and you need something to look forward to in the morning!

50g lecithin
200g linseeds coarsely ground
500g rice bran
300g pepita
300g sunflower seeds
600g walnuts pieces
200g coconut chips
50g cocoa nibs
100g dried cranberries- I know that they're sweetened, but that's all they had

Mix all of the ingredients together gently, bear in mind that the smaller particles will filter down to the bottom of the bowl. Store in an airtight container.

Serve your muslei with your milk-like beverage of choice, I like Zymil lactose free milk, and chew, and chew, and chew your way to better health.


As you can see, this made a lot of muesli, which is good as it cost me $34 dollars to make- not including cocoa nibs. I did some experimenting with serving size, and discovered that a 50gram scoop is plenty for a fibre full breakfast. That's about 40 serves at 85cents a serve. That put it in perspective for me, 85c is really not much money, and incidentally half the price of my tin of tuna.

One more piece of advice Readers, I like to brush my teeth AFTER I eat breakfast, but some people like my Dad, for some reason I cannott fathom, brush theirs BEFORE breakfast. If you like this muslei, please follow my sensible example or you will be picking little bits out of your teeth for ages. I know, sounds attractive doesn't it, but the same can happen with pesto, or pasley, or spinach or many other worth while things - so don't let that deter you, just take precautions and check your smile before you leave the house!

So Readers, what do you usually have for breakfast, and do you brush before, or after?