Bircher Muesli
18/08/2018 | Tamara Brown

A delicious nutty mix to start your day. Or to snack on any time!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup raw buckwheat
• 1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 Tbsp sultanas
• 2 Tbsp almonds, roughly chopped
• 1 apple, grated
• OPTIONAL: 2 Tbsp fresh or frozen berries
  
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the buckwheat, orange juice, sultanas and almonds in a medium sized bowl or container. Make sure the orange juice is well mixed with the other ingredients. Let the muesli sit in the fridge overnight.
2. To serve, mix through grated apple and berries.

RAW TIP:

For a sweeter option, drizzle 1 tsp of raw honey over each serving or add a few spoonfuls of Mixed Berry Coconut Yoghurt. 

A word from The Raw Food Girl

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Over the last year, buckwheat has definitely become the grain of choice for my family. It clocks a much more impressive nutritional profile than rice or pasta, clocking in at 13% protein (compared to 2.6% of brown rice) and a generous serving of potassium, iron and magnesium.

​In fact, just 100g of buckwheat offers 57% of the Daily Recommended Intake (DRI) of magnesium (1), which 80% of the U.S. population are deficient (2). I daresay the Australian stats would be very similar, if I could find them. Buckwheat too has been suggested to have health promoting potential equal to or even higher than that of fruits and vegetables. Research reported at the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) International Conference on Food, Nutrition and Cancer, shows that whole grains, such as buckwheat, contain many powerful phytonutrients that are digested in the intestines (3). So as far as grains are concerned, buckwheat is awesome. 
If

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If I'm eating raw buckwheat though, I always soak the groats beforehand. This is important because it helps to remove phytic acid, which is the storage form of phosphorous in plants. It binds to minerals like iron, zinc, magnesium and calcium in the digestive tract, which means the nutrients are a lot less absorbable and are therefore wasted. 
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A 2003 study on the degradation of phytic acid in cereal examined the change in iron absorption when phytic acid was removed from various grains. The study found that participants absorbed 1160% more iron when phytic acid was removed from wheat. Rather a lot, wouldn't you say? 
This sparked my interest as I've often been low in iron (though not since daily shots of organic spirulina!), so now I always soak my grains, and certainly eat them less often. Just be sure to always soak grains in the fridge, and if you don't use the produce within 24 hours then drain the water and replace it so it stays fresh. It will stay fresher for a whole lot longer!