Pimp up your porridge for better health

As we step into Autumn it’s wonderful to wake up to a bowl of velvety warm porridge. Isn’t it?

Porridge contains fibrous oats to feed gut bacteria and make us healthy (known as a prebiotics).

So a great choice? Not necessarily...

Lots of clients over the years have reported that they feel ravenously hungry by mid morning after breakfasting on plain porridge. This surprises many as it is touted as a slow burn food but many find it isn't, and leaves them hangry (hungry and angry) very quickly.

Why?

What burns quickly in one person may burn slowly in another. We now know that how quickly your body turns certain foods into sugar is completely different compared to someone else.

This in my opinion means there is no point using the glycemic index to judge which foods are supposed to make you feel full for a long time or a short time, as it is based on average responses and most of us are individuals, with individual response times, as this study of 800 people showed.

Plus we now know that the way you handle sugar is influenced by how healthy your microbiome is, which is changing all the time.

So if plain porridge isn’t working for you, take note.

But you still want to eat it because you love it?

Then let’s make a suggestion. Pimp up your porridge with these three goodies:

• A tablespoon of ground flax seeds. They taste delicious and swell up in the digestive tract so can make many people feel fuller for longer. They are also a wonderful food medicine for any one going through menopause as they contain plant estrogens – I call them nature’s HRT!

• A handful of walnuts. Also delicious. They contain omega 3 essential fatty acids. Note the word fatty. As in good fat. Fat takes a long time to break down. Result - it keeps you fuller for longer AND these fats can make your hair and nails look gorgeous.

• Berry compote. Just look at those deep dark colours – full of polyphenols, plant chemicals to feed your gut bacteria and make you healthy and have anti-inflammatory properties. Most compotes contain sugar (which makes tart berries palatable) – so just include a splodge or you could add a few fresh or defrosted plain berries instead.

Conclusion – instead of a bowl of white carbohydrate porridge, which turns quickly to sugar in some people and primes you for a biscuit attack at 11, hopefully you’ll now sail through with sustained energy and concentration to a healthy lunch. Enjoy!

Zeevi et al. Personalised nutrition by prediction of glycemic responses. Cell. 163. (5). 1079-1094.