3 ways to improve your porridge
GO JUMBO
This isn’t referring to portion size, but rather your oat size. Are you one of those people who has a bowl of oats but finds themselves starving by 11 am? This could be down to your oat choice! Whilst microwave and instant oats are quick and easy to prepare, taking only around 3 minutes to cook, they are much more ‘glycemic’ which means they are digested quickly, raise your blood sugar, and then cause the resulting crash. Paired with a good drizzle of honey, your ‘healthy’ porridge is a blood sugar rollercoaster. Jumbo oats, however, are rolled thicker and are larger which gives your porridge a delicious texture and bite. They require a few extra minutes cooking time but they are slowly digested and will keep you fuller for longer. Go big or go home.
DON’T FORGET YOUR PROTEIN
Oats are packed full of soluble fiber, B vitamins, and key minerals including magnesium and zinc to keep you focused throughout your morning adding a little protein into your bowl can make a huge difference. Coupling protein with carbohydrates in a meal reduces glycemic response by delaying the time your stomach takes to empty as well as stimulating insulin secretion. Add a good spoon of yoghurt or even cook an egg white into your oats for that extra protein boost. You can add a scoop of protein powder instead if you have it available.
DON’T GET FOMO WITH YOUR PLANT MILK
What on earth am I talking about? Well, the rise of milk alternatives has opened up a whole world of delicious new plant milk from coconut, almond, oat, and my personal favourite hazelnut. But there is major FOMO with non-fortified plant milk. This is beaches they actually have minimal nutritional value and only contain around 10% almond, coconut, oat, etc. The rest is mostly water! Have a quick look at the back on the pack to check it is fortified for things like calcium, vitamin D, and B vitamins and don’t miss out.