With cold mornings upon us what better way to start the day than with a nourishing bowl of hearty porridge! Porridge is known to be the ultimate morning comfort food for the soul, the king of all breakfasts. It’s not only nutritionally dense, but also a great source of energy and satisfies those hunger pangs for the hours leading up to lunch.
And whilst grains often get a bad wrap, oats as an individual stack up highly on the nutritional scale providing an abundance of vitamins, minerals and a dense source of dietary fibre. Fibre naturally acts as an internal scrubbing brush, helping to eliminate waste keeping the colon tract clean and your gut bacteria happy. It also assists with keeping you fuller for longer thus maintaining healthy blood sugar levels and an optimal weight. Oats are also a rich source of beta glucan, a type of soluble fibre that helps lower bad cholesterol. It acts like a sponge in your intestines and absorbs and eliminates cholesterol-rich bile acids. And although oats are full of vitamins and minerals: including thiamine, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, zinc, riboflavin, niacin, folate, B vitamins, iodine and calcium it’s also what you put on top of your oats that makes it a complete meal.
Berries are a fantastic source of fibre and anti-ageing cell enhancing antioxidants, cinnamon assists in regulating blood sugar levels, raw nuts, coconut and chia seeds provide a powerhouse of good fats, fibre, protein and healthy omega 3’s. All ingredients that when combined make porridge the complete breakfast meal.
Porridge base:
1/3 cup whole rolled oats
150ml filtered water
100ml plant-based milk of choice
Toppings:
2 tbsp chopped nuts (I used a combination of Brazil nuts and almonds)
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp flaked/shredded coconut
½ cup fresh/thawed frozen berries
Your desired amount of your favourite Probiotic Foods supplement powder
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
Coconut yoghurt (optional)
Place all the porridge ingredients into a small deep pot and bring to the boil over medium–low heat. Reduce the heat to low, then simmer for 5 minutes, stirring continuously. You may need more water or plant-based milk as it thickens, so add to your desired consistency. Once cooked turn the heat off, stir in chia seeds, cinnamon and probiotic. Serve with berries, chopped nuts, coconut and a dollop of coconut yoghurt.
Enjoy!
Nutritionally Yours,
Vee