I can’t abide breakfast cereals, from any perspective – health, taste or aesthetics. As far as taste goes, I think they are wretched, bordering on punitive. In the health department, they have nothing to offer of any value, and most are just sugary mush.
Porridge is an exception to my rule. It is warming, nutritious and quite manly, having been long associated with alpha males, shot-putting in t-shirts and kilts up breezy highlands, or hardened criminals keeping their strength up in prison. Unfortunately it is not much of a looker. It has all the visual appeal of slurry and is redolent of the glue used in primary school craft classes. Other than that, it has much to boast. It is quick to prepare if you uses jumbo oat-flakes, which have been pre-steamed. Unlike other cereals, it has a low glycaemic index (GI), as long as it is made with jumbo oats as opposed to small oats, which can have a fairly high GI. The GI is the rate at which the carbohydrate raises blood sugar and therefore insulin levels, and a low GI is always desirable.
Porridge boasts a soluble fibre called B-glucan which can be partially digested and whose known benefits include its ability to increase levels of the good HDL cholesterol, lower blood pressure, regulate blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of certain diseases such as diabetes and gallstones. One of the more extraordinary features of oats is that they are the only food known to contain a plant chemical called avenanthramide (AV). AV is a polyphenol – a type of antioxidant – which has been found to inhibit inflammation and help prevent heart disease. Chronic inflammation is associated with the formation of plaques on artery walls which can lead to heart disease. These plaques can break off, causing a blockage, either to the heart or brain. AV enhances nitric oxide production, which inhibits the formation of these plaques.Inflammation is also thought to be a risk factor in colon cancer, and AV can significantly inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells in the colon.
Oh porridge! Hot slurry of the highlands, it’s what’s under your skin that matters.
I make my porridge with water (in the microwave) with blueberries. The berries melt into the porridge so no need for any flavour enhancers (salt,sugar, honey etc). Very yummy.
If porridge in the hot summer (!?) isn’t your thing, then Rude Health have some nice cereals which don’t have added sugar. Their spelt flakes are very tastey.
Porridge with melted blueberries sounds yum, and highly commendable. Sling in some nuts and seeds to get some fat and protein and you’ll be well away.