Does your mother ever tell you “porridge is the best thing you could have for breakfast”? Well it seems that she may be right. The word ‘breakfast’ comes from the idea of ‘breaking the fast’ – porridge is ideal for this as it supplies our body with wholesome oats to keep us full for longer.
Oats are the main component of porridge, however if you want to be extra healthy you can add in some blueberries, sunflower seeds and flax seeds for added nutrition. Porridge is very tasty and can be eaten many different ways, with milk or without milk or even with coconut milk or soy milk. The fact is if we don’t have breakfast we crave more food later on in the day and so, unknowingly, consume extra calories than we need.
Returning back to the main component of porridge: oats. They are actually a superfood. Oats are very natural. They contain high fibre, low calories, protein and potassium. Our bodies crave potassium after we consume a lot of alcohol. Bananas are another good source of potassium.
Oats are a flagship superfood for practical reasons – they’re inexpensive, readily available and incredibly easy to incorporate into your life.
Oats, barley and wheat are known as wholegrain foods. They are essential for good health. They provide fibre, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and other nutrients. All healthy diets rely on them. They contain every part of the grain: the bran, the endosperm and the germ. It is the synergy of these three components that makes wholegrains life-sustaining. When grains are refined to make white flour or white rice, the bran and the germ and all their powerful nutrients have been stripped away.
Here are some tips for eating more whole grains
Buy only wholegrain bread
Substitute brown rice for white rice
Buy wholegrain crackers for snacks
Read your breakfast cereals’ labels: get rid of the refined, highly-sugared ones in your cupboard
Emma O’Rourke
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