When the weather turns cooler, many of us switch from cereal and smoothies to a warm bowl of porridge for breakfast. Porridge — or oatmeal, as it’s known in North America — has been a breakfast staple for hundreds of years in northern Europe. In Asia, a variation made from rice known as congee has a similarly long history. However, while nutritionists love to sing its praises, some people might find that a bowl of porridge leaves them feeling hungry. Why is that? And how can we make porridge a more filling dish?
Is porridge a healthy breakfast? Yes, according to Emma Beckett, an adjunct senior lecturer at UNSW and a nutrition scientist at FOODiQ Global. “Oats are very nutritious,” she says. “Oats have lots of fibre, which is good for the gut and the gut bacteria that keep us healthy. They have a diverse range of nutrients, particularly manganese, copper, and B vitamins, and they have lots of bioactives, [which are] compounds in whole foods that have health benefits, including those that act as antioxidants.”
So, why am I still hungry after eating porridge? Standard porridge — oats cooked in water and served with a splash of milk and a sweetener, such as honey or brown sugar — is rich in complex carbohydrates. The type of oats you use also matters. Quick and instant oats are more processed than rolled or steel-cut oats, which means that while they’re faster to prepare, they’re also quicker to digest — which will leave you feeling hungry sooner.
How to give porridge a boost
There are several ways to make porridge more filling. One option is to add ingredients high in protein and fat to increase satiety. Nutritionist Jessica Cox says with these additions, “it takes the porridge longer to break down in our digestive system, therefore keeping us fuller for longer”. She suggests adding a scoop of protein powder, nut butter, or a handful of chopped nuts or seeds — particularly high-protein hemp seeds — to your porridge. And while it may raise eyebrows, adding an egg is another effective way to boost the amount of protein in your porridge. The result is porridge that has “a creamier, custard-like consistency”.
Dr Beckett suggests adding a source of fat to the dish, such as full-cream dairy milk. “Don’t be tempted to just go for water as the lower-calorie option,” she says. “Or don’t just eat porridge — have porridge and a glass of milk, or porridge and an omelette.” And finally, changing the base grain is another way to supercharge your breakfast. “Traditional porridge is usually oats, but you can use other grains that are naturally high in protein, like a millet porridge or a buckwheat porridge,” Cox says. Other oat alternatives include quinoa or brown rice. The good news is, “these grains are a lot more accessible in the supermarkets now,” she says.
