It is hard to write a list of healthy meal ideas and not include porridge. The importance of breakfast is well known, and porridge is a great choice of breakfast given that is wholegrain with a good mix of fibres (soluble and insoluble) which can help lower cholesterol as well as making it low GI (glycaemic index) this helps to keep you feeling fuller for longer as well as being, unlike more processed cereals, low in salt and sugar and good source of protein. Here are a number of ideas of different ways to have your porridge:

Most recipes use a ratio of around 1 cup of porridge to 1.5 cups of liquid (milk or water), heated gently on the hob, or for 3.5-4minutes in the microwave. However everyone likes their porridge differently so experiment with the amount of milk you add and the way that you cook it. Don’t rule it out if the first time you try it, if it doesn’t work for your taste.

If you want some other ideas to make it a little more interesting try:

• Adding finely diced or grated apple and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon.
• Adding fresh or frozen berries (most supermarkets stock frozen berry mixes which are a great) and inexpensive way to get 1 of your 5 a day.
• Sprinkle with seeds and/or crushed nuts (golden linseeds are good source of omega 3 and iron and in certain doses may have benefit to IBS symptoms).
• Add a sliced or mashed banana.
• A small drizzle of honey (although this adds some sugar to your breakfast, this may still be lower in sugar than other cereals).

Nutritional content: per 60g serving made with 300ml semi skimmed milk

Calories 315 Kcal
Total fat 8.3g
- Saturated fat 3.6g
- Polyunsaturated fat 1.5
- Monounsaturated fat 2.6g
Carbohydrate 42.5g
Protein 15g
Fibre 5.4g
Salt 0.25g

 

Page last reviewed on 27/05/2017