Porridge has been eaten around the world for thousands of years. In Europe, this oat dish originally comes from the Scottish Highlands, where it has been eaten as “Brochan” since the first historical records. In China, the first rice porridge has been proven to have been eaten even earlier, around 4,500 years ago.
Some of us may remember from our childhood that we were given porridge when we were feeling unwell or had stomach problems and that we found it rather bland in taste. But porridge has now become a real trend food due to its excellent nutrients and its easy digestibility. Exotic and unusual recipes have given the traditional dish a good reputation. The fact that porridge can be used to have a warm breakfast that is not only healthy and filling, but can also help you lose weight, ultimately makes this oat meal an all-rounder.
In this article we would like to take a closer look at why porridge is so healthy, why it is advisable to have a warm breakfast and which nutrients porridge provides us with.
Why have a warm breakfast?
We all heard from our grandmothers that porridge is a healthy and warm breakfast. Nowadays, however, many experts and nutritionists also advise eating a warm breakfast and often recommend warm porridge.
Aside from the fact that warm meals are easier to digest because the warmth of the food relieves our intestines of some of the work involved in the digestive process, they also relieve our immune system. Why? It's simple: if our intestines have to worry less about digestion by using energy for digestion, they have more energy for other tasks in our body, such as the immune system. A win-win situation for everyone: the intestines, the stomach, the immune system and your taste buds.
In addition, people who have a hard time getting going in the morning are better off with a warm breakfast because it doesn't sit as heavy or for as long in the stomach as, for example, cereal with cold milk.
Larks, Owls and Porridge
Did you know that people can be divided into two chronotypes based on their biological clock, their biorhythm?
Someone who sleeps late and has earned a reputation as a morning grouch is not necessarily lazy or sluggish, but an owl.
Early risers, on the other hand, are called larks - and these are not cute nicknames that have found their way into our everyday language, but are scientifically based. Sleep medicine specialists divide people into two sleep types: larks and owls.
Which type we belong to is partly in our DNA and can also be learned by us. So if you are a natural lark but have to work the night shift in a hospital, there is no reason to despair. A team of researchers from Monash University in Melbourne have discovered that we can influence our biorhythm and our sleep type through training. It is also interesting that larks live a day according to the 23-hour rhythm, while owls actually organize their day according to 25 hours. But what exactly does this have to do with our porridge?
Larks have a faster biological clock. This means that early risers are more active in the morning and wake up faster, which is why their digestion is also more active than that of owls.
Early risers therefore cope better with a cold breakfast than owls. So if you wake up late and have trouble getting up in the morning, the same applies to your intestines.
Your digestion will thank you for a warm breakfast, such as a bowl of warm porridge. Nevertheless, a warm breakfast is also recommended for larks, as these sleep types are at their peak in the morning. Larks can therefore work and think best before lunchtime. A high-fiber breakfast, which regulates blood sugar levels, is therefore also recommended for this sleep type, so that a low point does not set in around midday because the energy from breakfast has already been used up in the first few hours after getting up. Likewise, the energy saved by a breakfast of warm porridge can be better used for the peak in performance.
Carbohydrates in Porridge
The carbohydrates contained in oatmeal are complex carbohydrates. This means that they are processed very slowly by our body, which in turn has a positive effect on our health and our weight.
By the way, the carbohydrates in porridge do not mean that you cannot lose weight with this food.
Quite the opposite: the dreaded yo-yo effect of losing weight very quickly and then gaining it back again very quickly is avoided by eating carbohydrate-rich porridge. Carbohydrates are vital for our bodies and as long as they are consumed in large quantities and come from healthy sources such as oatmeal, there is nothing wrong with eating carbohydrates regularly.
Low-carb not recommended
If you avoid carbohydrates during a diet, the so-called low-carb diet, your body will probably break down fat reserves quickly, but will build them back up just as quickly when you then start eating normally again.
Studies have shown that low-carb diets can lead to premature death, promote cardiovascular disease and cause digestive problems. Instead, choose high-quality, complex carbohydrates and get your body used to a healthy diet.
Is porridge healthy?
The answer to this question is clear: Yes, porridge is healthy. Very healthy! Oat flakes are made from oats. After harvesting, the husk and the inedible parts of the oats are removed, leaving behind a kernel, the whole grain. This kernel contains a high proportion of carbohydrates, proteins and soluble fiber, as well as unsaturated fatty acids.
The oat flakes from which the popular porridge is made also contain numerous vitamins, such as vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6 as well as vitamin K and vitamin E.
Oatmeal is also not lacking in trace elements and minerals. Oatmeal contains iron, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, magnesium, selenium and manganese.
The health potential and benefits of porridge can have a positive effect on our overall health and well-being. All of these nutrients provide our body with a balanced and ideal basis for starting the day with new energy. In addition, oatmeal also keeps our blood sugar levels constant, which prevents sudden cravings. Oatmeal also creates a low glycemic response in our body, which in turn protects the pancreas.
Studies have also shown that porridge probably has probiotic properties that help keep our intestinal flora healthy and regulate it.
If oatmeal and porridge are so healthy, wouldn't they also be the perfect food for losing weight or do the carbohydrates ruin our plans?
Lose weight with porridge
If you want to lose weight, you should avoid carbohydrates - that was the motto for a long time. But we now know that there are some carbohydrates that can actually help us lose weight. And the good news is: these include the carbohydrates in our oatmeal!
You can lose weight with porridge if you pay attention to a few things. If you want to lose weight in a healthy way with porridge, you can definitely do this with oatmeal without suffering from cravings or having to forgo important nutrients. Since porridge can be prepared in a variety of different recipes, you can always create new variations without getting bored or throwing in the towel with a growling stomach.
When you are on your porridge diet, make sure that you prepare the porridge with water or milk and do not mix in too much sugar. Our porridge varieties, such as the BIO Protein Porridge Berries , already contain high-quality Swiss milk protein, so you can prepare the porridge with just water, which makes it particularly suitable for diets and weight control.
If you want to lose weight, avoid adding any sugar when preparing our protein porridge variants. Instead, you can garnish the porridge with fruit. Fruits with little sugar include all berries (which are full of vitamins), grapefruit, apricots or prickly pears.
Even hearty porridge recipes, such as those with avocado and egg or spinach and mushrooms, provide a varied and tasty diet that allows you to lose weight healthily without having to go hungry.
Eating smart and sensible
With Swiss Smartfood® you eat sensibly and with pleasure. The quickly prepared and culinary sophisticated porridge recipes all have a deep, glycemic response and are packed with exquisite and natural ingredients from local producers in Switzerland.
The BE THE CHANGE protein porridges are the perfect meal for anyone who wants to enjoy a healthy, quickly prepared and long-lasting meal without compromising on taste and health. We offer various varieties of delicious organic porridges that provide you with an easily digestible oat meal with Swiss organic oat flakes and Swiss milk protein.
We always produce Swiss made. This means that we almost exclusively use local ingredients, often even directly from the farm. This means we have short transport routes and can ensure quality. We implement our own projects to promote regenerative and organic agriculture, as well as sustainable animal welfare. This creates new sources of food or we breathe new life into familiar products. We network with experts and specialists from agriculture, food technology, the packaging industry, science and medicine in order to explore new, innovative paths together.
ORGANIC Protein Porridge Dates & Figs
Swiss Smartfood® 1 Dates & Figs is a tasty porridge, i.e. an oat meal, with a balanced recipe made from selected Swiss organic ingredients. When mixed with boiling water, the natural aromas unfold and the organic oat flakes swell to create a fine culinary delight. The organic dates and organic fig pieces give the porridge a natural sweetness.
The oat flakes contained are rich in beta-glucans, which help maintain normal blood cholesterol levels. A positive effect can be seen with a daily intake of just 3g of oat beta-glucans. The low glycemic response of the recipe is gentle on the pancreas.
ORGANIC Protein Porridge Swiss Chocolate Cacao Nibs
Swiss Smartfood® 1 Swiss Chocolate Cacao Nibs is a tasty porridge with a balanced recipe made from selected Swiss organic ingredients. This porridge is made with the finest Swiss chocolate and delicate cacao nibs to round off the taste experience.
Here too, the oat flakes are rich in beta-glucans, which help maintain normal cholesterol levels in the blood. A positive effect can be seen with a daily intake of just 3g of oat beta-glucans. The low glycemic response of the recipe is gentle on your pancreas.
ORGANIC Protein Porridge Berries
The BIO Protein Porridge Berries contain fine organic berries that perfect the taste buds.
Swiss Smartfood® 1 Berries is a tasty porridge with a balanced recipe made from selected Swiss organic berries. When mixed with boiling water, the natural flavors unfold and the organic oat flakes swell into a delicious and fruity porridge.
References:
https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/74/2/131/1924832?login=false
https://www.zentrum-der-gesundheit.de/ernaehrung/ernaehrungs Formen/gesunde-ernaehrung/porridge
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26511097/
https://www.aok.de/pk/magazin/ernaehrung/ernaehrungs Formen/low- carb-so-funktioniert-die-trend-diet/#:~:text=Ern%C3%A4hrungsexperts%20Raten%20von%20Low%20Carb,also%20die%20Kidren%20zus%C3%A4tzlich%20belasten.