Health benefits of oatmeal porridge

British people call oatmeal porridge. The term “porridge” is often used specifically for oat porridge (oatmeal), which is typically eaten for breakfast with salt, sugar, fruit, milk, cream or butter and sometimes other flavorings. Oat porridge is also sold in ready-made or partly cooked form as an instant breakfast.

Other grains used for porridge include rice, wheat, barley, corn, triticale and buckwheat. Many types of porridge have their own names, such as congee, polenta, or kasha.

Made from ground, rolled, or flattened oats, porridge is common in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, North America, Finland and Scandinavia. It is known as simply “porridge” or, more commonly in the United States and Canada, “oatmeal”. In the US, oat and wheat porridge can both be called “hot cereal”.

A mouthful of history

For millennia, porridge has been a staple food in much of the world. The most ancient evidence of porridge dates back to Paleolithic hunter-gatherers in Southern Italy. The dish has traditionally been closely associated with Scotland, possibly because oats can be successfully cultivated on marginal upland soils. In 1775, Dr. Samuel Johnson wrote that oats were “a grain which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people”.

Nutrition facts

Oats are commonly eaten for breakfast as oatmeal, which is made by boiling oats in water or milk. They are a good source of high quality protein, with a good balance of essential amino acids. Unenriched oatmeal porridge, cooked by boiling is 84% water, contains 12% carbohydrates, including 2% dietary fiber and 2% of fat. A 100 gram serving of cooked porridge provides 71 calories and contains 29% of the Daily Value (DV) for manganese, moderate content of phosphorus and zinc (11% DV each), 8% DV of magnesium, and 7% DV of iron, with no other micronutrients in significant content.

Health effect of oatmeal

Studies show that oats and oatmeal have many health benefits. These include weight loss, lower blood sugar levels, and a reduced risk of heart disease.

Oatmeal is packed with the soluble fiber beta-glucan

Oats are high in the soluble fiber beta-glucan, which has numerous benefits. It helps reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels, promotes healthy gut bacteria, and increases feelings of fullness.

• Oatmeal reduces bad cholesterol: A 2014 review found that daily intake of at least 3 grams of oat beta-glucan lowers total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels by 5–10% in people with normal or elevated blood cholesterol levels. Beta-glucan lowers cholesterol by inhibiting cholesterol production, although cholesterol reduction is greater in people with higher total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in their blood.
• Oatmeal reduces the risk of heart disease: In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration issued a final ruling in 2015 stating that food companies can make health claims on food labels for products containing soluble fiber from whole oats (oat bran, oat flour and rolled oats), noting that 3.0 grams of soluble fiber daily from these foods may reduce the risk of heart disease. To qualify for the health claim, the food that contains the oats must provide at least 0.75 grams of soluble fiber per serving.
• Oatmeal reduces blood sugar and insulin response: These effects are mainly attributed to beta-glucan’s ability to form a thick gel that delays the emptying of the stomach and absorption of glucose into the blood
• Oatmeal helps lose weight: Beta-glucan may also promote the release of peptide YY (PYY), a hormone produced in the gut in response to eating. This satiety hormone has been shown to lead to reduced calorie intake and may decrease your risk of obesity

Oatmeal reduces blood pressure

Whole oats are high in beneficial plant compounds called polyphenols. Most notable is a unique group of antioxidants called avenanthramides, which are almost solely found in oats. Avenanthramides may help lower blood pressure levels by increasing the production of nitric oxide. This gas molecule helps widen blood vessels and leads to better blood flow.

Just jokes:

A tough old sheep farmer from Scotland gave some good advice to his granddaughter. He told her that the secret to a long life was to sprinkle a pinch of gunpowder onto her porridge every morning. The grand-daughter followed this dictum religiously until her death at the venerable age of 103. She left behind 14 children, 30 grandchildren, 45 great grandchildren, 25 great great grandchildren and a forty foot hole where the crematorium used to be.

It’s a sunny morning in a big forest and the Bear family is just waking up. Baby Bear goes downstairs and sits in his small chair at the table. He looks into his small bowl. It is empty! “Who’s been eating my porridge?” he squeaks. Daddy Bear arrives at the table and sits in his big chair. He looks into his big bowl. It is also empty! “Who’s been eating my porridge?” he roars. Mommy Bear puts her head through the serving hatch and screams, “For gosh sakes, how many times do we have to go through this crap? I haven’t made the porridge yet!”

Old lady says to his hubby… “My nipples are as hot today as they was 50 years ago” Hubby replies,”Oughtta be. One’s in your coffee the other’s in your porridge.”