Recipe: Oat Porridge

A warm breakfast is the ultimate health insurance during cold weather.

Starting your day with a bowl of something well-cooked, nourishing and full of energy is the perfect way to keep your inner fire glowing when it’s cold or gloomy outside.

Oats are a medicinal substance in Chinese herbalism. They calm the mind and strengthen the digestion.

In modern nutrition, oats are recognised as an important prebiotic. Prebiotics are the food that your “good” gut bacteria like to eat. When you feed the friendly ones well, then they fortify your immune system and generate good moods – a perfect antidote to the winter blues and sniffles!

History of Oats

Modern oats are a close relative of the original wild red oat, originating in Asia.

For more than 2,000 years, the oat’s ability to thrive in cool, wet soil has given them a prized place at the table in places like Iceland, Scotland, Great Britain, Germany and Scandinavia.

Traditional Scottish porridge is stirred with a “spirtle” – basically a wooden stick. You can use a wooden spoon if you can’t find your spirtle!

Health Benefits of Oats

• Neutral-to-cool thermal nature
• Sweet flavour
• Strengthens Spleen-Pancreas (digestion), stops diarrhoea
• Lowers blood pressure, reduces risk of cardiovascular disease
• Resolves spontaneous sweating (if caused by internal Heat)
• Helps heat-type skin issues such as boils, carbuncles and erysipelas
• Resolves “Dampness” (sluggish, mucousy, yeast conditions)
• Reduces risks of obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes
• Soluble fibre helps eliminate excess cholesterol
• Rich source of manganese, selenium, vitamin B1, magnesium, protein and phosphorus
• High quality protein: Oat is the only cereal that contains the legume-like protein, avenalin, as the major storage protein, and oat protein has been found to be nearly equivalent in quality as soy protein – meaning it has a near-complete profile of the essential amino acids (those that must be obtained from the diet)
• Saponins in oats increase production of natural “killer cells,” enhancing the immune response to infection
• Rich in lignans, which may help protect against breast and other hormone-dependent cancers
• May protect against colorectal cancer, with possible benefits for inflammatory bowel disease (such as ulcerative colitis) and coeliac disease
• Improve the microbial health in the gut (the microbiome or “gut flora”) and help to reduce inflammation
• Oats and gluten – People with coeliac disease may need to avoid oats, although recent research suggests they could be beneficial – consult with your doctor or dietician for up-to-date advice. For the more common experience of gluten intolerance, however, oats are normally soothing for the digestion. They usually decrease bloating and encourage regularity.

Simple Oat Porridge

• 1.5 cups oats (rolled or steel-cut oats, not “quick” oats)
• 3.5 cups liquid (water, milk, milk substitute or a blend of these, to taste)
• Generous pinch of salt

1. In a heavy-bottomed pot, bring liquid to boil on high heat
2. Reduce to medium and sprinkle oats on top, stir into the water with a wooden spoon (reduces lumps)
3. Bring back to the boil over medium heat, stirring continuously.
4. Then reduce to low heat, cover with lid and let simmer for around 20 – 30 minutes (stir every few minutes to prevent sticking and lumps)
5. Add salt and stir into porridge about half-way through
6. Shorter cooking time will make for a thinner porridge with a more chewy texture; longer cooking will make a thicker, creamier dish
7. Authentic Scottish porridge is made with water only. Then pour some pure cream into a bowl and dip your porridge into it, a spoonful at a time.

Some porridge variations to try:

• Granny’s Favourite: Top with dried fruit and drizzle with maple syrup
• Choc-Malt Hipster: Cook with raw cacao powder and malt or mesquite, drizzle with agave nectar
• Apple Pie: Cook with cinnamon and cloves, serve with grated apple
• Partridge in a Pear Tree: Top with stewed pears, Greek yoghurt and slivered almonds
• Gone Bananas: Top with sliced bananas and a drizzle of raw honey