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A good diet is key to achieving your weight loss goals. The food you eat is what fuels your body, and when you eat has quite an impact on your day. To that end, breakfast is well-renowned as the most important meal of the day, and getting it right can be a great help on your weight loss journey. This begs the question – what should I eat for breakfast?
For many asking this question, porridge appears to be the answer. It’s tasty, nutritious, filling, and even easy to prepare. Porridge can also be tailored to specific tastes or dietary requirements, with the addition of anything from fruit and nuts, to chocolate and spreads, or anything else you might like. While it might look like an appealing prospect, is porridge good for weight loss, and should you make it a part of your breakfast?
In this article, we will answer this very question, cover the nutritional content of porridge, and what it can do for your body.
Porridge and oatmeal – is there a difference?
Before we get started on the benefits of porridge, let’s first answer this common question. Although porridge and oatmeal look very similar, they are, in fact, quite different. Porridge can be made using a variety of grains as a base. Your breakfast porridge could be made from corn, wheat, buckwheat, barley, rice, oats, and a range of other grains. On the other hand, oatmeal contains exactly that – oats. While both dishes are perfectly healthy, their nutritional content is different, and they are not interchangeable.
Why add porridge to your diet?
Porridge has been around for quite some time, but has largely been replaced by modern cereals in many households. There are plenty of brands to choose from, with some emphasising health benefits and others taste, so why bother with porridge over any other cereal? Well, porridge has stuck around for a reason, and once you know why, choosing between porridge and any other cereal at your local supermarket won’t be difficult.
The first and foremost reason is health. Porridge is much healthier than most, if not all other cereal brands on the market. It is made with a grain of your choice, most often oats or wheat, plus some milk or water. These ingredients are usually unprocessed and fresh, meaning they won’t be drenched in additives and the like.
These grains also mean porridge is high in fibre, making it an easily digestible breakfast. Compare this to most shop-bought cereal brands. These brands are almost always heavily processed, meaning they are treated with chemicals, additives, or preservers, and can vary in terms of nutritional content. This can be detrimental to your health, making porridge a good alternative in this regard.
In addition to ease of digestion and a general increase in healthiness compared to store-bought cereals, porridge has a few other benefits, which we will cover later in its own section.
The nutritional content of a porridge breakfast
Eating porridge for breakfast is a good idea for several reasons. It’s an easy dish to make, and it tastes good, but where porridge really shines is in its nutritional content. In one serving of porridge with milk, which is about 235g, you can expect the following:
- 214 calories
- 5.8g fat
- 30g carbohydrates
- 2.9g fibre
- 11 g protein
- 2.1 mcg vitamin D
- 279 mg calcium
- 1.3mg iron
- 438 mg potassium
While the exact nutritional profile will differ between the above and your bowl of porridge, this is along the lines of what you can expect. Naturally, if you treat yourself and throw in some chocolate, you’ll be changing these values a fair amount, so think about what you want out of your porridge before you start throwing ingredients in it. In any case, this level of nutrition for a fairly low number of calories makes porridge a clear winner compared to what you can buy off a shelf.
Is porridge good for weight loss?
Now for the all-important question – is porridge good for weight loss? While plenty of diets would advise you to steer clear, such as the keto diet, porridge can be good for weight loss. More specifically, it is the grains that make the porridge that have been discovered to assist with weight loss.
There are several reasons for this. First, eating porridge for breakfast is a filling and nutritious meal, which can set you up for a day of healthy eating habits. This might not sound like much, but it can be exceptionally helpful, especially for people who struggle with cravings throughout the day. These cravings are often the result of poor nutritional intake, poor timing of meals, or even lack of sleep.
By eating porridge at an appropriate time, you’ll tick the first two boxes. Your body won’t crave as much junk food in a scramble for more energy or nutrients, and you shouldn’t feel hungry towards the end of the day. In turn, this can help improve a negative sleep cycle, which can have further dietary and health benefits.
Eating porridge for breakfast isn’t just about forming good habits. The benefits run much deeper, primarily due to porridge’s nutritional profile. Fibre, for example, is one of the main nutrients responsible for the feelings of fullness after eating porridge, which can help cut down calorie intake throughout the day. Protein is another nutrient found in large quantities, which also helps create feelings of fullness, and is brilliant for building muscle if eaten alongside an exercise routine. Porridge is also a good source of calcium when prepared with milk. In addition to improving bone health, calcium helps the body to burn fat, helping you achieve your weight loss goals quicker.
Also Read: 6 Reasons To Lose 3 Stone
Other health benefits of porridge
Porridge is a good source of nutrition, helps you feel fuller and stave off cravings, and has weight loss benefits. This already sounds pretty good for a breakfast dish, but the benefits of porridge don’t end there. By regularly eating porridge for breakfast, you can help improve your body’s health in various ways. Let’s take a look at a few.
Helps reduce inflammation
Eating porridge has a few lesser-known health benefits, one of which is the ability to reduce inflammation. This ability is particularly strong when you add some fruits and vegetables to your porridge, given the density of vitamin C, fibre, and so on. Combined with porridge, the nutrients of both can increase the amount of gut bacteria that regulate inflammation, leading to a reduction in the severity of symptoms.
Boosts gut health
Following on from the previous benefit, porridge helps improve gut health by stifling the growth of harmful gut bacteria, while increasing the growth and effectiveness of healthy bacteria in the gut. This healthy bacteria can then go on to help reduce inflammation, improve digestion, and help bolster the immune system.
Balances blood sugar
Though it may come as a surprise, eating porridge for breakfast can help balance your body’s blood sugar levels. This is due to porridge lowering the amount of blood glucose and improving the effectiveness of insulin produced within our own bodies, which in turn prevents a rapid increase in blood sugar levels. In fact, some studies suggest that porridge can be a useful part of a diabetic’s diet, due to its ability to reduce symptoms associated with the condition.
Wrapping up
To summarise, yes, porridge is good for weight loss. It can help foster better eating habits, stave off cravings by increasing feelings of fullness, and ensure our bodies get the necessary nutrients. Porridge can also be beneficial to our health in other areas, from helping to reduce gut inflammation, to keeping our blood sugar levels stable. If you’re looking for a healthy breakfast, porridge should be at the top of your list.
Eating porridge isn’t the only way to improve your health and achieve your weight loss goals. At Alevere, we offer a range of services that can help you reach your desired weight. If you need a helping hand on your weight loss journey, don’t hesitate to get in touch today and find out what our experts can do for you.
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