It is no longer a secret that porridge for breakfast is healthy. The trendy breakfast not only looks good on Instagram pictures, but is also good for your body.
We have taken a closer look at porridge, also known as oatmeal or oatmeal. Find out which important nutrients you can find in this delicious oat breakfast and how they work in your body:
Does porridge contain a lot of carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates should be an integral part of a balanced diet and are primarily considered energy suppliers in nutrition. Porridge consists mainly of finely ground oat flakes, which mainly contain long-chain carbohydrates (polysaccharides or complex sugars).
Compared to other carbohydrates (simple and complex sugars), which are found in white bread, for example, these supply the body with energy for longer. This can be explained as follows: long-chain carbohydrates are only gradually converted into sugars during the digestion process and keep releasing new energy into the body.
This way, you stay full longer and your blood sugar level rises only slowly . A sharp increase in blood sugar levels is mainly responsible for the rapid storage of fats.
Does porridge contain a lot of fibre?
Porridge contains a particularly high amount of fibre. The high fibre content ensures that you stay full for a long time after breakfast. Fibre is mainly found in plant-based foods such as fruit and vegetables (soluble fibre) or grains and legumes (insoluble fibre). According to nutritionists, the daily requirement is around 30 grams.
Dietary fibre stimulates your digestion and helps to relieve constipation. A high-fibre diet can effectively prevent digestive problems. However, remember to drink enough when you eat or drink fibre. This is because fibre needs enough liquid to swell. It is only when it swells that it stimulates intestinal movement.
The dietary fibres contained in oats have another advantage: the so-called beta-glucans have been shown to help maintain normal blood cholesterol levels and can even reduce them by 3g per day. Beta-glucans also lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Protein – is porridge a good source of protein?
Porridge contains around 10g of protein per 100g, making it a good source of protein. Oat bran even contains 17g of protein per 100g. Protein is not only an important nutrient for building muscle and for metabolism – we couldn't survive without it. Our body needs the amino acids formed by protein for vital processes in our body.
In addition to building muscle, proteins are involved in maintaining our organs, bones, skin, hair and nails. They are also a component of cells, hormones and enzymes. Our immune system cannot function properly without proteins either.
Proteins are often associated with animal products such as meat, fish, eggs and cheese. However, there are also plenty of vegetable sources of protein such as beans, lentils, peas, nuts, seeds and grains.
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What about fats in oatmeal?
When you think of fat, words like ‘unhealthy’ or ‘weight gain’ usually come to mind. Yet fat is one of the most important nutrients of all. We need fats to absorb important vitamins and store energy for cell growth. In addition, fat protects our organs like the liver, kidneys and brain like an inner cushion.
However, you should make sure that the majority of the fat you eat consists of unsaturated fatty acids. The human body cannot produce these itself. For a balanced diet, the body needs around 65g of fat at 2000 kcal, with only a third of this being saturated fat.
100g of porridge contains about 10g of fat. The fats in oats consist of almost 80% unsaturated fatty acids and thus contribute to a healthy diet. Unsaturated fatty acids are also found, for example, in vegetable oils, nuts and seeds.
Oats contain many vitamins
The oats in porridge also contain some important vitamins and minerals. Oats, for example, are rich in vitamin B1, vitamin K, vitamin E and biotin.
- Vitamin B1 or thiamine contributes significantly to the utilisation of carbohydrates and the absorption of energy. Basically, the body needs more vitamin B1 than it can store. It must therefore be regularly ingested through food.
- Vitamin K is important for cell growth and bone formation. It also plays an important role in blood clotting.
- Biotin or vitamin B7 is known for its rejuvenating effect. The vitamin has a positive influence on skin, hair and nails.
- Vitamin E is important for our immune system and helps to prevent cell damage.
Minerals in porridge
Our body depends on the minerals we take in through our food, as it cannot produce them itself. Porridge and oats contain many of these important substances, such as iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc. All of these minerals help our body to stay healthy.
Iron is particularly important for the transport and storage of oxygen in the body. Calcium contributes to bone health. It is also important for the functioning of the heart, lungs and kidneys. We need magnesium for normal muscle function. And zinc promotes cell growth and wound healing.
Would you like to learn more about why porridge is healthy in the morning? Then we recommend our article ‘Porridge is really that healthy’.
