Oatmeal Craze Sweeping Britain
If you thought oatmeal was for dour Scots and miserable kids, think again! The health benefits of oatmeal have seen it take off as one of Britian's favorite breakfasts.
Oatmeal, called "porridge" by us Brits, has taken off in recent years. I'm used to seeing "porridge bars" catering for hungry commuters at London's big train stations, and I'm not the only one who's noticed this trend.
The Guardian explains that porridge is the new power breakfast, stating:
One of Britain's oldest and most pragmatic dishes has metamorphosed into the morning meal of the moment, eaten by pop stars and politicians, suits and surfers, models on castings and actors on film sets...
Oatmeal is big in the States too, so much so that Jamba Juice have just announced another Oatmeal for a Buck deal.
Oatmeal is a healthy breakfast choice because:
- Oats are naturally high in fiber and keep you full
- Unless you add sugar yourself, it's a sugar-free option
- You can mix your oats with skim milk or even water
- Eating oatmeal regularly can help lower your cholesterol levels
There's really no excuse not to get in on the craze! Oatmeal takes mere minutes to make in the morning (I microwave mine while I'm doing the dishes, although purists would stir it in a pan over a low heat!)
And, don't be put off by a childhood dislike, give oatmeal another try, and add fresh or dried fruit, or a few chopped nuts and seeds to jazz it up a bit.
Are you an oatmeal fanatic? How do you like yours?
First tip is to go away from quick cooking oats! Try steel-cut or extra-thick cut oats that you cook on the stove. It still doesn't take long and the texture improves. I like mine with natural almond butter.
Alternately, the raw oats are good mixed in plain yogurt with a ripe banana (or a little maple syrup)
ReplyOh! And I like some vanilla protein powder in it to give the breakfast more protein if I don't want to cook eggs, too.
ReplyI use jumbo oats (a third of a cup) and use half low fat soya milk and half water (to make up a cup of fluid). The soya milk is a bit sweeter than regular milk which helps. Then I have a tsp of honey and a dsp of toasted almonds - it's very nice. I found it exploded in the microwave so stick it on the hob on the lowest heat whilst I have my shower.
ReplyI love porridge especially on cold winter mornings... and I know this is probably nothing short of criminal but our family loves it with grated cheese!
ReplyReally??? I cannot imagine how that would taste--think I might give it a go! :-)
ReplyEwww. I guess I should'nt knock it til I've tried it.
ReplyI suspect my fiance would love that (he's fond of what he calls "lemon cheese" - lemon curd - in porridge...)
ReplyMy dad has eaten a bowl of oatmeal with a yogurt mixed in every single day of his life since I can remember. We ate it almost every day as kids when it was cold outside. As I got to be a teenager, I didn't have as much time in the morning to eat it, but when I went off to college and started getting serious about working out and eating healthy, I started eating it again. Now I eat a bowl of it every day for breakfast...I like it sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg. But I do think that cari's cheese idea sounds kind of different--kind of like cheese grits, I guess.
ReplyLove oatmeal & my mixed grain hot cereal too! I add protein powder, frozen blueberries or cherries, ground flax, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla stevia & more!!! Of course, not al at the same time! But I always add in my protein powder. Good stuff!
ReplyI like regular Quaker Oats oatmeal microwaved plain with salt. Sometimes I'll switch and add peanut butter.
ReplyLove my oatmeal also.I don't measure it when cooking, so I make more than I can eat in one serving. I then put the rest in a plastic bag and refrigerate.
ReplyMy oatmeal is now made for the week.
I reheat in microwave.It saves me time in the mornings and I get a healthy breakfast.!!
Never thought of doing that! Does it go lumpy or stodgy or anything? Or does it keep fine in the fridge?
ReplyI do this too - I find that if I just add a bit of water and stir it in, it's just fine.
ReplyYou've to got to keep it interesting or else it gets boring quickly. My favorite is mixing in various frozen berries.
ReplyI absolutely LOVE oatmeal. Because I am rushed in the morning, I make the instant kind, and omg it's the best! I eat the original and I put a lemon yogurt (just a couple teaspoons) on top and it sets the hot oatmeal off due to being cold. AHHHH i am already looking forward to breakfast! hahahah xD At first, I hated oatmeal (had to put milk on it) but now I can just eat it plain. Oh... some may find this gross, but cottage cheese w/ oatmeal is great too! :D
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