Almonds & Porridge

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By Chloe McLeod, Dietitian

In Winter, we tend to want something nice and warm for breakfast, but how can we make it exciting, and healthy?

For me, my favourite breakfast in winter is Porridge. However I do sometimes find it can get a little bit boring…. even with the addition of berries or banana, cinnamon, yoghurt…

I miss that ‘crunch’ you get from cold cereal, and I have been finding many of my clients feel the same. So what to do?

Research is showing that almonds are a fantastic addition to breakfast. In a recent randomized control trial* of adults with impaired glucose tolerance, inclusion of almonds reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes; those who included almonds stayed full for longer, and also had lower blood glucose levels.

The exciting thing about this study was that improvements were not just shown after breakfast; improvements continued on until later in the day, after the second meal as well!

Furthermore, consuming 30g of almonds per day can also help reduce levels of bad cholesterol.

Almonds supply healthy fats, protein, fibre, vitamin E, calcium, zinc, and plant sterols; all important components of a general healthy diet.

Addition of almonds to your breakfast, whatever you choose to have, is a great way of maintaining your overall health, along with your blood glucose levels.

If you’d like any more information about how to maintain blood glucose levels, or any of the other topics I’ve touched on today, as always, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Porridge with blueberries, cinnamon and some chopped almonds for brekky sounds devine…

Hope you all have a good day, and for those Sydney-siders reading, enjoy this gorgeous sunshine whilst it lasts!

*Mori, A.M, Considine, R.V, Mattes, R.D, 2011, Acute and second-meal effects of almond form in impaired glucose tolerant adults: a randomized crossover trial; Nutrition & Metabolism, 8:6 http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/8/1/6