Who’s been eating my porridge?

When I changed my GP I had to have a new patient screening at the surgery.

The practice nurse took a blood sample to test for Type 2 Diabetes and Cholesterol.

When the blood test results came back my  Cholesterol was 7.6 and apparently this is way too high and put me in the at-risk category for heart disease. So the nurse booked me in for a fasting blood test to get a more accurate and detailed reading.

I didn’t want to take Statins so I made some adjustments to my lifestyle to try and lower the Cholesterol level.

My biggest lifestyle change was starting to eat porridge every day.

Studies have suggested that the fibre contained in porridge can reduce cholesterol levels by as much as 23% according to the National Post and the Daily Mail reported lots more supporting evidence for the health benefits of eating porridge.

The practice nurse at the surgery agreed that it was a good idea to start the day with a bowl of porridge and she also recommended baked beans. I’m not a big fan of baked beans so I was hoping the porridge would do the job and contribute to a better blood test result.

I bought some really good oats from a local farm shop:

Yockenthwaite Real Oaty Porridge from Yorkshire.

The oats are more coarse than supermarket porridge oats. They make a really good porridge both for taste and texture and it only takes a few minutes to cook through.

This is how  I make porridge

For one person

Half a cup of oats

One and a half cups of milk and water mixed

Put the oats in a non-stick pan and stir in the liquid.

Bring the mixture to boiling point and lower the heat.

Simmer for about 10 minutes stirring frequently.

Serve with

a dash of milk

a tiny squirt of honey

or a few bits of fruit

and it’s lovely.

Fill the pan with cold water and afterwards the porridge will slide out of the pan easily for washing-up.

A bowl of porridge will set you up for the day and I’m finding that I’m not so hungry at lunchtime.

Some people like to make porridge in the microwave but I think it has a much better texture if you cook it on the stove.

And who’s been eating my porridge?

He-with-whom-I-share-my-life a.k.a Michael, my husband.

So, tomorrow I’ll have to double up the quantities and make enough porridge for two.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.