Wednesday 22 January 2014

Low FODMAP Recipe: Spiced Porridge

Regular readers will know that I have been moaning about regularly blogging about not having done any yoga since Aaron was born.  Despite teaching yoga from 2004 to 2010 and even attending White Tantra Yoga 2010 with Aaron in my tummy, I haven't done any since (White Tantra is hardcore in my yoga discipline of Kundalini Yoga).  Well, in 2014, EVERYTHING seems to be falling into place, and *drum roll* I did White Tantra Yoga this past Saturday (18th Jan 2014).  

Yes, it is crazy to go from NOTHING, complete inactivity, for 4 years, to a WHOLE day of yoga - but it worked and I feel like a new woman!  I will be blogging about it this week - I have even got before and after photos.  

Anyhow, I had the foresight to know it would be a long long day, so for the first time in about a year, I had porridge for breakfast - I LOVED IT!  Despite having it at 7 a.m. it kept me going till lunch which was at about 13:00!  I've had it every day since, and actually will be having it late today, as soon as I finish this blog post.  So I was thrilled to get the below guest post, having suffered from IBS personally in 2000-2001 (I nailed it, AND lost 3.5 stone back then by changing my diet).  I also actually got rid of Candida and PCOS back then too (the 3 tend to go hand in hand).  For anyone struggling to lose weight, if you have those, the thing to do is to give up sugar.  That is the single most productive thing you can do and you will see really swift results.  People said it was like I melted in front of their eyes - I went from a size 16/18 to a size 12.  It only took from February 2001 to June 2001 and I was a radiant, slim bride for my wedding in October 2001.  Yes, once upon a time I was very healthy #nostalgia  This recipe sounds great, so as soon as I get the ingredients I will be making it, and coming back to add my thoughts - sounds DELICIOUS! 
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I will add my own photo once I have made the below.
Despite being heralded as the most important meal of the day, breakfast can be the most difficult meal of the day if you are on a low FODMAP IBS Diet - click here for more information. Start each day off simply with this homely dish - stuffed with fruit, spices and wholegrain oats, this twist on the morning classic will provide energy for the whole day, and make you feel great! Cherries and sultanas enrich the flavour as well as providing essential antitoxins, and give you that burst of freshness so often ignored in traditional porridge dishes. Warming and comforting with a rich blend of spices, indulge a little with this unique recipe and feel fulfilled every morning!

This is a great replacement for those breakfast foods that are hard to stomach if you have a food intolerance – such as breads, pastries and cereals. It releases its energy slowly, so you’re going to feel great until lunchtime, and instead of cramming down whatever’s handy, you’ll feel like you’ve made the best possible start to the day. And of course, it’s especially good in winter when you need something warming to get you up and running.

Depending on how much time you have in the mornings, you could always make the spiced porridge the day before and refrigerate overnight. Heat up gently for 5 minutes in the morning, and you’ll be good to go! There’s no problem making a big batch too and eating it throughout the week. Porridge is always served best with milk or golden syrup, but if you need to concentrate on the healthy option, why not look out for extra seasonal fruit to use as a topping? You could even try stirring in other nuts, dried fruits or even a little orange zest before serving.

Ingredients
For the porridge:
175g rolled porridge oats
900ml rice milk
Pinch freshly ground nutmeg
Pinch ground ginger
½ tsp ground cinnamon
100g dried cherries
50g Sultanas
Small handful pecans, roughly chopped

Golden syrup and apples for topping
Method

1. Mix the porridge oats, rice milk, ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon together in a saucepan and place over a medium heat. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 6 minutes, stirring, until thickened and tender.
2. Stir through the cranberries, sultanas and pecans. Spoon between bowls and top with the sliced apple and a drizzle of golden syrup.

** Some IBS sufferers may struggle with the dried fruits, due to their high fibre/sugar (fructose) content.  If in doubt leave them out.  (NewMumOnline edit: I could not tolerate dried fruit when I had Candida and PCOS).

Want to know more about controlling IBS or worry you may be suffering from a food intolerance? A great place to find out more is from nutritionists at YorkTest.

This post was a collaboration with York Test.  I hope you found it interesting, and I hope like me, you will try the recipe above.  I am off to have my morning dose of porridge. Yummy in my tummy.  I have mine with honey!

5 comments:

  1. Wow - you really are making good with all the new year motivation still! Me too though, I have bought a vaporizer and so have quit cigarettes, I have continued with the lovely flylady.net and am almost there with my visa application :)

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  2. Ps - it is all thanks to the inspiring post you wrote at the beginning of January!

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    1. Oh you have made me humbled by saying that. Well I got my inspiration from Hannah at New Addition Blog; she introduced me to Fly Lady.

      What I have noticed since, is that the 2014 (which you and I are benefiting from) is incredibly nurturing, supporting, and comforting. It seems to provide resources exactly when they are needed, similarly inspiration. It's like we have become channels to what we need, when we need it, and it's right there, right time, right place.

      Even though I knew last year, that this would be a feminine year, I forgot that that would mean it would be full of feminine energy and by its very nature (in the positive aspect) feminine energy is nurturing, caring, providing and supportive. We are benefiting from it, and if we stay on this crest of a wave, great things will happen.

      It is so beautiful, when you can literally channel from, and work with the very essence of Mother Nature, when she is being creative rather than destructive. In G.O.D. there is G for generator, O for organiser and D for destroyer. I guess we are in a generating phase. Let's enjoy it as long as it lasts. I am also benefiting from this being an Aquarius month (as I am) and being the age of Aquarius. I finally feel like I have come into my own. We now need to "step into our magnificence" as Anya Older Single Mum is prone to say, and become all that we can be :-)

      xxx

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  3. I am so thrilled to hear you've gotten back to your yoga, how wonderful! I know you were missing it from when we spoke at the Morrisons event and a couple of times before (as well as here on the blog!). I have also gotten back into it, and it feels like just what my body needs me to give to it. I just read your reply to the comment above with interest, as I have been finding that I have been coincidentally encountering a lot of that supportive, nurturing, collaborative feminine energy you talk about - from the new Tuesday linky #AllAboutYou I've started with Luci of Mother.Wife.Me and Georgie at City Girl at Heart, to a discussion today with a former colleague about starting a business network of supporting and recommending each other for freelance work to be freed from the shackles of corporate work. Sorry, I've slightly gone off-topic from the yoga I started off congratulating you for, but your words in the comment above really resonated with me right now xx

    Mama-andmore.com

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Drop me a line, and I will visit you right back - as soon as I get chance. Thanks for your comment.