Does Porridge Make You Fat? The Truth About Eating Oatmeal
Porridge is one of the most stable dishes for breakfast globally, but many people still ask, “does porridge make you fat?”. This blog is going to give you the answer, as well as answer the most common questions asked about porridge.
This may seem like a boring question, but one of the things we love doing on A Couple Things To Do is answering some of the biggest misconceptions about food. So whether you’re looking to build muscle, cook amazing recipes or find great food on the go, we will share our experiences travelling the world!
Check out the bestselling “Eat to Beat your Diet” which is one of the best books we’ve found for leveling up our nutrition.
Introduction: What is porridge?
Porridge is a dish made by heating or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain in milk/water. Oatmeal is often served with added flavourings to make either a sweet or savoury dish. For example, adding sugar, honey, fruit or syrup for a sweet meal and spices, meat or vegetables for a savoury dish.
One of our favourite recipes for porridge is:
60g porridge oats/One cup of oats
380ml water
Fat-free Greek yoghurt
A dribble of clear honey
Handful of blueberries
Three chopped strawberries
There are many types of porridge, with each type having its own ingredients and flavourings. Here are the three most popular types of porridge:
Oatmeal: Thick porridge made with either old-fashioned oats or quick oats, together with salt and water, takes between 5 and 20 minutes to boil. It is usually sweetened before being served and can be eaten on its own or with toppings like raisins, brown sugar, chocolate chips or even ice cream.
Grits: Ground, dried maize (usually from white or hominy corn) that gets boiled until thick, after which it’s typically seasoned and served savoury. Cheese, herbs and other seasonings are usually added for a new flavour.
Congee: Congee is famous in China, where it is boiled in a broth made from ginger and bones from a chicken. Once it has become porridge, add soy sauce, ground white pepper and salt to taste. Sometimes, people like to add fried garlic slivers, green onions and lime juice on top for extra flavour.
The Truth about Eating Oatmeal and Does Porridge Make You Fat?
Contrary to popular belief, oatmeal does not make you fat. Nothing by itself makes you fat. The only thing that will make you fat is an excessive calorie surplus over a long period.
A calorie surplus means you are consuming more calories than you are burning. Over time this will lead to weight gain, particularly when you are not moving enough. Your body will take these extra calories and store them as glycogen and/or fat to use at a later time - if you don’t use them, your fat stores will expand (source).
The truth with porridge is that it is one of the most nutritious breakfast foods available. In addition, it can help you lose weight, lower cholesterol levels and increase your ability to concentrate. In fact, Henry ate a bowl of oatmeal/porridge most days while he got into the best shape of his life (below).
Oatmeal has a high fiber content that helps keep your blood sugar levels steady and prevents overeating later in the day (for some people).
It also contains a lot of protein which can help build muscle mass and maintain healthy bones. Oatmeal also has a low glycemic index which means it won’t cause spikes in blood sugar as other high-carb foods do.
What’s All The Fuss About? How To Make Porridge Healthier
Why do people ask, “does porridge make you fat?” and why are there so many misconceptions about this staple food?
As we cover in the below FAQs, while oatmeal doesn’t make you fat, we don’t think it is suitable for weight loss unless you are doing lots of exercise during the week.
Below we have added five ways that you can make your porridge healthier:
For a healthier alternative, avoid presweetened instant oatmeal and go for unsweetened instant oats, rolled oats, or steel-cut oats. Many people turn to instant oatmeal packs (we’re looking at you, Quaker Oats…), often packed with sugar and extra calories that you don’t need - you can get the same taste for fewer calories.
MyProtein Flavdrops are your friend: Want a zero-calorie solution to your flavour needs? Look no further than MyProtein Flavdrops. With 15+ flavours, including caramel, chocolate, strawberry and even toffee; you can flavour your oats without extra calories, making it easier to stay in a deficit while eating oats.
Make sure you watch your portion sizes when you make porridge. Larger servings can lead to more calories, while smaller servings mean fewer. To get an idea of how many calories are in your food, check the nutrition label of each ingredient and measure the portions using either a measuring cup or scale.
Add more protein to your diet. Protein takes more calories to digest and fills you up more (source), so by adding a scoop of protein to your porridge, you can quickly up your protein count and curb cravings.
Adding fresh or frozen fruit to your diet can add sweetness, fill you up, and offer a hefty dose of nutrients. They also contain lots of vitamins and minerals. We love getting the big bags of frozen fruit from Costco and adding them to our porridge to fill us up and provide that extra bit of flavour.
Top Tip: Adding frozen fruit to porridge after you’ve cooked your porridge gives you a fantastic combo of hot and cold + hard and soft. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.
Porridge/Oatmeal FAQs
Is Porridge Good For Weight Loss?
In our opinion, porridge isn’t good for weight loss. Porridge isn’t very filling and can be pretty dense, meaning it doesn’t fill you up too well, leading to cravings and snacking later in the day.
Whenever we eat porridge for weight loss, we don’t feel full and get intense cravings to eat - making it hard to stay in a calorie deficit. Instead, we like to eat something like Greg Doucettes Anobolic French Toast recipe, which is more filling, higher in protein and satisfying!
It is also easy to add ingredients to your porridge which massively increases the calories in a serving. For example, adding a bit of peanut butter to your oat porridge can easily add 150 calories.
If you're doing lots of intensive exercise in the week (like when Henry was training for his marathon), porridge can still be a great option as it has lots of energy to keep you fueled. Lots of exercise leads to burning more calories, so it may not matter if you don't feel as full and need to snack more.
Does Porridge Cause Belly Fat?
Porridge does not cause belly fat. Likewise, no single food will lead to belly fat. The only thing that will lead to putting on weight is consistently being in a calorie surplus, i.e. you’re always eating more than you’re burning.
The only way that porridge will cause belly fat directly is if you’re eating so much porridge that you’re in a surplus, and you’re genetically disposed to putting more fat on your belly than the rest of your body. If you don't have a genetic disposition, you’ll put on fat proportionally across your body.
Again, we would always recommend speaking to a registered dietitian before jumping on any diet plan to lose weight. You can also read a study published about losing weight to approach things in a scientific way.
Can I Eat Porridge Every Day?
Of course! You absolutely can eat porridge every day. Oatmeal is a nutritious, tasty snack or meal that’s great for those looking for a healthy way to keep their energy up throughout the day.
During Henry’s marathon training, he ate porridge almost every day to give him energy for his long runs and enough calories to put on muscle throughout high-calorie expenditure.
Does Porridge Reduce Belly Fat?
Porridge does not reduce belly fat by itself. The only thing that will reduce fat is a calorie deficit, but even this will not reduce belly fat alone. It is impossible to “spot reduce” fat, i.e. you cannot reduce fat in one specific area.
To reduce belly fat you need to reduce fat all over your body by being in a healthy calorie deficit.
Is Porridge Good For Your Skin?
Oatmeal is good for your skin: it moisturises, protects, exfoliates and helps you cleanse. It also provides your skin with the nutrients to produce collagen and improve its complexion. Collagen is a protein that enhances elasticity while enhancing your skin condition - this is why oatmeal baths are so popular!
Is there a difference between oatmeal and porridge?
The word ‘porridge’ is commonly used to describe hot cereal with oats. This is misleading as not all porridge is made from oats! People often use the terms oatmeal and porridge interchangeably, but not all porridge is made from oats; additionally, oatmeal can be turned into a type of porridge.
The Truth About Eating Oatmeal Conclusion
Oatmeal is not a bad choice when it comes to breakfast. It is high in fibre, low in fat and healthy carbohydrates. It can also be an excellent choice for people following a vegan or vegetarian diet as it has protein and calcium.
Oatmeal can make you fat (just like eating too much fruit can!), but only if you overeat. Just like with anything, if you overeat, you will put on weight, but don’t be afraid of any food on its own.
If you have any questions or have blog ideas that you would like covered on A Couple Things To Do in the future, then please reach out to the team!
