Best Ever Porridge with a touch of Ayurveda

It seems to be true that as you get older your digestion becomes more sensitive and reactive. I used to be able to eat anything and in large quantities and suffer no consequences. Now I need to eat in a conscious way and choose carefully what I put into my body. Don’t get me wrong, for the most part of my adult life I’ve endeavoured to eat organic wholefood. However, these days there seems to be an increasing overload of weird stuff that goes into or onto our bodies no matter what we do. One of my daughters rang the other day to tell me she had read the label of the ‘organic’ rice milk that she had been enjoying of late and there it was. To her disappointment they were using canola oil. As my other daughter told me recently with regard to food “you have to choose your battles”. Taking into account the high prices of everything so-called organically produced, for most regular families to make those healthy choices it must feel almost unachievable.

I found some coconut sugar in the pantry….

My best advice for families is to try and grow as much fruit and veg as possible. This is quite a commitment, but one that pays off in the LONG TERM. For renters I know this is even more difficult. I’ve tried growing lots of salad greens and herbs in large pots and this does work. Having fresh greens/herbs on hand is a big bonus. Try to avoid all the stuff that is altered. Lite this, trim that, GE this and that. Lets get back to basics and yes eating porridge for breakfast is a fine example. Since the onset of winter, I have been hankering for something warm, delicious, nutritious and quick to make for breakfast during these colder months. I absolutely love The Breakfast during the warmer months but I have now found my winter morning fix. This weekend past I was at a rongoā māori workshop and Donna our tutor shared this gem that had been suggested to her by an ayurvedic doctor. Adding a few Indian spices to old-fashioned porridge creates a memorable breakfast. Here’s how.

INGREDIENTS FOR ONE PERSON;

1/2 cup rolled oats (soaking overnight in the water is way better), a pinch of good salt, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, a teaspoon-sized chunk of grated ginger,a very small handful of raisins and 1 1/2 cups of cold water.

METHOD;

Add everything to a small pot and bring to the boil. Stir until thick and smooth. Serve with milk or cream, a drizzle of honey, maple syrup or a sprinkle of brown sugar. When using grains, soaking overnight is so much better for you. It’s all about the phytic acid binding to minerals in the gastrointestinal tract and then it’s unable to be absorbed in the intestine which can lead to mineral deficiencies. Essentially by presoaking your grains, seeds and nuts you are getting much more nutritional bang for your buck.