Breakfast cereals are notoriously hard to tolerate with gestational diabetes, but porridge oats are often one of the only breakfast cereals which are tolerated by many.
Pinhead (steel-cut) oats
The best porridge oats for blood sugar levels are pinhead (steel-cut) oats.
Pinhead oats are the inner kernel (groat) of the whole grain which has been cut into small chunks. They are less processed than rolled oats and have a slightly lower GI (glycemic index score).
These are oats in their natural form, as they have not been processed or stripped of their goodness and fibre. They look very different to the oats you may be used to making porridge with. They are much firmer, much like rice and take longer to cook, creating a firmer textured porridge with a slightly nutty texture and bite.
Pinhead oats take longer to digest, meaning a reduced spike in blood glucose.
Rolled porridge oats
Rolled oats are the most commonly known type of oats used to make porridge. Rolled oats are made by the groats being steamed and rolled.
Slightly higher GI than pinhead oats, these are faster to cook, and are widely available at a reasonable cost, but are slightly harder to tolerate.
Instant oats
Instant oats such as ReadyBrek are the most processed of the three types of oats. They have been pre-cooked, dried, rolled and processed much thinner, breaking and grinding them into a smaller form. Instant oats are often a blend of finer ground rolled oats and oat flour.
This means that these types of oats are the fastest to cook but have the highest GI score and spike blood sugar levels the highest.
Pairing porridge oats
To help pair the carbs in the oats, we can pair them more heavily with plenty of extra protein and natural fats. I recommend making porridge with milk & cream or water and adding nuts & seeds.
Avoid adding fruit to porridge as this increases the amount of sugar needing to be processed. Try natural sweeteners or sugar-free syrup, cinnamon, or peanut or nut butter if you need added sweetness.
Ingredients
- 25 grams rolled oats
- 180 ml milk full-fat whole milk, or unsweetened almond, soya, or coconut milk
- 2 tbsp double cream (optional), or coconut cream
Instructions
To cook on the hob
- Add the rolled ats and milk to a saucepan and bring to a boil
- Once the milk boils, reduce the heat to a simmer and continually stir until the oats soften, thicken and cook to your liking. This can take 5-8 minutes
- Remove from the heat, stir in the double cream and serve with flavourings/toppings of your choice eg. cinnamon, sugar-free syrup, natural sweetener, vanilla, seeds, nuts etc.
To cook in the microwave
- Add the rolled oats and milk into a microwavable dish, stir and heat on high for 2 minutes
- Stir then add a splash more milk if you prefer a more runny consistency. If the porridge is not cooked enough to your liking, pop back into the kicrowave for an additional 20-30 seconds
- Remove from the microwave, stir in the double cream and serve with flavourings/toppings of your choice eg. cinnamon, sugar-free syrup, natural sweetener, vanilla, seeds, nuts etc.