IMG_7676.jpg

Warming & Nourishing Turmeric Drinking Porridge

You, like me, may find it hard to eat breakfast. Yet I’m often coaching clients to eat a breakfast rich in protein and healthy fat within an hour of waking up. Among other things, eating a nourishing breakfast within an hour of waking up promotes stable blood sugar throughout the day. This alone can greatly improve focus and mood, help one to feel more grounded throughout the day, increase energy, and enhance our ability to manage stress, reduce anxiety, reduce inflammation, and much more.

This drinking porridge (originally a delicious but failed attempt at making my own oat milk) allows me to eat and enjoy a simple, nourishing meal early in the day, even when I don’t quite feel like eating. It is a great alternative to smoothies which can be overly cooling for some people’s bodies, especially in the colder months. It is also a nourishing late-night snack option for those of us who wake up hungry in the night, or a “healthy dessert” for those of us with a sweet tooth.

In addition to cinnamon, ginger, and clove, this porridge features the herb turmeric. Turmeric is a popular herb commonly used to reduce inflammation and manage pain. Regularly consuming turmeric may provide the same pain-relieving effects as NSAIDs, but without the side effects. It is also antiviral, supportive to liver detox processes, and supportive to digestion. It is used by herbalists to reduce inflammation, relieve common digestive and menstrual complaints, and to ward off cold and flu. It is warm and drying, cozy on a warm winter morning or night. (But if you already run warm and dry, you may want to reduce your intake of this herb.) Note that you always want to include at least a pinch of black pepper when cooking with turmeric–its what activates the main medicinal constituent. (Find studies and additional information here.)

To increase the protein content of this porridge, I add collagen powder. Collagen fully dissolves into water where it becomes undetectable. It has the same protein content as your average protein powder, but without the added sugar and questionable flavor. For a plant-based porridge, feel free to exclude the collagen and/or consider adding your favorite vegan protein powder. Or skip it all together, just be sure to consume adequate protein to start off your day! To learn more about the health benefits of collagen, check out my Immune-Boosting Mushroom Bone Broth recipe.

Make it yourself:

Servings: makes 2-3 hearty mugs

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup rolled oats

  • 4 cups room temperature water

  • 2+ tablespoons coconut oil

  • 2 tablespoons collagen powder* (I recommend the brand Vital Proteins)

  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder

  • ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, grated (or ½ teaspoon ginger powder)

  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder

  • 1 pinch of clove powder

  • 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 pinch pink Himalayan salt or sea salt

  • 1-2 tablespoons honey

Directions:

  1. Before going to bed, combine the oats and water in a small pot. Let sit overnight. (If you don’t have time to soak the oats, that’s fine. Just add a little extra water when you cook them so that they stay more liquid-y.)

  2. The next morning, add the coconut oil, collagen powder, spices, salt and pepper to the soaked oats. Heat on low heat and mix thoroughly. Because you soaked the oats overnight, they are already broken down enough to be consumed. When heating them, the goal is not to cook off the water and condense the oats into oatmeal. Instead it is to lightly thicken the porridge and allow the other ingredients to be absorbed.

  3. Once it’s warm, stir in the honey. Continue warming, stirring often.

  4. As soon as all the ingredients are dissolved into the water and the water is very close to a simmer, pour the porridge into a blender (or use an immersion blender). Blend the porridge until it is an even consistency and you cannot see individual pieces of oatmeal. It should be somewhat thick and gelatinous but still watery enough to easily pour it and sip it from a mug. If you’d like a thicker porridge, continue heating the blended porridge on low-heat to a thickness of your liking.

  5. Ladle into your favorite sipping mug and enjoy!