Porridge is either healthy and watery or soaked in syrup and packed with calories? Wrong! Porridge can also be creamy and refined with delicious toppings and is a healthy treat. At the same time, the porridge keeps you full for a long time and prevents cravings. Reason enough to find out more about the power breakfast.
- Porridge Nutritional Values
- Macronutrients in Porridge
- How much protein does porridge provide?
- Vitamins and trace elements in porridge
- Fiber Bomb Porridge
- How many calories does porridge have?
- Can porridge help with weight loss?
We'll show you how to integrate important nutrients into your diet for breakfast. At the same time, you can keep track of things and avoid accidentally creating a calorie bomb.
Porridge Nutritional Values
Porridge made from oat flakes is not only delicious and diverse. It also keeps you full for a long time and is packed with nutrients, especially protein and fiber. With just a few ingredients you can prepare a delicious breakfast and at the same time cover a large proportion of your daily requirements for many vital substances. 
Per 100 grams, oatmeal contains:
- 372 kilocalories / 1562 kJ energy value
- 59 g carbohydrates (of which 0.7 g sugar)
- 10 g fiber
- 14 g protein
- 7 g fat
- 0.02 g salt
Oat flakes are comparable to semolina in terms of protein and fiber. However, oat flakes contain significantly more fat and fewer carbohydrates.
Macronutrients in Porridge
A classic porridge based on oat flakes offers the optimal composition of the three macronutrients carbohydrates, protein and fat. Macronutrients are considered the basic building blocks of nutrition and are essential for all metabolic processes that take place in the body.
Carbohydrates are important sources of energy, and the body needs protein and fat for vital processes: these include the formation of muscles and bones and the construction of cell walls. Fat is also necessary to absorb and process fat-soluble vitamins. A porridge for breakfast not only makes you full and happy, but also provides the basis for an energetic day.
How much protein does porridge provide?
Oatmeal provides around 14 grams of protein per 100 grams.
If you want to increase the protein content, use soy or pea-based milk alternatives for your porridge instead of water, oat or almond drink. Depending on the product, these additionally provide up to 5 grams of protein per 100 ml.
It's not just the porridge that provides protein for breakfast: a delicious topping of nut butter or nuts and seeds provides an extra portion of protein. A dollop of soy yoghurt rounds off your vegan protein breakfast .
If you prepare your porridge from 50 grams of oat flakes with 250 pea-based plant drink and top your breakfast with crunchy almonds (10 g or 1 tbsp) and creamy soy yoghurt (30 g or 2 tbsp), you will get a protein content of around 23 grams per serving !
Vitamins and trace elements in porridge
In addition to the three macronutrients, you also need to get micronutrients from your diet. These include vitamins and minerals. Although they do not provide energy and are only needed in small quantities, they are essential for many functions in the body.
This porridge provides vitamins.
Oats and oat flakes are particularly rich in vitamin B1 and vitamin B6. The healthy grain also provides vitamin K and vitamin E.
Trace elements in porridge
Oats contain large amounts of magnesium, iron and calcium. Zinc can also be found in the grain.
This table shows you which tasks the most important micronutrients contained in oats fulfill and to what extent you can cover your daily requirement with 50 grams of oat flakes in one portion of porridge. Depending on which toppings and other ingredients you use, you can optimize the supply.
| micronutrient | function | Coverage of daily needs according to DGE1 |
| Vitamin B1 | Function of the nervous system | 0.28 mg = 28% |
| Vitamin B6 | essential for many metabolic processes | 0.05 mg = 3.6% |
| Vitamin E | protects skin cells from free radicals | 0.4 mg = 3.3% |
| Vitamin K | Formation of blood coagulation factors | 31.5 µg = 52.5% |
| To demand | Oxygen transport | 2.2 mg = 14.7% |
| Zink | for skin, hair & nails + immune system | 1.82 mg = 22% |
| Calcium | Stability of bones and teeth | 8 mg = 0.8% |
| Magnesium | Muscle, brain, and nerve function | 60.5 mg = 20.2% |
1Reference amounts for adult women between 25 and 51 years.
Do you value iron in your diet? Then prepare a delicious millet porridge. This pseudo-cereal is particularly rich in iron and is also ideal if you also need a gluten-free vegan breakfast .
Fiber Bomb Porridge
With a fiber content of around 10 percent, porridge made from whole grain oat flakes is one of the best sources of fiber you can find.
Fiber is the indigestible plant fibers of a food. They therefore cannot be used to generate energy, but have many positive effects on health:
- Fiber prevents heart disease, obesity and high blood pressure.
- A diet rich in fiber can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
- Fiber helps with weight loss: It keeps you full for a long time and causes your blood sugar levels to rise slowly after eating. The result: Less cravings.
- A sufficient intake of fiber supports healthy digestion and keeps the intestinal flora healthy.
Topped with fresh fruit and soy yogurt, you can further increase the amount of fiber on your breakfast table. Fun fact: Animal foods contain little or no fiber.
How many calories does porridge have?
One thing first: fewer calories does not mean that a meal is healthier. If you do not provide your body with all the nutrients you need and are permanently far below your calorie requirements, important bodily functions cannot be maintained. You should never risk your health for a calorie deficit.
How many calories your porridge ultimately has depends on the ingredients you use. What is more important than the calorie content is that you eat whole foods that you enjoy and fill you up.
Calculate the calorie content of porridge
For our basic recipe, we assume 50 grams of oatmeal. This gives you around 175 calories.
If you cook your porridge only with water and salt, the bill is already over - but the taste is very bland.
However, if you cook the oats in 250 ml of milk with 3.5% fat, around 160 kcal will be added. The vegan version with oat drink, however, only has around half the calorie content.
Sweeteners have a high energy density. It doesn't really matter whether you use honey, date syrup or agave syrup. For one teaspoon you have to expect around 30 calories.
Last but not least comes the freestyle: toppings! If you use delicious spices such as cinnamon, cardamom or vanilla, you will give your porridge a heavenly, delicious aroma - without additional calories. However, things are different with nut butter, nuts, fruit or granola.
Is all this calculation too complicated for you? We'll show you how many calories your breakfast could contain using these vegan porridge recipes :
| recipe | Basis (50g) | liquid | Toppings | calories |
| Banana Porridge | oatmeal | 250 ml almond drink | Almond Toffee Topping | 650 kcal |
| Overnight Oats | oatmeal | 100 ml almond drink | 50 blueberries + 1 tsp Almond Candy + 1 tbsp pistachios | 583 kcal |
| Millet Porridge | millet | 250 ml almond drink | Strawberry rhubarb compote + 1 tsp pink cashew | 450 kcal |
The topping makes the difference
We now know: Oatmeal itself is rich in nutrients, relatively low in calories and keeps you full for a long time. Whether your porridge becomes a calorie bomb or not depends primarily on the topping.
This list gives you an overview of the approximate energy content of our favorite toppings:
- 1 TL almond paste: 65 kcal
- 1 tbsp cocoa nibs: 60 kcal
- 1 tbsp chia seeds: 70 kcal
- 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds: 60 kcal
- 1 Banana: 120 kcal
- 50 g blueberries: 20 kcal
- 1 tbsp raisins: 30 kcal
- 1 TL honey: 30 kcal
- 1 tablespoon of soy yogurt: 12 kcal
So you see:
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Nuts and seeds are comparatively high in calories, but they also provide healthy fats that you shouldn't miss out on.
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You should use honey or syrup in moderation: a teaspoon is often enough to sweeten your porridge.
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Dried fruits and fresh fruits are delicious and sweet, but they differ greatly in the amount of calories they contain. If you want to lose weight, it's better to rely on fresh berries. Dates and the like are always a good choice to satisfy your craving for sweets.
But being sparing with toppings doesn't mean that you should avoid them altogether. Fresh fruit, nuts, seeds and kernels are important components of a healthy diet and provide important vitamins, fatty acids, protein and iron. Bowl toppings also make your breakfast really tasty!
Tip: These porridge toppings , which are reminiscent of sweet desserts, not only taste outrageously good, but are also all prepared without refined sugar.
How many calories per day do I need?
Don't underestimate your daily calorie needs. These are very individual and depend on age, gender, weight and physical activity, among other things. According to the German Nutrition Society, the daily requirement for adults between the ages of 25 and 51 is between 1,800 and 2,400 calories.
If you eat three meals a day, they should be between 600 and 800 calories. There is definitely a handful of nuts or a teaspoon of nut butter as a topping on your oatmeal!
How many grams of oatmeal should I eat for breakfast?
The answer is simple: as many as you need to feel full. If you are not full and satisfied after the first meal, cravings are guaranteed. It's better to give the power breakfast the opportunity to provide you with the energy you need until lunch. If you don't have much time to prepare your porridge warm in the morning, you can use overnight oats.
Is porridge suitable for losing weight?
You probably know the effect: after a delicious porridge for breakfast, you can easily last until lunch without a snack or hunger.
In a study published in the American Journal of Nutrition, scientists compared porridge and oatmeal-based breakfast cereals. The result is not surprising and confirms our gut feeling: porridge keeps you full for longer and reduces cravings. The calorie intake at lunch is also lower after a delicious porridge breakfast compared to a breakfast made from cereals. The reason for these results is the high fiber and protein content in porridge. Porridge can therefore help you lose weight.
Sources:
https://www.dge.de/wissenschaft/faqs/ausgewaehlte-fragen-und-antworten-zu-ballaststoffen/
https://www.dge.de/wissenschaft/referenzwerte/thiamin/
https://www.dge.de/wissenschaft/referenzwerte/vitamin-b6/
https://www.dge.de/wissenschaft/referenzwerte/vitamin-e/
https://www.dge.de/wissenschaft/referenzwerte/vitamin-k/
https://www.dge.de/wissenschaft/referenzwerte/eisen/
https://www.dge.de/wissenschaft/referenzwerte/zink/
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