Perfect Poo Porridge

Poo-phoria – ever heard of it? Well it’s a word to describe the sensation of a superb bowel movement, which is exactly what you will have after eating this perfect poo porridge (PPP).

I’m not sure if this is the most suitable introductory sentence of a recipe blog but hey? Whilst we’re on the topic, did you know that if you’re having fewer than 3 poo’s per week, have hard or lump stool consistency or experience straining or a sense of incomplete evacuation you could be constipated? Luckily there are some simple steps you can take to help normalise your bowel movements, including optimal fluid intake, regular physical activity, and of course gently increase your fibre intake – which leads me straight to my Perfect Poo Porridge…

Perfect Poo Porridge Recipe

• Serves: 2
• Contains: 10g of fibre per serve

Ingredients 

Porridge

• 1 cup traditional rolled oats
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup milk of choice
• 2 TBSP flaxseed meal
• Cinnamon to taste

Toppings

• Green Kiwifruit
• Yoghurt of choice
• Honey / maple syrup (optional)

Method

1. Place oats, ground flaxseed, cinnamon, milk and water in a saucepan. Stir to combine.
2. Cook the porridge over a moderate heat and stir gently, until you start to see the mixture bubble and thicken. Once you notice this, reduce the heat and cook for a few more minutes until you get your desired consistency. Add extra milk or water to thin out the porridge if it gets too thick.
3. Once cooked, serve the porridge with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup, kiwi fruit and yoghurt. 
4. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
5. Additional Topping Suggestions:

• • Prunes, berries, stewed apple and rhubarb, nuts and seeds, peanut butter, tahini or granola.
    

Notes

1. Be sure to buy flaxseed meal and not whole flaxseeds. Flaxseeds are also known as linseeds.
2. To make this recipe gluten free, switch the oats for quinoa flakes. 
3. Traditional rolled oats are preferred to quick oats as they contain a high fibre content and are a lower glycaemic index. 
4. For added protein, you can add protein powder or collagen to the porridge (add once you’ve finished cooking the porridge). Alternatively, you can crack a whole egg into the porridge. (trust me, it doesn’t taste eggy at all. Instead it gives you a nice and fluffy porridge texture).
5. If you notice any bowel symptoms after eating this porridge, I would suspect that it might have been too much fibre at once. Reduce your intake of this porridge but keep it consistent and you will notice your gut becomes more #fibrefit.

Ingredient Justification – ready to nerd out?

Flaxseed Meal

A classic staple in our house. We add it to porridges, smoothies, and baked goods. I could rave on about the many benefits of the humble flaxseed meal, however I’ll let the evidence speak for itself:

• When compared to psyllium husk, flaxseed meal was superior in reducing constipation symptoms, body weight and improving the glycaemic and lipid levels in constipated patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus cohort. PMID: 30661699
• 30 grams (2 x heaped TBSP) of ground flaxseeds (stick them in the fridge to protect the fats from going rancid) may help with hormone profile in PCOS, especially in the luteal phase (Nowak et al., 2007; Haidari et al., 2020).
• Hot (or cool) tip: once opened, store your flaxseed meal in the fridge.

Oats

• Oats are rich in a soluble fibre called beta-glucan, which is great for softening and bulking up the stool as well as feeding good gut bacteria. It is helpful in normalising stool form for people with either constipation or diarrhoea. PMID: 34486656
• Do oats make you bloated? Did you know cooking your oats lowers the resistant starch content meaning the gut microbiota ferment only a small amount of resistant starch, resulting in less gas build up.  As a result, cooked oats are less gas-inducing than raw oats.

Kiwi Fruit

• Two gold kiwifruit a day for 4 weeks significantly improved weekly bowel movement consistency, decreased straining and were found to be as effective as fibre-matched psyllium in treating constipation in adults. PMID: 36235798
• Eating a whole kiwi (Yes, with the skin on) increases its fibre content by a whopping 50% more than if you eat it without its skin. My preference is green kiwi fruit, which contains 3.5 grams of fibre (skin on).

Yoghurt

Yoghurt is another OG superfood but when there are so many to choose from, its hard to tell what is the best choice. I recommend purchasing a brand that contains research strains of beneficial bacteria such as:

• Activia yoghurt contains Bifido animalis DN-173 010 which has been shown to be effective in helping with constipation by reducing colon transit time from 62hours to 33hours.
• Vaalia contains Lactobacillus rhamnosus, LGG®  and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis, BB-12®  Both of these strains have shown to promote beneficial bacteria in the gut and improve symptoms of constipation.
• Jaalna yoghurt contains prebiotics and 5 probiotic strains. (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis, Lactobacillus casei), Synbio 100 (Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus paracasei).

So if this hasn’t convinced you to try my Perfect Poo Porridge then do it for the taste? If you prefer a chocolatey alternative, try my chocolate chia pudding.

And if you have tried it, in as much or as little detail (never TMI) let me know what you think in the comments.