PROTEIN PORRIDGE

what? There’s nothing new about porridge – the Scots have been eating it since the Middle Ages and, in the UK, we spoon 47 million gallons of it into our mouths annually. The gym-gains upgrade is to add a scoop of protein powder and lashings of nut butter to meet those protein and fat macros.

the tribe Who has time for meal prep when you’re in the gym by 7am? Eats her porridge in the office post-sweat sesh, upgraded with protein powder and whatever nuts she has in her desk drawer. Has been spotted picking the dried oats from the bowl mid-morning.

the nutrition For something oat so simple, porridge is nothing short of a nutritional hero: the fibre found in oats, a compound called beta-glucan, can help lower cholesterol. While you may have had it down as a welcome carbfest, know that 50g oats contains 8g protein, so by adding a scoop of protein powder, you’re getting another 28g – bringing your total count up to 36g – that’s quite the protein hit. A study published in The American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition found that people who ate 35g protein at breakfast felt less hungry throughout the day and experienced fewer cravings. ‘But don’t feel you have to splash out on a fancy powder,’ says Panagos. ‘Topping your porridge with nuts and seeds can help you pack in that protein, too.’