I've always had the impression that oatmeal and porridge were the same concept, but used different part of the oats, or differently milled oats at least. (i.e. porridge oats are not the whole oat squished, they are a refined product. I understood oatmeal was the whole oat squished, porridge oats have the germ, husk etc. removed.
I may of course be wrong, it's been difficult ot get any clarity on the matter the few times i have looked into it, and without being abe to buy something called 'oatmeal' in the UK, impossible to compare.
What we call oatmeal in North America is what they call porridge in the UK. Technically, I think that porridge is any type of hot cereal.You had me curious so I looked it up. It’s complicated for my hurting ME brain tonight, but it seems oatmeal is a type of porridge. Porridge can be made of a variety of grains.
https://www.foodsforbetterhealth.com/porridge-vs-oatmeal-33248
What we call oatmeal in North America is what they call porridge in the UK. Technically, I think that porridge is any type of hot cereal.
I've always had the impression that oatmeal and porridge were the same concept, but used different part of the oats, or differently milled oats at least. (i.e. porridge oats are not the whole oat squished, they are a refined product. I understood oatmeal was the whole oat squished, porridge oats have the germ, husk etc. removed.
I may of course be wrong, it's been difficult ot get any clarity on the matter the few times i have looked into it, and without being abe to buy something called 'oatmeal' in the UK, impossible to compare.
“Oats: A grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland appears to support the people.”
– Samuel Johnson, A Dictionary of the English Language
A long time ago (1980’s/early 90’s) I did work on b-glucan research and it’s cholesterol lowering properties.Oatmeal is a type of cereal and porridge could be made of another type of cereal and still be called oatmeal, whereas we would call it something else. That’s what I understood. Also you’re right, porridge is always hot.
B-glucan is soluble fibre so like pectin and gums ...so nice and smooth with no scratchingAn anecdote :
Several years ago I increased the amount of soluble fibre I ingested by taking psyllium seed husk powder in lots and lots of water every day. I did this for a few years. I found that it lowered my high cholesterol by a substantial amount, although it wasn't my cholesterol that made me try the psyllium seed husk in the first place, it was gut/bowel problems. After a few years it was discovered that I had what was described as a giant polyp in my colon, and it was bleeding. I don't know why, but ever since the polyp was removed I've never been able to tolerate psyllium seed husk again. I have wondered whether the psyllium seed husk was actually the cause of the polyp I got. Fibre can scratch the surface of the bowel, and if it happens repeatedly I think it is possible it encourages polyps to grow, but I can't prove this. Nobody else in my family has or had a history of colon polyps or bowel cancer, and none of them ever took fibre supplements that I'm aware of.
B-glucan is soluble fibre so like pectin and gums ...so nice and smooth with no scratchingIn a beaker it looks a bit like runny wallpaper paste...obviously oats have insoluble fibre as well. I always thought physyllium husk looked a bit like hops ...what does it taste like?
Great tip for vegetables ! I do buy prepared fresh salads but they get boring. I also buy all prepared meals, like shepard’s pie. I can’t really cut vegetables, so I sometimes buy them cut as well, but never really thought about cooking them in the oven. Ma daughter makes those for me sometimes.
I’ve never seen canned chicken, but I don’t know if I would like that. I’ll have to search for it.
Shepherd's pie has no pie crust.
It is basically a thick stew topped with mashed potatoes.
In England I've only ever seen medium oatmeal.
Shepherd’s pie sounds delicious, but we’re not shepherds anymore. It has a pie crust, right? If so, I’d put that to not more than four times per year if you’re serious about battling this condition.
...made with minced lamb (hence the shepherd bit). If it contains minced beef, it's cottage pie.
Can you tell that my mother was a school cook?![]()