Can porridge for breakfast make me feel terrible all day?

[quickkimchi]

To reduce my cholesterol I've swapped my usual breakfast (boiled egg or two, slice of buttered toast) for porridge with seeds and fruit (apple, prune or dried apricot). The rest of the day I eat and exercise normally, same kinds of meals as usual, lots of green veg and pulses, sometimes a bit of meat. No other changes that I'm aware of.

Since changing my breakfast I find I feel hungrier sooner, I'm snacking more and by evening I feel awful - tearful, frustrated, cross, disproportionate to whatever I'm dealing with at the time. Can this be due to the change at breakfast? Or is it more likely to be something else (eg lockdown + perimenopause)? And if it is down to porridge, can I adapt it (more fat? more protein?) to work for me?

Porridge goes straight through me and makes me feel hungry sooner. The advice that it keeps you fuller for longer is utter tosh as far as I'm concerned.

Yes

The protein in the eggs is much better for you (longer lasting wise) than porridge

The porridge and fruit just doesn't last

Do you actually have high cholesterol?

@Ginfordinner

Porridge goes straight through me and makes me feel hungry sooner. The advice that it keeps you fuller for longer is utter tosh as far as I'm concerned.

Same here. I wish it did fill me up, as I do like porridge.

But what I don't like is the feeling about an hour later that I haven't eaten for a week and need to eat everything in sight.

It doesn't much agree with me either. I'm the same as you - couple of eggs and all is fine!

@Ginfordinner

Porridge goes straight through me and makes me feel hungry sooner. The advice that it keeps you fuller for longer is utter tosh as far as I'm concerned.

Me too.

Laurie yes, not sky high and this is the first time. It's been a big deal in my family resulting in stroke, bypass surgery, vascular dementia etc so I'd like to keep on top of it, or at least see if my efforts will help. I'm adding other foods with soluble fibre (lentils etc) and thought that oats in the morning not only cut my egg and butter intake but actively reduce cholesterol. I'm having eggs twice a week-ish now instead of every day. I thought no one needs to eat 7-14 eggs a week? But maybe I do

Gin Barbara yes 100%, I almost feel panicky I'm so hungry, then that panicky feeling is kind of in the background all day.

Some people react like this to porridge, I'm one of them. If I have porridge for breakfast then I am starving all day long. It doesn't fill me up at all.

It's supposedly because the carbs make your blood sugar go crazy, so it's better to have a protein and fat filled breakfast.

Yes I love porridge but it makes so hungry! I avoid it as otherwise I'm snacking all day. As pp have said, it's so carby. That horrible feeling you describe is probably your blood sugars crashing after being spiked by the porridge.

What type of porridge? You need the old fashioned steel cut kind rather than quick cook or sachets.

What about adding yoghurt? Or just having yoghurt. I have Greek yoghurt with blueberries and a tablespoon each of a high protein granola and mixed seeds. That keeps me more full than porridge I find.

Could you have porridge for lunch?

Or otherwise don’t bother at all with porridge and get some of the cholesterol reducing foods to have within you diet - the Benecol brand isn’t it? But supermarkets do their own version.

I'm a slim size 8, healthy BMI and just found out my cholesterol is too high. Just under prediabetes levels. My diet before was mostly carbs and sugar as I've never had to worry about my weight. So my fear on changing to a healthy diet was losing weight, which I don't want to do.

I'm the same as you. I know porridge is meant to keep you full but I'm starving an hour later too. I'm having a big smoothie for breakfast which I'm trying to pack with as much soluble fibre and protein as possible. I add lots of fruit and some veg such as avocado, spinach or kale. I use oat milk in them. Then I add lots of other healthy things which make them filling:- mixed seeds, oats, chia seeds, flax seed, hemp protein powder and nut butters.

Just an idea of something for you to try anyway.

For lunch I make a lot of different veg soups and have them with brown seeded bread. It have a whole meal
Wrap and lots of veg sticks, fruit and nuts.

Maybe fruit and full fat Greek yogurt might work for breakfast or a mid morning snack? You can add oats and seeds to that too maybe?

Is it the fruit? That might be causing a sugar up and down. Have you tried porridge with more seeds and nuts, no fruit?

I can't eat porridge, or have a high carbohydrate breakfast either. It makes me feel terrible. I'm fine with eggs and I eat about three a day for breakfast.

Have you considered going low carb/moderate carb? Eat meat and vegetables, cut down on the grains?

Just to add, carbohydrates are not particularly satisfying, and you probably need to eat more fat and protein. Eggs are primarily that, hence it being so filling.

Dh had high cholesterol and lowered it just by swapping from butter to Benecol or whatever that low-cholesterol spread is called. He doesn;t use it any more but he did for several months. You could try putting that on your toast and go back to poached eggs.

I've started eating toast in the mornings and it does the same - starving by mid morning. I really need to go back to no breakfast or healthy breakfast.

MNnickname yes, I might do that, or as a snack or something.

Peridot toomany I love Greek yogurt but 1) I'm trying to avoid dairy as it gives me sinusitis and 2) not sure if full fat yogurt isn't also full of cholesterol? Cannot deal with the fat-free version, which I guess would add protein.

Not sure if it's all the carbs or the lack of fat that doesn't suit, I read that porridge has a lot of protein so it's puzzling. I put a drizzle of olive oil on one morning but no difference, I can't eat nuts (hard to digest, make me feel a bit ill), I do like peanut butter on an apple as a snack but I can't eat more of it, I'm kind of maxed out on pb.

Oddly the panicky feeling is the same as when I tried to do a very low carb diet, I just couldn't eat enough to stop feeling hungry, tried it twice and couldn't even get through a whole day.

I had a boiled egg and piece of toast this morning, showered and dressed, made my mum some food, descaled the shower head, washed the dogs and cleaned the windows inside and out all done cheerfully instead of shaking and internally screaming. Eggs are like little energy pods!

Porridge makes me hungry too. I'd stick with the eggs.

I do have the Kind nut bars for a quick breakfast or full fat Greek youghurt, berries and paeleo granola, that fills me up

are you using fine porridge oats or steel cut ones?
maybe try a compromise of a small portion of porridge & one egg for breakfast.

The eggs might not be as bad as you think. Recent research seems to suggest that although eggs are high in cholesterol, they don't actually raise cholesterol levels

Put a spoonful of nut butter or handful of nuts on the porridge for protein, which will help keep you fuller for longer.

I’m type 2 and can only have porridge if I have chia seeds with it as well, without them I’m left feeling tired & no motivation. So it’s possible it causes a spike in your blood sugar have you had your blood glucose levels checked?

Sorry Tiers x post, but as above I didn't have any luck with low carb, it made me miserable. I did cut out what I think of as an 'extra' carb (second piece of toast at breakfast, potato/polenta/whatever at dinner) because as soon as the days get short in autumn I crave carbs and they make me sleepy. So if I make pasta for example, I use a whole big bag of kale or whatever and small amount of pasta with it.

Does anyone know why the protein in oats isn't sufficient? I read they have about the same amount of protein as quinoa. Maybe I'm wrong, I can't see how a single tiny egg (we have those pullet eggs, they're very small) + slice toast + smear of butter has such a different nutrient profile to bowl porridge + seeds + dab of olive oil. In other words it's not three eggs and cheese cooked with a big knob of butter, it's a tiny boiled egg made of magic obvs.

Dietary cholesterol doesn't really affect blood cholesterol, it's saturated fat and sugars that are the issue. There's no reason not to eat eggs if that's what you prefer. They aren't massively high in saturates.

Thanks for all the ideas, I appreciate it. Bit of anxiety around diet, I've never had an eating disorder but I don't like putting too much focus on food. My mum is an anxious eater and it's kind of a trick to eat well while trying not to think about it too much. Not sure if I'm putting that across well, I'm super normal, balanced and happy about my diet until I try to control it too much.

Can't eat nuts or nut butter (they make me feel ill), will look into chia seeds.

I'm not sure about blood glucose, GP did say I'm not diabetic so they did some kind of diabetes blood screen.

I agree about the eggs maybe not raising cholesterol, I suspect it's a familial weakness catching up with me, it's more trying to make room for foods that help reduce cholesterol.

I read that you can buy whatever's in the Benecol foods in a capsule and that might be a way forward.

I usually eat porridge with yoghurt banana and blueberries, but I do sometimes crave eggs and eat this:
Scrambled eggs with a carrot and tomato salad that has been dressed with lemon juice and a teaspoon of olive oil. I sometimes add a dollop of hummus and/ or a little grated cheese. I adore this combo and keeps me satisfied most of the day.