On a cold morning, few things cheer the spirit as much as a bowl of porridge. It’s nearly that time of year when we switch from muesli and other cereals to porridge, or oatmeal as it’s called in the US.

According to respected naturopath and iridologist, Dorothy Hall, in The Natural Health Book, ‘Oats is a grain product that I firmly believe should be included every day somewhere in everyone’s diet. It has so many valuable properties – structural, muscle-building, circulatory, digestive, eliminatory and tonic – that there are good reasons why it should be a staple in every diet.’

Dorothy Hall goes on to say that oat-straw, ‘the outer husk of the oats, which is usually winnowed away’ has the highest content of silicon in the grain ‘so if you can obtain whole oats you are sure of getting the maximum dose of silicon available.’

Anyone who has a history of arthritis in the family, or who already suffers from it, needs a diet high in silicon.

‘The grains of oats contain a tremendous amount of iron, with its copper trace catalyst, and of calcium, much more than is found in wheat or even in rice,’ says Dorothy.

They’re also credited with lowering cholesterol. If you’d like to read what dietician Karen Inge has to say on that matter, click here.

So that’s the good news about oats.

The bad news is that the quick-cooking type of oats - a boon to all who rush off to work in the morning -  ‘may have only half the nutritional value of its slower-to-cook whole type’. Dorothy prefers ‘whole chewy pieces of the grain all through a good porridge’, and says that ‘the less you cook a grain, the more vitamin B it retains.’

Oat flakes are used in toasted muesli, whereas rolled oats are mostly used to make porridge and untoasted muesli. Rolled oats were originally flattened by hand, probably in a mortar and pestle, making them easier to cook. Now they’re flattened by mechanised rollers but if you’d rather do it yourself, you could use a rolling pin and some good elbow action.

Just be aware that instant oats – while fast to prepare – are pre-cooked and won’t do you nearly as much good as the old-fashioned, slow-to-cook variety.

According to ABC Radio National’s The Health Report, oats have a low glycaemic index, which means that they’ll give you more energy, for longer, than a range of other breakfast cereals. Don’t let the ‘health food’ tag scare you off; oatmeal porridge can be a deliciously decadent morning repast.

Here’s a recipe from I know-not-where but which I’ve filed for ready reference for when the really cold weather arrives.

Cinnamon Porridge
(serves 3, or 2 if you’re very hungry)

1 cup (90g) rolled oats (not instant)
Pinch of salt
Pinch of ground cinnamon, plus extra to dust
60g brown sugar
1 tablespoon of water
Thick cream or yoghurt
1 banana, sliced

1. Place oats, cinnamon, cup of water and a pinch of salt in a saucepan.
2. Stir over low heat for 5 minutes, then leave to simmer for 5-6 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place sugar in a saucepan with 1 tablespoon of water and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium and cook for 2-3 minutes until mixture has caramelised.
4. Divide the porridge among three bowls.
5. Toss banana in the caramel, place on top of the porridge.
6. Serve with a dollop of cream (or yoghurt if you really want to be healthy) and a dusting of cinnamon.

Store rolled oats in a cool dry place or in the fridge in a sealed container- they go rancid quickly owing to their high (but healthy) fat content.