Porridge is one of the lowest GI (glycaemic index) foods around, and researchers have discovered that it increases the production of a gut hormone production that suppresses appetite and leads to a feeling of being full.

Low-GI foods take longer to digest and release sugar into the bloodstream than do high-GI foods, such as white bread and processed meals.

Researchers from King’s College London gave a group of 12 volunteers either a high- or low-GI meal, and analysed their blood every 30 minutes. They discovered that the low-GI food produced a gut hormone, known as GLP-1, which made the eater fill more full, and suppressed general appetite and cravings.

(Source: Proceedings of the Society for Endocrinology annual conference, March 18, 2009).