Chocolate Oats? Yes you can!
I really do like chocolate porridge. It feels like I’m having a treat right at the start of the day! Why? Because I’m worth it?! Let’s go with that.
When you look up the benefits of cacao it is not all doom and gloom. You will find that cacao without all the additives that normally go with chocolate (fats, sugars etc), is actually quite a healthy food. It provides things like a bunch of micronutrients (magnesium, manganese, potassium) as well as health enhancing chemicals like the phenolic antioxidants(5,6).
We don’t need to avoid cocoa or cacao in a healthy diet.
Having cocoa in breakfast originally felt a bit weird for me. But I really do enjoy this combination of flavours. There is no added sugar as the fruit takes care of any sweetness you need, although a drizzle of honey or maple syrup (NOT the “Maple Flavoured Syrup”) is not harmful if you like a bit more sweetness.
I’m declaring Oats to be a Superfood!
These are my reasons for oats being a “superfood” (even though I don’t believe in superfoods 😆).
1. Cholesterol management – Beta Glucans, a type of soluble fibre found in oats, help to reduce total cholesterol and the “bad” LDL cholesterol by around 6-8% or by an average of 0.27 mmol/L (1).
2. Helps with weight management – the beta glucans also form a gel like substance in your gut which helps with the feeling of fullness which can last for up to 4 hours for some people (2).
It may also activate the GLP-1 receptors in the gut which is similar to what the weight management medications (like Ozempic and Wegovy) do (3).
3. As a wholegrain they have been shown to be associated with a reduced risk of “coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and death from all causes. With the guidelines saying you can have up to 7 serves of wholegrains a day(4). I would consider this recipe to be one serve.
Oats really are very good for you and finding new ways to include them in your day is a great habit to get in to. So give it a go and see what you think. I’m sure there are other combinations that are also waiting to be discovered!
As far as oats go, I would recommend avoiding the quick oats as they are high GI which means they are processed by our body a lot quicker. Ideally we are looking for low GI oats like rolled oats and steel cut oats. These are better for your health and have a higher fibre content. Generally speaking, the less processed the food, the more nutrients it will contain.
If you want more fibre with less oats, you can buy oats with a higher beta glucan content such as Kangaroo Island Oats. I am selling these with some of my favourite mixes. Email me if you are interested in these.
I would love to hear if you have tried this recipe and what you thought of it. Also if you have come up with any interesting porridge combinations, I would be very interested to hear of them.
Enjoy!
References:
(1) Yu, J., Xia, J., Yang, C., et al. (2022). Effects of oat beta-glucan intake on lipid profiles in hypercholesterolemic adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutrients, 14(10), 2043. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14102043
(2) Rebello, C. J., Chu, Y., Johnson, W. D., et al. (2014). The role of meal viscosity and oat β-glucan characteristics in human appetite control: a randomized crossover trial. Nutrition Journal, 13, 49. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2891-13-49
(3) Baldassano, S., Buscemi, S., Aiello, A., et al. (2016). β-glucans and post prandial satiety: The role of intestinal hormones in healthy volunteers [Preprint]. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints201612.0120.v1
(4) Aune, D., Keum, N., Giovannucci, E., et al. (2016). Whole grain consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all cause and cause specific mortality: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies. BMJ, 353, i2716. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i2716
(5) Crozier, S. J., Preston, A. G., Hurst, J. W., et al. (2011). Cacao seeds are a “Super Fruit”: A comparative analysis of various fruit powders and products. Chemistry Central Journal, 5(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.1186/1752-153x-5-5
(6) Nutrient values for cocoa powder from Food Standards Australia New Zealand. (2025). Australian Food Composition Database (Release 3) [Data set]. https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/science-data/food-nutrient-databases/afcd/search
