During the week, I usually choose to eat breakfast at the office. Trying prepare breakfast at home, never mind eat it whilst everyone is trying to get out of the door in the morning is not ideal, either for my sanity or my digestion. When you’re juggling a lot, you need a breakfast which is quick to prepare, will keep you going until lunchtime and, of course, tastes great!

Overnight oats fit the bill perfectly. They can be made in seconds the night before and are easy to take with you (or enjoy straight from the fridge at home). Once you’ve made the basic recipe, it’s easy to mix up the toppings or add things to your oats to ring the changes and keep things interesting. Variety is key to a healthy diet, so I’ve included some suggestions of ways to make your oats more interesting below.

There are lots of recipes for overnight oats doing the rounds, but my basic combination is porridge oats, chia seeds and flax seeds with milk. Oats are a wholegrain, so don’t cause spikes in blood sugar and take longer to digest. They are also a great source of prebiotic fibre, which acts as food for our good gut bacteria and keeps our digestion working effectively. Chia seeds thicken everything up nicely and add some additional protein and fibre into the mix. Ground flax is a good source of fibre too. Most of us aren’t getting anything like the recommended 30g of fibre a day, but the basic recipe contains around 7g which is a pretty good start! Add some fruit in, and you’re adding more fibre, as well as one of your 5 a day.

Basic Recipe

30g whole porridge oats

10g chia seeds

5g ground flaxseeds

150ml milk of choice (dairy or a plant based alternative works equally well)

Add all the ingredients into a jar or tub and stir well. Refrigerate overnight. In the morning, stir and add more milk if needed. Add your toppings and serve

Variations

Simple fruit

Top with fresh or frozen berries. You may want to add a small amount of honey to the oats for sweetness.

Peanut butter and banana

Reduce the milk to 100ml and blend with a banana and a tablespoon of peanut butter before adding the oats and seeds. A stick blender is ideal for this!

Traditional bircher

In the morning, add one grated apple, 50g plain yogurt and a pinch of cinnamon, and a few raisins if you like. If you’re really pressed for time, you can grate the apple and mix with the yogurt the night before, just mixing it in with the oats in the morning

Pear and ginger

In the morning, grate a ripe pear and add to the oats with 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger