OAT PORRIDGE
RICE PORRIDGE
SPELT PORRIDGE
For those who feel the cold
This warming oat porridge with sour cherries and cocoa ensures a lovely warm start to the day, whatever the season.
The element earth is represented by sweet figs, crunchy sunflower seeds and almonds, as well as aromatic carob powder. The slight sourness of the sour cherries and the lemon represents the element wood. Oat bran and cinnamon are assigned to the element metal, while fire is present in the form of dark chocolate and cocoa. The fifth element, water, is added by a pinch of salt.
For those in need of harmony
Our harmonising Coconut & Orange Rice Porridge is just the thing for anyone who takes a while to find their equilibrium in the morning.
In this porridge, sweet dates, apricots and fine coconut flakes represent the element earth. Wood is represented by luscious orange and fire by the gently spicy flavour of turmeric. The delicate rice flakes and the spices cardamom and nutmeg are assigned to the element metal. Here, too, a pinch of salt brings the element water into the mix.
For hotheads
A hot breakfast with a gently cooling effect? An apparent contradiction, but according to the Five Elements Theory, the recipe for our Apricot & Strawberry Spelt Porridge makes it possible.
The element earth is represented by a total of seven ingredients: apricots, sultanas, strawberries, apples, beetroot, almonds and amaranth. The basic porridge mix, made from nutritious spelt meal and spelt semolina, is the wood element. Metal is represented by subtle cinnamon and fire by aromatic cocoa. And once again the pinch of salt ensures that the fifth element, water, is included.
Discover our three new varieties!
Have you tried our diverse range of porridges?
Follow the link for recipes and fascinating facts about TCM and the benefits of a hot breakfast
Warm breakfast according to TCM
Warmed up, well saturated, but still light as a feather and full of energy to start the day? All this is possible according to TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) – if you prepare yourself a warm breakfast in the morning and follow some basic rules. That’s why we want to take a closer look at the warm breakfast according to TCM in this blog post and we will explain to you why having a warm breakfast is so healthy. Moreover, we will highlight what the inner organ clock has to do with all that and what should ideally be on the breakfast table according to the principles of TCM.
TCM Nutrition – what is behind it?
For our recipes, we love to be inspired by nutritional philosophies from all around the world. Our particularly soothing and warm TCM breakfast is based on the 5-Elements teaching, a pillar of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Based on the 5-element theory, we have created three finely balanced porridge varieties that make breakfast in harmony with TCM very easy. But what exactly does TCM nutrition mean?
Porridge Trends 2019
Porridge has become a real classic on many breakfast tables. Nevertheless, new variations of our favourite warm breakfast are constantly created. The porridge buddha bowl, the porridge breakfast pizza and the baked porridge are just a few examples of the new interpretations in 2019. Today, we present you the nine most important porridge trends of this year.
What ingredients do we use in our Five Elements Porridges?
All the ingredients used in our breakfast range are selected with the utmost care and thoroughly tested by our Quality Control team before being meticulously blended into our porridges, mueslis and granolas. That's how we ensure that only premium-quality raw materials make it into our products.
Selecting the right ingredients for our Five Elements Porridges is an even more complex process. After all, the distinctive feature of the Five Elements Theory is that each ingredient is assigned to one of the five elements wood, fire, earth, metal or water, so every recipe is a carefully balanced combination of ingredients representing all of the five elements, and on top of that it has to taste fabulous too!
When formulating our recipes we took care to ensure that our range of three porridges contained a warming variety (Sour Cherry & Cocoa Oat Porridge), a harmonising variety (Coconut & Orange Rice Porridge) and a gently cooling variety (Apricot & Strawberry Spelt Porridge).
They are all produced in the Austrian Tyrol, but each of our three organic Five Elements Porridges is based on a different cereal blend. Our Sour Cherry & Cocoa Oat Porridge is packed with healthy oat bran, which has three major benefits: it's easy to digest, rich in beta-glucan and other dietary fibres and helps regulate your blood sugar levels. According to the Five Elements Theory, oat bran is assigned to the element metal and has a warming effect on the body.
Our Coconut & Orange Rice Porridge is based on delicate rice flakes. Rice is accorded special importance in the Five Elements Theory, being highly recommended for its easy digestibility and harmonising, strengthening effect. Depending on the variety, rice is assigned to the element earth or the element metal. The variety we use in our Coconut & Orange Porridge belongs to the element metal.
Our Apricot & Strawberry Spelt Porridge was created around a basic blend of spelt semolina and spelt meal. According to the Five Elements Theory, spelt is associated with the element wood and has a refreshing effect.
We've finished off our porridge varieties with a huge array of different spices, fruits, seeds, nuts and other ingredients. Our Oat Porridge, for instance, contains pleasantly tangy freeze-dried sour cherries, crunchy almonds and sunflower seeds, aromatic cocoa, cinnamon and melt-in-the-mouth vegan chocolate with a cocoa content of 70%.
What gives our Rice Porridge its sweet and spicy flavour? A blend of dates, apricots, orange, coconut flakes, cardamom, nutmeg and turmeric, which also gives it a lovely rich colour.
How do I prepare my Five Elements Porridge?
If you think that porridge is fiddly and time-consuming to make, you're wrong! All Verival porridges take just a few easy steps and are ready to eat in a jiffy. The quickest method requires a kettle: just pour boiling water over the porridge mix, stir well, leave to stand for a few minutes (exactly how long depends on the variety) and enjoy. You can add a quick dash of milk or plant-based drink for an extra-creamy result. This also has the advantage of cooling down the porridge a little, so it's ready to eat more quickly.
What porridge varieties are there in the Verival range?
Our Five Elements Porridges are the latest addition to our existing porridge assortment. Our four original varieties, which we lovingly refer to as our "classics", are slightly sweetened and based on highly nutritious oat bran. They include our Blackberry Porridge and our Poppy Seed & Plum Porridge.
Several years ago we expanded our Porridge range for the first time, adding two savoury varieties: Pumpkin & Tomato and Broccoli. Both of these are excellent as a light lunch or supper, or as an accompaniment.
Our next stroke was gluten-free Strawberry & Chia Porridge with no added sugar, which opened the door to a delicious morning porridge feast for those suffering from an intolerance or sensitivity to gluten. It went down so well, in fact, that it was followed by another three gluten-free varieties with no added sugar, including Bircher Porridge.
Our last innovation before the Five Elements Porridges was our gluten-free Sport Porridge with its delicious chocolate and banana flavour. The latter is extra high in protein for a flavoursome, energy-packed start to the day.
Organic TCM porridges from Verival
What is Traditional Chinese Medicine?
"TCM" stands for "Traditional Chinese Medicine" - a thousand-year-old science that, as the name suggests, originated in China. However, especially in recent years, it has gained more and more importance as an alternative healing method and supplement to Western medicine here in Europe.
According to traditional medicine, the harmony between Yin (matter) and Yang (energy) is crucial for human health and well-being. If the harmony is disturbed, the life energy - the Qi - cannot flow properly. Too much or too little yin or yang, according to TCM teachings, leads to disorders of well-being, weakens the function of the organs or causes illnesses.
The 5-Element Doctrine as a Pillar in TCM
TCM is a science that is thousands of years old and has recently gained more and more importance as an alternative healing method and supplement to western medicine. For this reason, there are more and more TCM therapists and trained doctors in our country who use the 5 pillars and their methods to treat illnesses and restore the flow of life energy.
The so-called 5-element diet is the fifth major pillar of Traditional Chinese Medicine, along with acupuncture, herbal therapy, exercise therapy and massage (Tuina).
Healthy breakfast with TCM
As the fifth pillar of TCM, the 5 elements diet plays an important role in the therapy of diseases and for the balance of Qi in the body.
The special feature of the 5 elements is that each ingredient is assigned to one of the elements wood, fire, earth, metal and water. The elements are then each assigned to a flavour. The element wood stands for sour, fire for bitter and earth for sweet. The element metal stands for the spicy taste and water for the salty tastes.
Especially the warm breakfast plays a big role in the 5-element teachings. We at Verival love warm breakfasts, especially in the form of porridge. Because nothing makes you start the day more relaxed, warmed up and happy than a delicious bowl of porridge. For this reason, we have developed the porridges according to the 5-element diet.
What are the advantages of TCM?
The great strength of this ancient science lies in its holistic nature. Body and mind are understood as an inseparable unit. Thus, Qigong and Taiji are also practised in the movement therapy pillar, which are intended to additionally promote this balance. These are special movement sequences, breathing and coordination exercises that are supposed to purify and strengthen the body and direct the Qi, the life energy.
TCM also uses Chinese Medicinal Therapy (CAT), in which herbal remedies are individually adapted to the patient.
In the 5-element teaching, the fifth pillar of TCM, which deals with nutrition, each food is assigned to an element. The 5 elements should be represented in every meal in order to comply with the principle of wholeness.
Warm breakfast according to TCM diet
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, every person has an internal organ clock. This means that certain organs function better than others at certain times of the day.
The digestive organs, i.e. the large intestine, stomach, pancreas, small intestine and spleen, work best in the morning and at midday between 7 am and 11 am. This means that your body can digest your meals best at this time of day.
In contrast to cold breakfasts, the body has to expend less energy on digesting hot meals. This relieves your organism, strengthens your immune system and boosts your metabolism. Warm meals are also characterised by an increased bioavailability of the ingredients. This means that the nutrients contained can be absorbed better and faster. With a warm breakfast, you can also fight cold feet in the morning.
Breakfast according to TCM - This is how it works
If you want to eat the optimal breakfast according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, then you should definitely start the day with a warm breakfast. In TCM, the warm breakfast is usually prepared in the form of porridge, rice pudding or other cooked cereal porridges. These are then refined with various fruits and vegetables to achieve an optimal balance of the 5 elements.
By the way, oats are one of the most important grains in TCM and are also considered to be the grain with the strongest warming effect. For this reason, it is an indispensable part of a healthy diet, especially in colder seasons. Enjoy oats either as a classic porridge with spices, fruits or nuts or grate some vegetables into the oatmeal to enjoy the cereal in a spicy way.
