“Why am I hungry soon after eating porridge?” I have been asked this question a couple of times lately and at first I was incredulous. Porridge – not satisfying? Telling a dietitian that porridge doesn’t make the grade is as bad as telling a parent that their child isn’t as brilliant as they thought.  What could be the problem? Here are my thoughts. Please add your own.

Type of oats – Instant oats or ones which are smaller will be more quickly digested making their glycemic index higher. This means you will feel hungry sooner. Choose big, unprocessed oats, not instant.

Serve size – How large is your plate of porridge? Two pieces of wholegrain toast has 5 grams fibre and 21 grams carbohydrate. 

Friday night is pizza and movie night in our family. Although I love the yeast bases of traditional pizza I can’t be bothered spending that much time. Here’s my quick and easy recipe. It  makes 3-4 thin and crispy pizzas.

Step 1

• Turn oven on to 220C (400F) and pour yourself a glass of wine – it’s Friday night!

Step 2 – The Base

• 1 – 1.5 cups flour (I use half wholemeal, half white)
• 1 dessertspoon baking powder
• A few shakes of Tuscan seasoning or some oregano
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• Enough milk to mix to a dough. (I have used water)
• Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Make a well and add olive oil. With a knife, stir in milk until it forms a dough. Turn out onto floured bench. Divide into 3 or 4. Roll out each piece to desired shape. Place on baking tray lined with greaseproof paper.

Step 3 – The Topping

• Spread with reduced salt tomato paste. Sprinkle each piece with 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese. Add your favourite toppings: chopped ham, kalamata olives, marinated artichokes, pineapple pieces (fresh or canned), semi-dried tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, anchovies. Finish with a few slices of bocconcini (fresh mozzarella) or mozzarella cheese.

Step 4 – The Oven

• Bake at 220C (400F)for 10-15 minutes. Just before pizzas are ready, throw a handful of fresh basil leaves, rocket or baby spinach on top. Cook for another couple of minutes, then serve.

When I first visited Thailand in 1989 there were no fast food chains – and no overweight Thai people. Twenty years later there are loads of fast food chains and many overweight Thais. It’s a tragedy that the worst of our western food habits has infiltrated this amazing culture.

I just had to take a photo of the delicious scallops I cooked on the weekend. I heated some olive oil in a small fry-pan and dumped them in along with finely chopped garlic, ginger and coriander root. “One minute each side, turn them over only once and don’t over-cook them,” the helpful man at my local fish shop ordered me. I obeyed the orders and they turned out perfectly. For NZ$15 we had a smoked kahawai and 12 scallops – more than enough for three of us to eat.

“When I was a kid, scallops just washed up on the beach,” my father-in-law reminisced. They don’t do that now so we headed off to what I think is the best fish shop in Auckland – Marsic Brothers in Glen Innes.