On a frosty, dark morning, there are few more comforting ways to start the day than with a big bowl of hot porridge.

Humble oats have had a renaissance in the last few years and are now the breakfast du jour for many a trendy foodie - lumpy grey mush is a thing of the past and creamy oats topped with everything from caramelised banana to orange blossom honey is on the menu.

But it could be that your morning bowl of oats isn’t quite as nutritious as you might have thought - if you grab a sachet or pot of instant flavoured porridge every day, you may not have much reason to feel virtuous at all.

Instant porridges are often packed with added sugar and salt.

One pot of golden syrup flavour Quaker Oat So Simple porridge, for example, contains 16.8g (over four teaspoons!) of sugar which equates to just under a fifth of the contents of the pot

British adults are advised to eat no more than 30g of sugar a day, so as delicious as a golden syrupy start may be, you’d be consuming more than half the recommended daily amount before even brushing your teeth (unless you’re one of those people who brushes before breakfast but still).

Quaker Oats golden syrup porridge is one of the worst offenders at 29.5g of sugar per 100g, but they’re by no means alone - here are some of the others to consume cautiously if you’re watching your sugar intake:

MOMA cranberry and raisin porridge - 27.1g sugar per 100g

Kellogg’s Coco Pops porridge - 20g sugar per 100g

Perkier gluten free golden syrup porridge - 19g sugar per 100g

Ready Brek chocolate porridge - 17g sugar per 100g

Oomf! Golden syrup protein porridge oats - 14.4g sugar per 100g

According to the NHS, most British adults and children consume too much sugar, which can lead to weight gain, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Six healthy breakfast recipes to try Show all 6 1 /6 Six healthy breakfast recipes to try Six healthy breakfast recipes to try You will need: 1 onion, 1 red pepper, 1 stick of celery, 1 cup of mushrooms, 4 to 6 eggs, 1 habanero chilli (optional), 1 tablespoon of oil, 25g of grated low-fat cheese, 150 ml of skimmed milk, 50g of turkey breast. Add some spinach for an extra boost. Method: 1) Cook your turkey breast so that it’s ready to add to the mix later on. Best to grill it and then chop it up as it’s healthier than shallow frying. 2) Meanwhile, heat the oil and add your onion, pepper, chilli, mushrooms and celery to your pan. Cook these for around five minutes until your veg is nice and soft. 3) Whisk your eggs and milk together in a separate bowl, seasoning with salt and pepper. 4) Add the egg mixture, veg, cooked turkey and cheese to a high-sided baking pan or tin and cook in your oven for around 15 minutes at 170C. DW Fitness Clubs Six healthy breakfast recipes to try Be careful when you buy your porridge, as some brands will cram a lot of sugar in there. Porridge is a good breakfast option as it is renowned for releasing energy slowly, which means you can get to lunch without suffering from a lull. A great source of fibre, potassium and vitamins, bananas are always a good accompaniment to your morning oats. DW Fitness Clubs Six healthy breakfast recipes to try Ingredients: 2 full eggs, 3 egg whites, asparagus, peppers, 50g of smoked salmon Method 1) Boil your asparagus in water for around five minutes. 2) Meanwhile, mix your eggs and egg whites in a jug, and add a splash of skimmed milk. Chop some peppers up and throw them in too. 3) Once your asparagus is cooked, drain it and chop into smaller chunks. Add these to your egg mixture. 4) Whisk your mixture and season with salt and pepper. 5) Pour the mix into a hot pan with a small knob of butter or a teaspoon of quality olive oil. 6) Cook the omelette for around 90 seconds to two minutes. 7) Once the bottom is cooked, take the pan off the hob and place under the grill for another 30 seconds to a minute in order to cook the top. 8) Serve with your smoked salmon. DW Fitness Six healthy breakfast recipes to try Greek yoghurt has vast nutritional benefits. Regardless of where you stand on the superfood debate, Greek yoghurt’s credentials speak for themselves. A good source of potassium, protein, calcium and essential vitamins, this food forms an ideal base for a healthy breakfast, especially if you’re trying to lose weight. DW Fitness Six healthy breakfast recipes to try Eggs Florentine is not only a tasty breakfast, it also carries a hefty nutritional punch, particularly when you throw some spinach into the equation. DW Fitness Six healthy breakfast recipes to try So fast and easy to make, yet so effective. Wholemeal toast can be a good breakfast choice, as long as you are sensible with your toppings. Peanut butter is perfect. A good source of “healthy fats”, as well as protein and Vitamin E among other nutrients, a liberal spreading of peanut butter can set you up for the day. DW Fitness

Make a bowlful right though, and porridge is undoubtedly one of the healthiest ways to start the day: unprocessed whole grain oats are high in fibre and break down slowly, providing sustained energy. They’re also a natural source of energising vitamins and minerals including magnesium, vitamin B1 and vitamin B6.

Oats are great for your heart health: avenanthramides help clear plaque from your arteries and beta-glucan naturally lowers your cholesterol. “They do this by helping to remove the cholesterol from the digestive system (it would otherwise end up in the bloodstream),” SuperfoodUK nutritionist Shona Wilkinson explained to The Independent.

“Oatmeal is also a great pick if you’re watching your weight thanks to its combination of fibre and water, which causes it to expand in your gut like a sponge so it keeps you feeling full for hours,” nutritionist Karen Ansel told Thrillist.

The trouble is, few of us have time to stand over the stove stirring our oats every morning and instant porridges do all the hard work for us, making them a very appealing option.

However, sugar’s current position as public enemy number one has resulted in healthier, less sugary instant porridges popping up on the scene - Rude Health’s almond butter with sea salt porridge, for example, contains just 1.8g of sugar per 50g pot (3.7g per 100g).

Another way to manage your sugar intake is to start with plain porridge and jazz it up yourself: try Nairn’s gluten free instant porridge oats (1.1g of sugar per 100g) and top with cinnamon and sliced banana to add flavour without lots of refined sugar.

Wilkinson is staunchly against adding sugar to your porridge: “If you want to sweeten it somehow, try adding a small amount of Manuka honey which will provide flavour and sweetness without making it unhealthy.”

She also suggests topping your oats with some nuts to add protein and thus keep you fuller longer.