How to Make Nutritious, Healthy Pancakes

So it is Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day tomorrow and that affords us the opportunity to eat pancakes with anything on for dinner. The tradition comes from clearing your cupboards ready for lent, but now we just use the day as an excuse to flip pancakes and indulge ourselves. People often see Pancake Day as a day out of their diet, but this does not have to be the case. Here we will look at the premium pancake for a number of training and health goals. See if there are any that you will benefit from...

The Pancake

Perfect Pancakes?

Obviously the base is all important. The more you can limit the calories here, the more effective your pancake will be, and the more topping you can use. Here is a standard pancake recipe for 6 pancakes, with the nutritional information for one pancake.

·         120g whole wheat flour

·         pinch salt

·         2 free-range eggs

·         210ml/7fl oz skimmed milk

·         90ml/3fl oz water

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the middle and crack the eggs into this. In another bowl mix the water and milk together. Beat the eggs into the flour, and steadily mix in the water/milk mixture. Your mixture is ready to fry. Use a small amount of butter for the frying.

Nutrient	Content Per Pancake	%RDA
Calories	101 Kcal	5
Total Fat	1.7 g	2.6
Saturated Fat	0.3g	1.7
Cholesterol	31.7mg	10.5
Sodium	45.7mg	1.9
Total Carbohydrate	16.3g	5.4
Fibre	2.5g	10
Sugar	1.83g	4.9
Protein	4.17g	8.3

So each pancake is only setting you back 101 calories, and as such you have a healthy base. If you’re worried about cholesterol, remember that a lot of cholesterol is in HDL form, which reduces LDL, the bad cholesterol. Now we’ll look at some pancakes for your diet and training goals…

Pancakes for Weight Loss: Cream cheese, chilli and chicken

Baste your pancake with fat free cream cheese. This only contains 29 calories per pancake, with no calories coming from fat sources. It has 4.4g of protein, which will release chemicals making you feel fuller faster, and extra calcium, which has been found to reduce body fat. On top of this, sprinkle 28g of green pepper, rich in vitamin C and capsicum which has energy boosting properties and aids fat burning. To top it off, add 28g of chicken which adds 46 calories, but plenty of protein, and hardly any fat. Chicken also contains niacin, which boosts fat processing and vitamin B6 for energy metabolism. Spicy and tasty, but with less calories makes this pancake a winner.

Pancake for Muscle Gain: Tuna, rice and avocado pancake

Add a line of rice, about 60g, to the middle of the pancake. This contains no fat, and mostly complex carbs, which will support your workout. Add a handful of white beans, which are full of calcium, copper and potassium which will help you lift. On top add diced avocado, which is full of antioxidants, vital for clearing up free radicals released during exercise, and a source of unsaturated fat for energy production. Finally, top with tinned tuna, about 85g, which contains 33g of protein and a lot of leucine, which is important for protein synthesis. This will help rip you up, and the extra selenium will add additional protection from free radicals.

 Pancake for Energy: Mackerel, quinoa, lemon and parsley pancake

Start with a bed of quinoa, about 60g will do it. That only adds 68 calories to your pancake, but that’s almost all starchy carbs, with only 1g of fat, and hardly any salt or cholesterol. This will give you 12g of carbohydrates to add to your pancake carbs. Top this with some (85g) mackerel, which contains unsaturated fat for extra energy, excellent levels of protein for recovery and stacks of b vitamins. B vitamins, particularly riboflavin and niacin, which boost energy metabolism and regulate blood sugar levels and vitamin B12 is essential to avoid anaemia, fatigue and depression. Drizzle with the juice of half a lemon for zest and flavour, and sprinkle with dried parsley, packed with iron, manganese and vitamin K, good for blood production.

 Pancake for Immune Support: black garlic, kale, spinach, sunflower seeds and blue cheese

Start with a mixed bed of kale and spinach. The kale is full of vitamin A, an antioxidant which will help post exercise. It will also boost vitamin C and K, supporting immune function. The spinach will boost the same things as kale, with extra folic acid for cell formation. Next add black garlic and sunflower seeds to the base. The black garlic is intense in nutrient level, lowering cholesterol and reducing risk of cancer. It also has active natural antibiotics, and because of the process of cooking the flavour and smell are reduced. The sunflower seeds are packed with vitamin E, an essential antioxidant, as well as vitamin B6, for immune support and pantothenic acid which supports nervous function. They also have manganese and selenium, both immune system boosters. Top with chunks of blue cheese, not just for flavour, but the calcium content boosts your immunity creating a tasty pancake with the power to protect!

Pancake Golden Rules

Here are a few things to remember on Pancake Day when you are making your dinner:

1.    Size Matters: The bigger your pancakes, the more calories you’ll consume, so keep the size down.

2.    If your pancake can’t fold comfortably, you’re having too much filling.

3.    Beware the sweet pancakes; they contain a lot of sugar and fats that might be hidden in the fruit!

4.    Eat in small bites; manners mean knife and fork, but this also means you’ll fill up faster, as your brain makes you think you have eaten more if you eat small pieces.

Pancakes might only be a dinner food once a year, but you can still enjoy them and be healthy at the same time. Just make sure you fill the pancake with the right things, and you’ll be full of great nutrition.

Add your own pancake recipes to the comments.
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Happy Eating!