Pancake Day - Benefits of Pancakes

Shrove Tuesday or Pancake day is celebrated in may commonwealth countries and is the day after Ash Wednesday. In countries such as UK, Shrove Tuesday is celebrated by eating pancakes, in other countries like France Shrove Tuesday is called Mardi Gras which translates to carnival day and is the last day of "gorging" before lent begins. Shrove Tuesday is often a reason for many people to enjoy making and eating pancakes. Pancake day may seem like a cheat day however we have a few facts about the health benefits of pancakes.

1. Carbs

Pancakes obviously contain a lot of carbohydrates which is why some people think they are incredibly unhealthy. If you switch normal pancakes for whole-wheat pancakes then you can eat healthier while still enjoying pancake day. Roughly 200 calories worth of buttermilk pancakes (normal traditional pancakes) has 38 grams of carbs, however whole-wheat pancakes have 30 grams, so you're saving 8 grams of fat in your diet. Whole-wheat pancakes also contain fiber, which can help to keep your blood sugar level and blood pressure.

2. Iron

Whole-wheat pancakes will give you around 3mg of iron (16-38% of your daily intake). Buttermilk pancakes have 2mg of iron. Iron gives you energy so it's important in giving you the fuel you need to go through the day. Iron also helps to keep your immune cells functioning, so taking in enough Iron is important to help you fight off disease.

3. Calcium

Calcium is something we all know is important, it's one of those health benefits that we've been told about since we were young. Drink milk if you don't want your bones to break. It's an important source for strengthening bones as well as helping your muscles and nerves function, however you may think that pancakes cant' be a source of calcium. It's surprising how much calcium pancakes have in them. Whole-wheat pancakes have roughly 250mg of calcium (25% of daily intake) while buttermilk pancakes have roughly 180mg (18% of your daily intake).

4. Sugar

Sugar is something that you do need to be careful of, if you include a tablespoon of sugar onto your pancakes it equals to 50 calories and 13g of sugar (which is roughly 4% of your daily intake), this doesn't seem to be much however if you go overboard on your sugar spoonful's then it can quickly become an overload. Sugar excess in your diet has links to obesity, heart disease and diabetes. You can include sugar onto your pancakes just use it sparingly. This includes maple syrup, a single tablespoon of maple syrup has 52 calories and 12 grams of sugar (4% of daily intake)

Pancakes may not seem to be a healthy breakfast food however it has proven results to have positive health benefits. Pancakes are great for any meal plan, you can have them in the morning with fresh fruit like blueberries, you can make them into little crepes, you can also create healthy pancakes with whole-wheat flour like we have mentioned above and you can even create gluten free pancakes.

If you want to learn how to make pancakes we have a easy pancake recipe. We found this recipe off of the BBC Good Food website.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Nutritional Guide for this Pancake Recipe;

kcal 61

fat 2g

saturates 1g

carbs 7g

sugars 1g

fibre 0g

protein 3g

salt 0.1g

Ingredients;

- 100g plain flour

- 2 large eggs

- 300ml milk

- 1 tablespoon of Sunflower or vegetable Oil (plus some for frying)

- Pinch of salt

- Lemon wedges (optional for serving)

- Sugar (optional for serving)

1. Add the 100g of plain flour, 2 large eggs, 300ml milk, 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil and a pinch of salt to a mixing bowl or jug

2. Wisk together the batter until it's smooth

3. Set aside for 30 minutes to rest (if you have time otherwise you can start cooking straight away)

4. Set a medium frying pan over a medium heat and carefully wipe it with some oiled kitchen paper

5. When the pan is hot, add in some of the pancake mixture.

6. Cook the pancake for 1 minute on each side until golden

7. Serve with lemon wedges and sugar (optional)