The main dish for Pancake Day contains flour, eggs, milk, sugar and salt. Sometimes yeast can also be found in the list of ingredients. How many pancakes can be eaten a day without harm to health, we find out with an expert.
Health benefits and harm of pancakes
Pancakes are a rich source of carbohydrates, perfectly satiate and keep satiety for a long time. However, they are very caloric, which can negatively affect the figure.
The caloric value of a buttered pancake without filling can reach 300 kcal.
Due to the content of milk and eggs, the dish is rich in calcium, iron and protein, which is important for muscle recovery, growth and overall body functioning.
People with intolerance to some ingredients, such as gluten or lactose, should reconsider the recipe. Instead of wheat flour, you can use, for example, oat flour, and replace cow’s milk with vegetable milk.
How many pancakes can be eaten a day?
endocrinologist, nutritionist at the Medical On Group clinic (Medscan Group) in Podolsk
“This is a product with a fairly high calorie content. Despite this, people who do not watch their weight, you can not be afraid to eat an extra pancake.”
You can eat two or three pancakes a day and it is best to eat them in the first half of the day: for breakfast or lunch. However, every day such a product is better not to use.
If desired, the number of pancakes can be slightly more than the norm, but provided that the rest of the time you watch your diet.
How to reduce the calorie content of pancakes?
Some methods help to reduce the caloric content of the dish and, as a consequence, increase its useful properties.
So, experts advise using oat flour, barley flour, buckwheat flour, rye flour, whole wheat flour instead of white wheat flour. When baking pancakes, refuse to use oil – modern pans allow you to do this.
Also reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe or do not use it at all. You can sweeten the dish, for example, with the help of fruits or berries.
Add finely chopped herbs (for example, parsley, spinach, dill, onion) or grated carrots to the dough. This will enrich the dish with useful microelements and fiber.
If you want to cook pancakes with stuffing, then as a filler it is better to use low-fat cottage cheese, lean minced meat, stewed or baked vegetables.
Consequences of overeating pancakes
First of all, overeating pancakes can lead to a violation of the gastrointestinal tract (heartburn, pain in the right subcostal region, a feeling of heaviness in the stomach) or to the aggravation of symptoms if you suffer from chronic pancreatitis (disease of the pancreas), cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder).
In addition, prolonged consumption of large quantities of pancakes will affect your weight and may also contribute to high blood sugar if you suffer from diabetes.