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Shrove Tuesday is just around the corner. Also known as Pancake Day, Shrove Tuesday is the last feasting day before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. So with 5th March 2019 fast approaching, now is the time to start thinking about healthy pancake options.
If you are on a weight loss campaign, or you are keen to maintain your current weight, then pancakes could just prove to be too much temptation. However, with a little careful planning, thought and preparation, you too could enjoy pancakes aplenty – without the guilt.
Let’s take a closer look at how to make pancakes healthy:
1. First of all, start with addressing what goes into your pancake batter. A basic pancake batter consists of flour, eggs and milk. So whilst you may wonder how and where you can make the healthy swaps, rest assured there are a few options! Why not switch your normal white flour for whole-wheat flour, which is higher in important dietary fibre. And what about the milk? Instead of full fat or semi-skimmed, opt for skimmed milk to keep the calories as low as possible.
2. Frying your pancakes in butter may taste great, but it won’t do your diet, health or waistline any favours. So try swapping your normal butter for a couple of quick squirts of sunflower or rapeseed oil cooking spray. Butter is a form of saturated fat, which can raise the level of cholesterol in your blood. High cholesterol levels increase your risk of developing heart disease. The latest UK guidelines for daily saturated fat consumption are 30g of saturated fat a day for men, and 20g of saturated fat a day for women.
3. Now turn your attention to some healthy fillings. Lemon juice is ideal, but not when it’s accompanied by spoon after spoon of sugar or syrup. With recent reports and research suggesting sugar is responsible for causing a whole host of unwelcome illnesses, reducing your sugar intake to the recommended 36-grams a day is essential.
So with this in mind, why not try a squeeze of lemon with some sultanas or raisins for a naturally sweet and nutritious hit. Ground cinnamon, ground cloves and ground ginger offer taste in abundance, but without all the calories of sugar and syrup. How about choosing honey as a natural sweetener, and perhaps topping with a little low fat yoghurt for some extra goodness and nutrition. Or fresh blueberries, strawberries and raspberries boast an array of vitamins and minerals, and they’re sweet and tasty too.