9 Ways to Make Your Breakfast Pancakes Healthier
You shouldn’t skip breakfast as it is the most important meal of the day when living a pro cheer lifestyle. This is because your first meal is your primary source of energy for daily activities, especially for morning workouts. During the morning, your metabolism is also boosted which makes nutrient absorption at its prime.
This means your breakfast should be filling to keep you energized and satisfied until lunch. At the same time, your morning meals shouldn’t contain a lot of sugar so you won’t experience a sugar crash, sweet craving, and gain weight. But there’s this one type of breakfast food that’s delicious yet unhealthy - pancakes.
They’re sweet because they’re made from refined flour which will make you insulin resistant and at risk of obesity. Pancakes are even unhealthier because they’re made from dairy products that are high in saturated fat. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. You can still make pancakes healthy. Find out how in this article.
1. Make them gluten-free
Some gluten-free pancake flours are just as unhealthy as the commercial flour. Be sure to check if the label of the gluten-free flour you buy says it’s rich in fiber. Examples of these fiber-rich flours are coconut and brown rice flour.
2. Sprinkle in seeds
Seeds have fiber with protein and healthy fats. Mixing flax, chia, poppy, or tiny seeds in your batter will make your cooked pancakes more filling and slow to digest. You can also use chia seeds as an egg substitute if you’re vegan. Just soak the chia seeds first.
3. Mix it with vegetables
This doesn’t mean you should chop green leafy veggies into your pancakes. What I mean is you should mix parsnip or squash puree into your batter before cooking the pancakes. The puree will add a natural flavor and sweetness to the final product.
4. Top it with fruits
Berries are good sources of antioxidants. Their flavor will also be a perfect match for your pancakes as a syrup alternative. There are two ways you can use berries as pancake toppings - sliced and puree.
5. Add nuts
For a better source of protein and healthy fats, grind walnuts, almonds, or other nuts using a food processor. Then, take some of the flour and mix the ground nuts together for the batter. Keep in mind to keep adding a little flour so that the finely ground nuts won’t turn into nut butter.
6. Mix some whole-grain products in
Aside from brown rice, coconut flour, and other gluten-free products, you can also use rye, buckwheat, or whole-wheat flours as pancake ingredients. These goods contain a lot of B vitamins and trace minerals. However, whole-grain flours need more water. You’ll need to make adjustments to your recipe.
7. Choose a healthier milk alternative
Dairy milk is packed with saturated fats which could clog your arteries putting you at risk of heart disease. Use almond milk or coconut milk instead. These kinds of milk are low in sugar and are rich in vitamin E which boosts your immune system. It’s also good for lactose-intolerant people.
8. Use coconut oil in your batter
To fully avoid the use of dairy products, use coconut oil in place of butter. Coconut oil is a good source of electrolytes which will help in keeping you energized and hydrated throughout the day. Accompany that with your workouts and you get to build better muscle and reduce body fat. Coconut oil will also give your pancakes a tropical taste!
9. Make your own syrup
Commercial maple syrup contains 14 grams of sugar per tablespoon (20 g). You get more than half of carbohydrates per serving. The same goes for honey. While both are excellent sources of vitamins, both are still too sweet which can put you at risk of diabetes.
As mentioned in #4, substitute your syrup with berry puree. Berries have a low glycemic index that won’t cause a blood sugar spike after eating a starch-rich meal like pancakes.
Make your daily breakfast healthy by choosing carefully the ingredients for your meals. Follow the rules of thumb: Avoid refined and processed goods. Select better alternatives. Make everything yourself as much as possible.
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