Cleaning up your dietary habits does not need to be a miserable task. There are several small tweaks everyone can make to recipes for a healthy alternative to their favorite foods. Take for example the Pancake. Let’s take a look at your basic Aunt Jemima buttermilk pancake nutrition facts:
- Serving Size: 3 – 4” Pancakes
- Calories – 150
- Fats – .5
- Carbs – 31
- Fiber – 1
- Protein – 5
The ingredients in the Aunt Jemima are as follows:
“ENRICHED BLEACHED FLOUR (BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), SUGAR, LEAVENING (SODIUM BICARBONATE, SODIUM ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE), SALT, DRIED BUTTERMILK, CALCIUM CARBONATE”
Generally you want to stay away from products where flour or sugars are among the top ingredients. Although the above list of ingredients is not horrible, it could certainly be improved. Here’s an alternative recipe that you can try:
- ¼ C Raw Oats
- 3 Egg Whites
- ¼ C Low-fat Cottage Cheese
- 1 Tbsp Cinnamon
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- Serving Size – 3 – 4” Pancakes
- Calories – 200
- Fats – 2
- Carbs – 19
- Fiber – 2
- Protein – 25
If we look at this from a calories perspective we will find that the overall calories are much higher. However, the distribution of the calories in this recipe is better than the standard buttermilk recipe. In addition, the ingredients are much more wholesome and can have virtually no preservatives depending on the type you buy.
At home, our pancake recipes can be modified to suit our own personal tastes or needs, just keep in mind that it will impact your overall calories. For example:
- 1 Scoop Protein Powder
- 3 Egg Whites
- 1 Tbsp Cinnamon
- Serving Size – 3 – 4” Pancakes
- Calories – 195
- Fats – 0
- Carbs – 6
- Protein – 39
The possibilities are truly endless and the best way to go about this is to try different options and then choose from the ones that you have the most success with. Given that most people have trouble adding protein into their diets, a high protein breakfast may be just what you need to boost your numbers.
