CHRONIC. The candlelight festival hits home with its batch of sweet pancakes. Let go ! For daily consumption, on the other hand, be vigilant.
By Boris Hansel and Guillaume Paret (video)
Published on
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Every Friday, find on Le Point.fr the nutrition chronicle of Pr Boris Hansel, endocrinologist and nutritionist at Bichat Hospital in Paris. He is also the host of the PuMS health channel on YouTube.
Lhe crepe is a multi-faceted pastry! What if it had health benefits? After all, pancake batter was originally made of three ingredients: flour, milk and water… Which explains its carbohydrate intake, contained in the flour; protein and calcium in milk.
Carbohydrates, as we know, should not be abused. A plain 50 gram pancake provides regarding the same amount of carbohydrates as three tablespoons of rice or pasta or a 50 gram roll. Which is far from excessive. Regarding proteins, the plain crepe provides the equivalent of a plain yogurt. Its an asset !
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And in terms of calories, the plain crepe is far from a disaster with around 110 calories, the equivalent of two Petit-Beurre biscuits. However, it should be noted that, in reality, the nutritional characteristics of the pancake depend a lot on the ingredients used in the dough and the filling.
So, on a practical level, how to eat pancakes while taking care of your health? There are two scenarios. In the first case, you eat pancakes on occasion, in a festive way… Treat yourself by making the dough and garnishing the pancake as you see fit!
In the second, you want to eat pancakes regularly, several times a week as part of a balanced diet… It’s possible, but you have to be careful! Here are some practical tips.
Opt for wholemeal flour, or even, for savory pancakes, buckwheat flour. You increase the fiber intake and reduce the pancake’s glycemic index, that is to say its ability to raise blood glucose. The pancake should be considered as an alternative to bread or starches because of its carbohydrate content, regardless of the flour used.
Choose the filling carefully. This is where you risk making the crepe too rich in fat, sugar or salt. For sweet pancakes, fruit is obviously ideal. Compotes are my second choice. But if you prefer to add a little powdered sugar, this is not a big mistake.
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On the savory crepe side, tomatoes, strips of pepper, broccoli or spinach are recommended. Otherwise, you can also opt for smoked fish or a slice of lean ham.
In summary, the pancake is like bread: you can eat a little every day as part of a healthy diet. The main thing is to pay attention to the amount consumed and what you put on it.
