Updated 9/6/2021: Happy Monday to all of my wonderful readers! I am not sure I am liking this new WordPress editor. I can’t post to certain categories anymore, which is annoying. At any rate, this week for Mindful Monday I am sharing another portion distortion food plate. As I continue to teach my husband, and myself about portion control, I am always learning too as I coach others, we are seeing how much portion sizes are out of control in the USA. Today, I will discuss pancakes.
Who doesn’t love pancakes? They are an easy, affordable breakfast option for many families. However, pancakes are also high in carbs, and a calorie dense food. Pancakes are also a good source of Iron which can definitely make pancakes a healthy breakfast choice. I had a box of amazing Chocolate Chip Pancakes in my cupboard. We don’t eat pancakes a lot, but I wanted a calorie dense morning starter because I probably was only going to have a very light, or no lunch, and was doing a lot of outside work on a very hot and humid day. But, I also wanted to stay within my chose eating portions.
According to the box, one serving is 1/2 cup dry pancake mix, mixed with water. That made exactly one pancake. My pancake got a little mangled when I flipped it, but you get the idea of the size in my image. That one pancake, portion size, was 220 calories. I added a 1/4 cup of Maple Syrup, which added another 100 calories. A portion size on the label of the Maple Syrup was a 1/2 cup for 200 calories. I halved it. This one pancake, was very filling and I had no problem keeping my energy levels up through the sweaty outside work until I could get a meal again.
You can see how pancake calories can very quickly add up if you don’t follow the portion sizes on the food label. I have seen people put way over the recommended 1/2 cup of syrup on their pancakes. Remember 1/2 cup has 200 calories, the majority of which comes from sugar. If you have CKD, pancakes are also high in Phosphorus, one portion having up to a possible 20% of the recommended amount for a day. The pancake mix I used had chocolate chips, making the Phosphorus most likely even higher. They can also be high in Potassium, and definitely Sodium. If you have CKD be sure and consume only one portion of pancakes. Trust me, I know how hard it is to eat just one pancake. But, they are a very filling calorie dense food item, so one is very satisfying.
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