With Pancake Tuesday today, it is inevitable that many health and fitness regimes will be temporarily side-tracked by Pancake Day indulgences. While it is tempting to go for the most decadent option available, the calories on those toppings can add up very quickly, so here is a handy guide to working off those treats from Dan Smullen, personal trainer at 1Escape Gym.
If you like your pancakes simple and traditional, with just a splash of lemon and a sprinkle of sugar, a serving of three pancakes will come in at around 360 calories – depending on how sweet your tooth is! To burn those calories off you would need to play 45 minutes of tennis, go for a 60-minute brisk walk, or take part in a 60-minute session of light aerobics. Not too bad for indulging in that sugary, lemony goodness!
A serving of three pancakes with a dollop of chocolate spread and a sliced banana, however, will cost you 600 calories; that’s 60 minutes’ running, 75 minutes of step aerobics or 90 minutes on a stationary bike.
If you want to treat yourself to a special dessert, and are brave enough to do a spot of flambéing, Crepe Suzette might hit the spot. For one crepe with sauce, it’ll be 158 calories, though really who is happy with just one? So three crepes and sauce sees you hitting 474 calories. If you want to play a bit of French sport after your French dessert, you would need to play pétanque for nearly five hours to burn off those calories! A less time-consuming activity would be a game of football – 60 minutes of playing will burn 493 calories.
If you decide to go for a low calorie option and make pancakes substituting whole milk for skimmed and butter for spray oil, the calorie count can come in at just 68 per pancake. So a serving of three pancakes topped with berries will cost you only 260 calories – just do an hour of general housework beforehand and you’ll have earned your treat.
Of course, if you consider yourself a bit of a pro at pancake making, why not cook a batch for family or friends? An hour of cooking will burn 100 calories, and that’s before you include the pancake flipping!