Many people choose puffed cereal pancakes, such as corn or rice, for their breakfasts, afternoon snacks or snacks, thinking that it is a healthy option and that it helps them avoid gaining weight. However, the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) has warned that this food does not help to lose weight and that it is advisable to replace them with others that are really good.
This warning has been released after the organization has made a report in which it has analyzed and compared 151 rice, corn, oatmeal, spelled and wheat pancakes, alone or with some type of flavor, such as yogurt or chocolate. However, from the OCU they indicate that this product is no less fattening than bread and that flavored pancakes are not even healthy.
This food is sold and perceived as healthy due to the fact that they have few calories per unit, because they have little weight, a lot of air and are quite filling. “Transferring them to 100 grams, the calories are already noticeable: 383 kcal, compared to 240 kcal for the same amount of white bread or 251 kcal for whole wheat bread. And that with the fame that bread has for fattening!”, they explain and add that flavored or chocolate pancakes even reach 443 and 471 kcal.
Pancakes can be high in saturated fat and salt
This great caloric intake comes from the large amounts of fat and sugar, especially in its chocolate version, as well as including colorants, aromas and flavor enhancers. With regard to this, the OCU believes that little information is given on the labeling, and that these data should be more complete. For them, it should include the origin of the ingredients used in its preparation and the Nutriscore classification.
27% of the cereal pancakes analyzed by the OCU had more than 1% salt and 17% more than 1.25%, an amount that exceeds the 5 g daily recommended by the WHO
In the study of the 151 cereal pancakes they found that it was not difficult to find more than 15% of saturated fats in them, “as examples we have the Ecocesta brand Caramel Rice Pancake (16%) and the GutBio Yogurt Pancake from Aldi with 15.8%: they have a coating of cocoa butter (saturated fat), similar to the layer of butter that is spread before putting the jam.
Another problem with these products is their high salt content, which is known to be unhealthy and can increase the risk of problems such as high blood pressure. The World Health Organization (WHO) advises that no more than 5 grams of this mineral be consumed daily, but according to the OCU, 27% of the cereal pancakes analyzed have more than 1% salt and 17% more than 1 .25%. The saltiest of the 151 in the comparison are the Eroski barbecue-flavored corn pancake (1.9%) and the Gerblé corn pancake (2.2%).
Of all the pancakes analyzed, 64 out of 100 are not healthy according to OCU calculations regarding Nutriscore, where it is classified from A to E, with A being healthy and E being very unhealthy. For example, of the simple pancakes, 43% would have a Nutriscore B, 30% a category A, 23% would be C and 4% D. The chocolate ones are 65% Nutriscore D, 2% category C and a 33% would be E.
As a healthy alternative, from the OCU they point out that you can opt for fruit, wholemeal bread sandwiches with tomato, olive oil, ham or cheese or nuts to satisfy your hunger between meals. They have also made special mention of the little ones, as they believe that pancakes should not be part of their breakfasts or snacks and that these alternatives would help improve the health of the little ones.
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