Benefits from Pancakes on your Immunity

Vitamin C equals lemons. At least for me. It is a like a vivid (not so nice) childhood memory “You must drink freshly squeezed lemonade and orange juice, they contain vitamin C and vitamin C makes you healthy.” I don’t like freshly squeezed lemons at all. I just don’t like their taste. And if it weren’t for pancakes, I would have never eaten them, I’m sure. As much as I hate the tanginess in freshly squeezed lemons and oranges, I love it mixed with the sweetness of pancakes.

So, to avoid creating the same repulsion in my kids, I tend to incorporate vitamin C foods in their favorite sweet treats. With a few basic changes, of course, to make them healthier. there is no point in infusing the pancakes with vitamins if you leave them sugary, right?

Pancake Base Upgraded

To prepare healthy pancakes you need to change the pancake recipe base first. Just follow these easy steps:

– Replace regular flour with whole wheat, oatmeal, coconut flour, almond flour or soy flour;

– Replace regular refined sugar with honey, pure maple syrup, molasses, agave syrup or stevia;

– Replace regular milk with non-dairy milk, like almond, soy, rice or coconut milk;

– Use healthier vegetable oil alternatives, like olive oil or coconut oil;

– You can even ditch the eggs if you wish and use flax or chia eggs. I don’t usually do this. I believe that choosing healthier flour and sugar options is enough.

Benefits of Vitamin C in Pancakes

Benefits of consuming vitamin C-rich foods:

– Boosts immunity

– Promotes collagen formation and healthy skin

– Fights free radicals

– Improves gums and teeth health

– Improves circulation and heart health

– Improves absorption of minerals

Vitamin C deficiency symptoms include easy bruising, bleeding gums, splitting hair, nosebleeds, slow wound healing and red spots on the skin. More severe vitamin C deficiency can result in scurvy.

Here are the vitamin-infused foods you can use in pancakes with ideas how to do it.

Orange Pancakes

Believe it or not, lemons are not even in the top 10 vitamin C-rich foods. Oranges are no.1. If only I had known this when I was a kid… The Orange Buttermilk Pancake recipe recommends zest of one orange in the batter and blueberry or boysenberry syrup on top.

If you are a fan of tanginess mixed with sweetness, you can also choose grapefruit (no.7 on the list of vitamin C-rich foods). Just add 3 tablespoons of grapefruit juice to the batter.

I especially love tangy pancakes like these two, or with lemon, lime or kiwi served with a warm cup of coffee in the morning.

Kale Pancakes

I have found the perfect and easy pancake recipe that turns everyone’s most hated food kale into a delicious lunch (lunch, not breakfast). Korean pancakes. This recipe is one big, savory, and hot vegetable pancake that combines kale with flour, onions, chili peppers and soybean paste.

You can replace or add other vegetables as well, like red peppers, which are no.2 on the list of vitamin C-infused ingredients, Brussels sprouts (no.4), broccoli (no.5) or green peppers (no.10). The original recipe also allows adding seafood. Mix, match and enjoy!

Strawberry Pancakes

After chocolate, strawberries are the second-best thing to include in pancakes. And to create the ultimate sweet delight, combine them together. For instance, you can add a cup of fresh diced strawberries into the batter and then spread each pancake with Nutella (if you don’t mind the extra calories, but hey, everyone deserves a break from time to time).