Pregnancy is the time when weird cravings start to take over your life. It is quite common to see people who stringently avoid anything sweet guzzling down tons of cakes, pastries, and other sugary substances, and people who have always loved sweets becoming nauseous in the presence of anything remotely sweet. All said and done, however, most pregnant women develop a sweet tooth after a few weeks into their pregnancy. While store-bought confectionaries are not very recommended due to the high sugar content, there is no harm in whipping up some moderately sweet items in your kitchen. And when it comes to quick sugar fixes, you cannot beat the pancake. This ubiquitous breakfast is actually quite perfect for the pregnant woman.
Eat them anytime
Pancakes are best eaten for breakfast, but if morning sickness gets you down, it is probably best to stay clear of sweet substances as that may aggravate the problem. Instead, opt for pancakes during lunch or even dinner, and you can even have a stack ready to be consumed as a delicious snack. It is, of course, best if you can get a couple of pancakes into your system at breakfast, as they are filling, and the sweetness will certainly help to keep hunger at bay.
Make them at home
Try to go for pancakes that are made at home instead of going to the breakfast place to get your fix. When you are making pancakes at home, you are well afoot of all the ingredients that are going into them. You will be able to use low-fat flour, the eggs will be properly cooked, and you will also have control over the sugar content that goes into the pancakes. Breakfast pancakes that you can buy from your local store or café are likely to have a very high sugar content to make them tastier and lure customers in again and again; while they will certainly taste better than the ones you make at home, they will be a lot more deficient in the health front.
Eat them hot
Pancakes contain a lot of easily perishable ingredients, such as eggs and milk, so it is best to eat them piping hot. Do not store the pancake batter in the refrigerator for more than a few hours as the uncooked ingredients will definitely lead to the rise of a host of parasites, the most dangerous of which is listeria. Consuming listeria can lead to listeriosis, which is very dangerous for the pregnant mother and the unborn baby as well. Make the batter into pancakes at one go, and consume them all; remember to eat them piping hot, and hold back on the extra sugar.
Also read: Can I eat Nutella during pregnancy?
The best part about pancakes is that they are very versatile. There are pancakes of different kinds in many cultures around the world, and new variants are being introduced every day. Try out as many as you want, as long as they are safe to be eaten during pregnancy. Make sure everything is cooked, and that they do not contain anything that you are allergic to, and you will be safe.