Make Time for Family Meals during the Holidays

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Have family home for the holidays? Gather together for meal time and create memorable reconnections. Pancakes for lunch, dinner or a midnight snack make the perfect comfort meal in between holiday festivities and gift shopping. Or if traditional is desired, they also make a delicious breakfast.

Whole Grain Apple Oven Pancakes can feed a hungry crowd and are made healthier by using whole grain flour and canola oil. This recipe is Heart-Check certified by the American Heart Association^®. As a bonus, the batter is cooked in a cast iron skillet, making them easy and extra flavorful.

"Holidays can be busy and stressful, making it hard to eat healthfully or carve out family time, so I recommend simple, healthy recipes that also allow parents to put their feet up," says registered dietitian Deanna Segrave-Daly. "Cast iron skillet pancakes for lunch or dinner not only combine two of my favorite food trends, they will have your family spreading cheer!"

Healthier Holidays for the Entire Family

Canola oil provides health benefits for all ages. It has the least saturated fat of any common culinary oil — half that of soybean oil — and is free of trans fat.[1] Canola oil also meets the requirements for Heart-Check certification by the American Heart Association.

Each family member can benefit from canola oil:

• Kids: Alpha-linolenic acid (also known as an omega-3 fatty acid) is essential and cannot be made by the body, but needs to be consumed in food. The recommended average daily intake of alpha-linolenic acid for general health is 0.7-0.9 grams/day for toddlers and children (ages 1-8 years), and 1.2-1.6 grams per day for youth and teens (ages 9-18 years).[2] One tablespoon of canola oil has 1.28 grams of alpha-linolenic acid – the most plant-based omega-3 fatty acid of any common cooking oil.¹
• Mom & Dad: Recent research findings suggest canola oil can help decrease abdominal fat, which may also improve metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.[3]
• Grandma & Grandpa: A qualified health claim is authorized by the Food and Drug Administration for the potential of canola oil to reduce the risk of heart disease based on its unsaturated fat content. Evidence suggests that eating 1.5 tablespoons of canola oil per day may reduce the risk of heart disease when used in place of saturated fat.

Recipe How-to: Whole Grain Oven Pancakes

Watch Segrave-Daly prepare the Whole Grain Apple Oven Pancakes and learn more tips about healthier family holidays. Short on time? Prepare the batter up to a day in advance.

"Nothing is better during the holidays than sharing meals with loved ones," adds Segrave-Daly.

For more recipes and facts about canola oil, visit www.canolainfo.org.

Disclaimer: Heart-Check certification does not apply to recipes, research, or information reached through links unless expressly stated.

[1] USDA Food Composition Database. https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/718?man=&lfacet=&count=&max=50&qlookup=canola+oil&offset=&sort=default&format=Full&reportfmt=other&rptfrm=&ndbno=&nutrient1=&nutrient2=&nutrient3=&subset=&totCount=&measureby=&Qv=1&Q1730=1&Q1731=&Q1732=1&Qv=1&Q1730=1&Q1731=1&Q1732=1

[2] National Institutes of Health. "Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals." https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Omega3FattyAcids-HealthProfessional/

[3] Obesity. Effects of canola and high-oleic-acid canola oils on abdominal fat mass in individuals with central obesity. 2016.24(11).2261-2268.

SOURCE CanolaInfo

Related Links

http://www.canolainfo.org