Pancakes with veggies SWYPO or not?:

[simmie]

I'm pretty familiar with Whole30, been doing this for 18 months, but we're having a bit of a debate on a group and I was wondering what y'all think?

 

We all know the usual banana pancakes are out and the reasoning behind that.

 

What about the following? The person who posted it admits the batter is like pancake batter (and she makes it the way you'd make pancakes)......and with the flour.....ok or not?  One could make a case for the sweet potatoes replacing the bananas from the banana pancake recipe, etc.

 

The recipe calls for mashed sweet potatoes, coconut flour, nuts, arugula mixed with eggs and pan fried in ghee.

 

 

[ArtFossil]

For me, and this is just me, I wouldn't add the less nutritious choices (coconut flour, nuts) to something that would otherwise be delicious on its own (sweet potatoes, arugula, eggs and ghee).

 

And again, for me, if I were still doing a Whole30 I wouldn't replicate a pancake. Even a savory one, and sweet potatoes do straddle that line between sweet and savory. It just doesn't seem like a smart choice. For me, it would be SWYPO.

[Tom Denham]

ArtFossil is right. All "flours" are less nutritious choices. Flours are designed to create a certain effect... in this case to create a paleo pancake.

 

It is fine for anyone to eat this in their ordinary life, but not while they mean to be doing a Whole30.

 

I don't know how we can say it any plainer than has already been stated. Maybe we could say, "Have you come up with a new recipe for pancakes that uses all tried-and-true Whole30 ingredients? Your recipe is not Whole30-compliant! No pancake is Whole30-compliant because it is a pancake. The Whole30 cares about more than ingredients. We care about your developing a new relationship with food and making a pancake means you are still nurturing your old relationship with food and we simply won't endorse that."

[simmie]

Thanks!! That's what some of us have been saying......people sure do have an attachment to pancakes (by any name)!!!

[kirkor]

Thanks!! That's what some of us have been saying......people sure do have an attachment to pancakes (by any name)!!!

I also think that at this point it's almost become a pathological pursuit in trying to get a Whole30 approved pancake. Like people want to be able to say "see?! see?! THAT'S like a pancake, and IT'S allowed!!!11"

Whether it's wondering about the status of a spanish omelette ("the traditional name is tortilla espanola so why is it still ok???") or a leaf of lettuce ("it's not for breakfast and it's not sweet and it's like a wrap.....") or even something like fish cakes ("well, they're circular and flat and fried in a pan ... that's like a pancake, so how come it's allowed???") ..... oiy.

[thegoldengrahamgirl]

I made some potato-zucchini fritters (grated and held together with egg, mixed with spices) that were fried in a pan. I never questioned them. Until now. Lol.

[newwhole30er]

So why are Melissa Joulwan's spaghetti squash pancakes in WF2 okay? Or are they not? She labels any recipes that are not Whole30, and she doesn't label that one.

[kirkor]

So why are Melissa Joulwan's spaghetti squash pancakes in WF2 okay? Or are they not? She labels any recipes that are not Whole30, and she doesn't label that one.

Gotta be an oversight.

[ShannonM816]

Savory vegetable fritters, even if they're called vegetable pancakes, are not the pancakes that are disallowed by Whole30 rules. Those are just another way to prepare your vegetables -- it's even mentioned in this article on 8 Hacks for your Whole30 Vegetables. Most of them do use almond flour, and nuts are something Whole30 encourages you to have in limited quantities because they're not the healthiest fat source, but if occasionally you want to have zucchini fritters, or spaghetti squash fritters, or egg foo young-type egg rounds, it's fine. If you, personally, think that those foods are not good options for you because they remind you of pancakes, then don't have them. If you're ever unsure whether something is SWYPO or not, then just skip it. It's only for 30 days.

 

The pancakes that are not allowed on Whole30 are sweet pancakes, meant to be like regular pancakes. They are often used at breakfast by people who are used to having sweet, carby stuff first thing in the morning and insist that they cannot possibly have leftovers, because ewww, who does that? They may also be used as dessert substitutes. People who insist on having them tend to be very, very attached to them, and will argue vehemently that there is no particular reason not to have them -- and people who are not so emotionally attached to them will tend to just say, oh, okay, I'll live without them for a month. 

 

For sweet potatoes, I personally would grate them or shred them in a food processor, and then fry them like hashbrowns with whatever other ingredients the recipe calls for. If the person making that recipe were to argue that they just weren't the same with the hashbrown texture, I'd encourage them to skip them for 30 days.

 

If you haven't read it before, the Sex With Your Pants On article explains the concept in detail.  I'd also direct you to the Can I Have list's entry on pancakes:

 

Pancakes: No

Sometimes, we feel like if we have to have one more conversation about pancakes, we might explode. No, you can’t have pancakes. Yes, even if they’re just bananas and eggs. First, they are explicitly ruled out in the Whole30 program guidelines. This should be enough of a reason, but in case you’re still wondering why (they’re just bananas and eggs!)…

Pancakes in any form do not encourage success with the Whole30 program. Reaching your health goals depends on committing to both the rules and the spirit and intention of the program. The Whole30 is designed to change your relationship with food, first and foremost. And the psychological impact of eating pancakes as part of your healthy eating, life-changing plan cannot be ignored.

Eating eggs, a banana, and some olive oil is not the same as combining those ingredients into a pancake. There are studies that show that how your brain perceives the food influences satiation. This is often cited with liquid food (smoothies or shakes, as we reference in the back of It Starts With Food), but experientially we see this with whole foods as well, depending on how they are combined. Pancakes bring up a totally different psychological response than frying some eggs and eating a banana. And it’s that psychological response that we are trying to target with the program.

You may not have an affinity for pancakes, but we find that most people who complete our program do best without any of these comfort/trigger/reminiscent-of-the-SAD-stuff-you-used-to-eat foods. So, because we need to create one program that applies to as many people as possible, we rule these Paleo recreations out. In our vast experience, this sets everyone up for the best Whole30success possible. And, of course, what you choose to do after your 30 days are up is entirely up to you.

[kirkor]

Hmm.

I think the SWYPO article should be updated to include the distinction between sweet pancakes and savory pancakes. And in WF2 with the fritters under discussion, the sweet potato waffles are called out as non-compliant and but they are savory as well:

SWEET POTATO “WAFFLE:”

2 large sweet potatoes, grated (about 6 cups)

1 large egg, beaten

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

a little melted fat (coconut oil or ghee)

NOTE: THE “WAFFLE” IS NOT WHOLE30 APPROVED

[Melissa Urban]

Guys. Please with the pancakes.

 

The "waffle" was a really gray area judgment call. I think it could have been compliant, but she specifically called it a "waffle," and used a waffle iron to make it, and thickened it up with a little baking soda and cream of tartar, so to err on the side of "let's not dip our toe in the water here" I ruled it out.

 

But if you want to take sweet potatoes and eggs and flatten them into a patty, go for it. Unless to you, that feels too much like trying to recreate a pancake, in which case, leave it out.

 

The SWYPO rule is the only gray area of the Whole30. Take personal accountability here. If spaghetti squash flattened into a disk reminds you of pancakes, don't eat it, but I don't have a problem with it for your Whole30.

 

Best,

M

[newwhole30er]

Guys. Please with the pancakes.

 

The "waffle" was a really gray area judgment call. I think it could have been compliant, but she specifically called it a "waffle," and used a waffle iron to make it, and thickened it up with a little baking soda and cream of tartar, so to err on the side of "let's not dip our toe in the water here" I ruled it out.

 

But if you want to take sweet potatoes and eggs and flatten them into a patty, go for it. Unless to you, that feels too much like trying to recreate a pancake, in which case, leave it out.

 

The SWYPO rule is the only gray area of the Whole30. Take personal accountability here. If spaghetti squash flattened into a disk reminds you of pancakes, don't eat it, but I don't have a problem with it for your Whole30.

 

Best,

M

I don't have the book so I can't check, but I think the spaghetti squash pancakes and sweet potato waffles had the exact same ingredients (baking soda, cream of tartar...) It definitely wasn't just spaghetti squash flattened into a disk.

[kirkor]

I don't have the book so I can't check, but I think the spaghetti squash pancakes and sweet potato waffles had the exact same ingredients (baking soda, cream of tartar...) It definitely wasn't just spaghetti squash flattened into a disk.

Yes, plus the fritters also have 1/2 cup of almond flour.

[SpunkyBug]

To me, 1/2 cup or less of a flour-like substance is merely a binding agent (as long as the recipe makes multiple servings). Once you get to one or two cups, then the flour becomes an ingredient of its own that creates a doughy substance, which spells trouble. That's my two cents.

[thegoldengrahamgirl]

My "fritters" were great with no flours/starches of any kind!

 

P.S. - am I the only one impressed with the celebrity sighting of Melissa Hartwig?