Doctors have warned about the harmfulness of pancakes for some people

Shrovetide week this year will begin on February 24. At this time, it is customary to treat each other to pancakes. Experts told Izvestia on February 23 whether pancakes can be eaten all seven days, who should refrain from them and whether they can cause anaphylactic shock.

Pancakes are quite a caloric food, but this is no reason to completely abandon the traditional dish. The main thing is to competently build them into the diet and take into account the peculiarities of the body.

"Pancakes combine a large amount of fats and carbohydrates, such a "duo" brings special pleasure to the taste buds, as a result, it is very difficult to avoid overeating. Therefore, it is better to consume pancakes in small quantities - preferably no more than 4-5 pieces a day, preferably as a dessert. It is also important to take care of a healthy diet during the day. It should include meat, fish, dairy products, as well as cereals, vegetables and fruits", - said the expert of the laboratory "Hemotest" doctor-gastroenterologist Ekaterina Kashukh.

The caloric value of one average pancake without filling is about 125 kcal. Fillings and toppings (sour cream, jam, condensed milk) additionally increase the energy value.

"With special caution, you should include pancakes in your diet for people with diabetes and overweight. In addition, they can be dangerous for those who have pancreatitis, cholecystitis, cirrhosis of the liver," explained Kashukh.

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The expert added that it is also worth remembering that some components of pancakes and fillings for them cause allergies. If adults are well aware of the peculiarities of their body and avoid allergens, a child can easily eat something that is contraindicated for him.

"The pancake itself consists of three components that are in the top of food allergens - milk, egg, wheat. In addition, it is quite common to be allergic to pancake toppings - fish, red caviar, nuts, honey. They can cause allergies of varying degrees of severity - from itching in the mouth and reddening of the skin around the lips to swelling of the lips, face, eyelids, pronounced urticaria all over the body", - said Evgenia Zhukalina, candidate of medical sciences, allergist.

According to her, the most severe manifestation of food allergy is anaphylactic shock. After contact with the allergen in just a few minutes a person develops severe swelling of the mouth and larynx, itching, blood pressure drops sharply. Without immediate medical attention, a person can die.

To prevent such a tragedy, it is recommended to see a doctor in time to diagnose allergies, to understand which products cause it, and to develop a treatment tactic. Dangerous allergens in no case should not be put on the common table, where a child can get to them.

"Imagine: a child of five with a severe allergy to milk. On his plate is a dairy-free pancake. And on his brother's plate is a regular pancake. Visually, they're no different from each other. At the moment of the game, our baby takes the pancake from his brother's plate and sends it to his mouth. After a few minutes, his lips start to swell, a rash appears, and breathing becomes difficult, life-threatening anaphylaxis develops," Zhukalina gave an example.

She emphasized that if an allergic person sits at the table, products dangerous for him should be excluded from all dishes. It is also important to teach children not to share food from their plates with each other and to inform the hosts about allergies if the holiday is a guest.

On January 29, Natia Chekhoeva, a gastroenterologist and endoscopist at Gastro Clinic, told Izvestia that systematic consumption of excessive calories inevitably overloads the body. This not only increases body weight, but also puts a strain on internal organs, including the heart, liver, and pancreas.