Tag Archives: ihop

Skip IHOP’s Free Pancakes, Support Children’s Miracle Network with Donations

Tomorrow is National Pancake Day, and since 2006 the most well-known purveyor of pancakes gives away short stacks to celebrate. Tomorrow, on February 28, you can visit your local IHOP restaurant and be served a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes. You are encouraged to leave a donation in exchange for the free pancakes, which will be given tot he Children’s Miracle Network, an incredible organization that makes dreams come true for terminally ill children.

We say, give the gift of a donation directly to Children’s Miracle Network and let IHOP keeps its over-processed stack of cakes. The event has the best of intentions, but charitable calories count the same as any others.

IHOP’s short stack comes with three buttermilk pancakes, which has 490 calories before you add butter and syrup. If you plan on ordering a full breakfast by adding sausage, bacon, ham, hash browns, or even doctoring your cup of coffee, you’re going to send the calories, fat, and sodium for this “free” breakfast through the roof. You’ll need one hour of high-intensity aerobics just to burn the pancakes before condiments. Plus, this nutritionally void meal will leave you running out of steam well before lunch. (more…)

Popular Fast Food Chains Commit to Healthier Kid’s Meals

Finally some good news to report about the fast food and restaurant industry! Nineteen restaurant chains have committed to making their kid meal options healthier. In a new era where one in three children are obese and where eating out is more of a norm verses a special indulgence, this is wonderful news.

The initiative is called “Kids Live Well”, and this voluntary action has select restaurants committing to reduce the calories and improve the nutritional value of the meals they advertise to children. The meals will now be comprised of increased fruit and vegetable offerings, a lean protein, whole grains, and a low fat dairy product. All participants have agreed to make certain all meals are 600 calories or less.

Burger King is one of the restaurants involved in the movement. They may be the shining star of the group as they have made a decision to make apples and milk or juice the default choices for their kid’s meals. While fries and soda will still be available, they will have to be requested. Studies have shown that menu items set as the default options are what the consumers primarily stick with.

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Do IHOP’s National Pancake Day the Healthy Way

National Pancake CelebrationEach year, IHOP celebrates National Pancake Day by giving away free short stacks in exchange for asking customers to make a donation to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The event is usually held on Mardi Gras (also known as Fat Tuesday or Shrove Day), but this year the IHOP’s National Pancake Day will be a week earlier, on March 1st.

This event certainly has good intentions, but we have to remind you that a IHOP’s short stack of three original buttermilk pancakes contains 490 calories, and that’s before you add the butter and syrup. However, we have a few suggestions to help you enjoy the occasion without having a total calorie-fest. After all, you might want to save that for actual Mardi Gras, right?

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