Tips for Healthy Low-Cal Birthday Treats
Canada, unfortunately, ranks among the world’s most overweight countries – according to a study by researchers at Stanford University. Although many people are becoming much more aware of the need to live a healthier life. The sedentary lifestyle, living in built-up areas, and excessive calorie consumption are some of the reasons for a phenomenon that has the ability to interfere with your health and wellbeing. If an important party is coming up and you will be doing the catering yourself, these tips on lowering the caloric content of popular treats is testimony to the fact that you don’t need to scrimp out on flavor when you are trying to lose or maintain weight.
Making a List of Tasty Treats
Think of foods that a party just wouldn’t be the same without. In Canada this might include poutine, Canadian bacon pizza, and (if the party is for adults) a revered cocktail like the Caesar. Foods such as these are ideal because they can be laid out on a long table in the garden and guests can help themselves. Once you have completed your list, think of alternative cooking methods that will bring down contents of high-cal ingredients like fat.
Dreaming Up Healthy Alternatives
Instead of poutine (made with deep fried potatoes), why not cook your fries in an air fryer? Replace the gravy with a homemade natural tomato sauce, made with ingredients as simple as grated tomatoes, onion, garlic, bay leaf and oregano, heated over a pan with a sprinkling of olive oil. Forego store-bought pizza by making your own, and rolling it out extra thin. Jamie Oliver has a fantastic, easy-to-make pizza dough. Spread it out and top with homemade tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and fine slices of courgettes. Serve it Italian style – light on the toppings and with a fine crust made with olive oil. If you would normally decorate dessert with a fondant topper, use a whole strawberry as a topper instead. Dip a sweet, ripe strawberry into raw chocolate for a partially ‘sinful’, partially ‘guilt-free’ temptation.
Surprising Guests with Something New
We have mentioned raw chocolate above – a product that is still surprisingly under-represented on many supermarket shelves, despite its health benefits. Raw, dark chocolate is packed with antioxidants that can boost your heart health and keep you looking young. You can make your own chocolate easily, in around half an hour! You can wow guests with a raw food dessert like apple pie as well. To make it, simply squeeze a whole orange and throw it into a blender with around eight Medjool dates. The result will be a smooth-as-sin, sugar-free ‘syrup’. Slice two or three apples very finely, and place in layers, alternating each layer with your orange syrup. This tastes great on its own but if you want a crust, take around two cups of powdered raw nuts, mix with a little more orange-date syrup, pack down in a pan, and top with your apples and orange concoction. Leave to settle overnight and the next day, you will have a super delicious apple ‘pie’ that is 100% flour-free.
Whether you choose to serve raw, vegan, or all-grilled food, keeping it low-cal is easier than you think. For your next party, you might want to start out small, replacing a few high-cal snacks with low-cal homemade varieties, As you build your confidence up, you can create a whole table with foods themed around one health movement that you might just get more than one guest excited about.
This is a guest post on Ginger-it-Up and has been written & contributed by Jacklyn Collis. Thanks Jacklyn for this wonderful guest post.
