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Healthy Picnic Fare
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Summer’s here at last and despite the terrible weather we’ve being having, no doubt we will get some beautiful sunny days before the kids go back to school.
As soon as the sun starts to shine, head off for the day to the beach, the countryside, a local park or to climb a nearby mountain and pack that picnic! Nothing beats eating al fresco, even your everyday fare tastes better when you’re sitting on a Foxford rug in the sea breeze. The beauty of a picnic is that it doesn’t have to be complicated. With a little planning and preparation, you can enjoy some simple but tasty food, without resorting to grabbing some pre-packed sandwiches and crisps from the local shop!
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| Tip Top Healthy Picnic Foods |
 | Salad and vegetables – Sealed tupperware container filled with favourite medley of lettuce leaves, grated carrot, cherry tomatoes, chopped cucumber, peppers, beetroot, broccoli and red onion. Carry the low-fat dressing in a separate container. Sticks of carrot, pepper, cucumber and broccoli spears are great fun for kids and adults who like dipping! |
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| Dips and dressings – try hummus, tzatziki, salsa, guacamole, relish, low fat dressing, lemon juice or extra light mayonnaise. Try mint yoghurt dips or mix some low-fat crème fraiche with pesto. |
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| Beans – drain a tin of mixed beans or chickpeas and enhance your salad or pre-made couscous nutritionally! |
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| Eggs – mash hardboiled eggs with a little light mayo to use in sandwiches or bring whole boiled eggs to munch on or add chopped boiled eggs to salads. |
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| Cold meat and fish – chicken, turkey, lean ham or beef. Marinated chicken fillet pieces are usually a big hit with everyone. Smoked or tinned salmon or tuna are handy for open sandwiches and salads. |
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| Wholegrain bread – choose seeded, nutty bread or rolls for sandwiches. |
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| Potatoes – boil some baby potatoes in their skins, add a little chopped spring onion and some low-fat dressing for a delicious potato salad. |
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| Grains – leftover pasta, rice and couscous can all be made into delicious salads with the addition of some chopped vegetables and a drizzle of low fat dressing or lemon juice. |
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| Fresh fruit salad – pieces of apple, pineapple, orange, mango, grapes, melon, berries. |
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| Dark chocolate – we all love something sweet. A small amount of dark chocolate will do the trick and it’s less likely to melt in the heat than milk chocolate! Other goodies with a little goodness include home-made mini oat cookies or fruit muffins, carrot cake, open apple tarts or fruitcake. |
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From time to time you may fancy an occasional high fat food on your picnic but enjoy these foods in very small amounts, as they contain too much saturated fat and salt.
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| Processed meat and meat products – salami, sausage rolls, pork pies, scotch eggs, pate. |
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| Dips and dressings – avoid creamy full-fat dressings and full-fat mayonnaise. |
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| Crisps, tortilla chips and salted nuts |
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| White bread – has little nutritional value and is high GI which means it won’t keep you going for very long! |
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| Ready-made sandwiches or sandwich fillings – these are likely to have added salt and full-fat mayonnaise. Plus it’s much cheaper to make your own! |
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Packing all your sandwich ingredients into separate airtight containers and assembling them when you are ready to eat, and taking all your food and drinks in a cooler bag will ensure that the food stays cool, fresh and tasty. It will also help to minimising the risk of food poisoning.
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| Always wash your hands before preparing food and before eating. If you think that clean water may not be available, take disposable travel wipes with you. |
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| Keep your food in a shaded area so that it remains cool, and keep it in the fridge for as long as possible before leaving the house. |
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| If in doubt, throw it out. If you have any worries about the safety of food, don't eat it. |
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Bon appétit!
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