We always look forward to attending parties and other special events to meet friends and family and to taste the delicious food that the host serves. Pinoys have grown accustomed to serving and eating lechon and other grilled food like pork barbecue. Most of the food served during parties are high-carb, high-cholesterol and low fiber so eating them occasionally is okay but eating them a couple of times a month is not really healthy. We should watch what food we eat specially during the month of September where most birthdays take place. To help remedy this, why not offer something new and healthy with the upcoming party that you’re hosting? Serve healthy food at your party.
Cholesterol, trans-fat, sodium, and glucose—too much of these elements are bad for the health. And it’s not easy to get them out of your system. During celebrations, we usually tend to use more oil and salt to make the food tasty. And more often than not, most main courses are chicken and pork with a few veggies on the side. We often forget to serve fruits and natural juices and instead opt to serve carbonated flavored drinks which contains a lot of sugar.
A great way to start a party is to serve fruit appetizers. Go for watermelon, mangoes, and apples. You can also serve fruit salad to your guests instead of the usual cake.
To help you plan a healthy party menu, we have prepared a list of heatlhy food that you can choose from.
These are better and more nutritious, and your guests will truly appreciate them.
1. Brown rice
Rice is a very important food that must be present in every lunch table. But instead of serving the usual white rice, go healthy with brown rice instead. Brown rice is jam packed with manganese which is good for the nervous system and also processing fats in our body; fiber for weight maintenance; lower glucose content; and other natural oils that our body needs. Brown rice tastes almost the same as white rice.
2. Beef Pochero
A Spanish-influenced Pinoy dish, beef pochero is delicious, attractive, and at the same time healthy. Beef short ribs, which is used in the dish, contains a lot of potassium, Vitamin B-12, and moderate amount of Vitamin B-6 and Iron. Potassium is good for the nerves and muscles, as well as Vitamin B-12. Vitamin B-12 and Iron are also essential for our blood, while B-6 aids processes in our brain. It also mixed with a lot of vegetables and tomato sauce, a good source of Lycopene.
3. Chicken Cordon Bleu
This dish can be a source of a lot of nutrients because of the chicken meat and cheese. The chicken breast is already a nutritious meat option with potassium, protein, and other nutrients. While cheese is a good source of Calcium, Vitamin A, and vitamin B-12. This is a creamy and rich food for a main course.
4. Grilled Prawns with Lemon Butter Sauce
Always include sea foods in your party menu for a complete package. Sea foods contain essential nutrients that can only be taken from prawns and fish. Grilled Prawns with lemon butter sauce is an exciting recipe to serve on the table. One mega-nutrient taken from sea foods is Omega-3 which is good for your heart and blood pressure. Shrimps also contain proteins, vitamin B-12 and vitamin B-6.