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5 ways to upgrade your party platter

5 ways to upgrade your party platter

Offer nutritious nibbles for happy guests without compromising on fun and flavour.

Elevate your party nibbles by including whole grains, nuts, vibrant fruits, wholesome vegies and tantalising dips!

Legumes

+ Legumes

Health-giving legumes like beans, chickpeas and lentils contain heart healthy fats and gut-loving fibre.

Add: 100g of hummus gives roughly 10g less sat fat, 5g more fibre and roughly 2g plant-based protein compared with a creamy dip.

More healthy fats

+ More healthy fats

Good-for-you fats are found in olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds and oily fish, while saturated fats are found in creamy dips, fatty meats and pastry.

Swap: fatty meats for smoked salmon, crisps for nuts and butter for avocado for an extra boost of healthy fats.

Eat the rainbow

+ Eat the rainbow

To help reach your 7-plus serves a day, include your pick of vegie sticks and seasonal fruit to boost your intake of disease-fighting antioxidants and fibre.

Add: choose a variety of cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, capsicum, chopped carrot and snow peas, and sweeten up with kiwifruit, passionfruit and berries to wow the crowd.

Some crunch

+ Some crunch

Crisps and corn chips typically contain high amounts of sodium and saturated fats

Swap: out crisps for natural unsalted nuts. This will reduce your sodium and sat fat intake, while boosting fibre.

More grainy goodness

+ More grainy goodness

Highly refined crackers have a high GI, so the carbs are broken down quickly and your blood sugar spikes. Grainy crackers made with brown rice, oats, whole wheat or rye have a lower GI, so the carbs are digested slower, your blood sugars rise and fall gently and you feel more satisfied.

Swap: plain rice or water crackers for wholegrain varieties. This simple swap doubles the fibre.

Classic party platter
serves 10

100g sliced ham, 100g sliced salami, 125g camembert, 125g water crackers, 125g sun-dried tomatoes, 200g creamy dip, 100g dried fruit.

Per serve: 1089kJ (259cal), 9.6g protein, 14.6g fat, 4.6g sat fat, 22g carbs, 10.7 sugars, 2.8g fibre, 671mg sodium.

Upgraded party platter
serves 10

100g smoked salmon, 125g bocconcini, 125g wholegrain crackers, 125g cherry tomatoes, 200g hummus, 2 cups crudités, 1 punnet fresh berries.

Per serve: 734kJ (174cal), 7.1g protein, 8.7g fat, 2.6g sat fat, 15.4g carbs, 4g sugars, 3.2g fibre, 251mg sodium.

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Date modified: 4 December 2023
First published: December 2023

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At healthyfood.com, we make healthy living easier with trusted, evidence-based nutrition advice and inspiring, nutritionist-approved recipes. All content is created by qualified experts and reviewed by accredited dietitians.

Every recipe meets strict nutrition standards aligned with the Australian and New Zealand Dietary Guidelines.

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