Parties and other special events are always looked forward to because these are chances of eating a lot of delicious foods. Especially for us Pinoys, we have grown accustomed to Lechon and other grilled foods like Pork Barbecue. Of course, we might think that eating a lot of delicious and high-cholesterol foods is only occasional, but effects may build up and cause long terms disadvantages. To help remedy this, why not offer something new and healthy in your upcoming 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 more tasting. And more often than not, most main courses are chicken and pork and very few vegetables. We sometimes even don't serve fruits and drink sodas instead of natural juices.
A great way to start a party is to serve fruit appetizers. Go for watermelon, mangoes, and apples. Also, serve vegetable salad for dessert instead of the usual macaroni salad.
To help you plan a healthy party menu, we have prepared a list of meals that you can choose from. These healthy but delicious food are better and nutritious, and your guests will truly appreciate them.
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.
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.
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.
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.