Picnic Food Ideas
for the Health Conscious

Traditional picnics can wreak havoc on your waistline. Here are some great picnic food ideas to help you have a guilt-free picnic that fits into your healthy lifestyle commitment. The picnic recipes included in this article taste great. No one will even suspect they are being fed health food. Enjoy!

1. Be sensible about the main course.

Think outside the box. Consider smart seafood choices. You could even incorporate fishing as part of your picnic festivities. There is nothing better than grilled fish caught fresh.

If you insist on meat, choose only the leanest cuts of meat. Be daring and go vegetarian for a change.

Here are a couple picnic main course recipes to help you:

• Dijon Maple Grilled Salmon
• Marinated Chicken Kabobs
• BBQ Turkey Burgers
• Grilled Portabella Mushroom Burger

Consider low-calorie side dishes that incorporate negative calorie foods to offset some of the richer foods on the table. Check out this Marinated Cucumber Salad recipe.

3. Slenderize your favorite recipes.

Become aware of healthy ingredient substitutions making your favorite recipes more nutritious. The best part is you’ll hardly know the difference. Instead of the traditional potato salad loaded with mayo, try this Italian Red Potato Salad recipe.

4. Use low-calorie beverages.

Most non-diet beverages are loaded with sugar and calories. Consider bringing plenty of ice-cold bottled spring water for a thirst-quenching beverage. If you like something flavored, try making this Iced Green Sun Tea recipe garnished with citrus slices and a sprig of mint.

5. Beware of the calories and fat content in salad dressings.

Eating a salad, but dousing it in a high calorie dressing defeats the purpose of the salad. Consider a simply squeezing lemon juice on your salad. Use fresh herbs in your salads for added flavor. Some of my favorites include chopped parsley, cilantro, or fresh basil.

6. Beware of sugar content in sauces.

Sauces with high sugar content can send your blood sugar on a roller coaster ride. Learn to read the labels to ensure you are making healthy choices. If you love a great BBQ sauce, investigate this Diabetic Friendly BBQ Sauce recipe.

Diabetic Cooking Magazine - Save 38% Offers great-tasting, nutritious recipes to help diabetics manage daily meals. These quick-to-fix recipes will satisfy the whole family. There are cooking tips, baking secrets, shopping hints, cooking lessons and menu suggestions; seasonal topics, easy instructions and recipe make-overs.

7. Incorporate fiber into your festivities.

Skip the chips. Go with a veggie tray complete with a healthy dip. Enjoy crunchy baby carrots with this Spicy Hummus recipe.

8. Use fruit for dessert.

Skip sugar-laddened desserts such as cake, cookies, and pies. Think fruit instead. Make this Pomegranate Fruit Salad for dessert or top off your picnic meal with a slice of ice-cold watermelon.

9. Pick up a health conscious magazine for ideas.

Health conscious magazines are great resources for coming up with new ideas to have a great picnic loaded with healthy recipes that will soon become your new favorites.

Cooking Light Magazine - Save 64% Cook better, look better and feel better with recipes that are tempting to serve and taste great! Give up nothing except fat and calories. Get fitness ideas that are fun and easy.

10. Be active and burn calories.

Incorporate fun games and activities in your picnic plan to ensure you burn off extra calories. Play a game of baseball, throw a Frisbee, go roller-skating, canoe, or take a walk.

Related Links

I hope you enjoyed these picnic food ideas.
To find more health conscious recipes, CLICK HERE.

	Web Lower-Cholesterol-Today.com

This page was last updated on 08/02/06.