I love planning dinner parties and cooking for other people. I’d much rather plan a dinner party than prepare routine daily meals, but often we forget that the food we’re entertaining with is also contributing to the health of our guests (or not). So many of my clients struggle to stick to healthy habits in social situations. It’s fine to indulge occasionally, but you never know what your guests really need, so consider giving them options where you can. Here are some tips for what you can add to your menu next time – some taken from an article I wrote for the Wellness Warehouse a few years back, but they’re all still relevant, especially at this time of year as we approach the festive season.
- Use plenty of vegetables.
- Use real ingredients to add flavour e.g. fresh herbs, pure spices, ginger, garlic, and good quality stock or bone broth as the base for sauces and soups.
- Make edible garnishes. A salad of mini lettuce and herb leaves tossed in olive oil is both beautiful and nutritious.
- Put a big jug of water on the table along with the other drinks.
- Include options in case there is anyone on a special diet. Gluten-free and 100% vegan dishes can be a great addition to a meal, even for those who do eat everything.
- Instead of rich desserts with lots of added sugar and empty calories, use more fruits and whole grain flours. Try alternative sweeteners, like stevia or xylitol, to reduce the amount of sugar added to the meal.
- You don’t have to be a purist, but consider making the really indulgent things optional. If your favourite sauce is full of cream, maybe serve it in a way that guests can help themselves to amounts that work for them. If your dessert is a sugar bomb, serve it in small portions on a platter in the middle of the table along with a fruit and cheese board. Many of us were taught to eat everything we are served – it’s just good manners, right? A topic for another post… but serving food this way takes the pressure off those guests who feel rude to say “no”.
- Use special ingredients rather than extra butter and sugar. Add ripe seasonal fruits and beautiful, unusual vegetables, like artichokes and asparagus – things that we don’t necessarily eat every day.
I like to think that dinner parties are special occasions that are more about the company and the conversation than the food, so I try to make the food as it should be – delicious and healthy, of course, but with just enough indulgent aspects to make it feel like a special occasion and not just a dietitian’s weeknight supper.
