A cheese board on a Friday night pairs perfectly with a glass of your favourite vino, right? Below we will walk you through how to make your grazing boards as healthy as possible, without breaking the calorie bank or consuming all of your calories for the day.
We are absolute fans of sharing delicious snacks and nibbles whilst socialising, but with munching on a whole array of cheese, meats and biscuits can come quite a hefty amount of calories, too. Never fear! We are here to let you in on some of the healthiest goodies to add to keep those calories down. Bulk up your board with these lower calorie options of your usual favourites.
Fruit
Using fruit as the predominant naturally sweet option on your grazing board is a fabulous option! You can’t go wrong with almost all fruits, being full of the fibre and antioxidants your body needs to thrive. They bulk up empty spaces and the gorgeous, bright colours really make the board pop. The options are endless, but some of our favourite go-to’s are:
- Grapes – 100g, 67 calories
- Strawberries – 100g, 32 calories
- Blueberries – 100g, 57 calories
- Apple – 100g, 52 calories
- Kiwi – 100g, 61 calories
- Orange – 100g, 51 calories
Cheese
It is almost impossible to have a hit of a cheese board with family and friends without… the cheese, right? To still involve mouth-watering cheese on your board without it eating up your calorie intake for the whole day, try some of our lower-calorie favourites. These include:
- Jarlsberg Lite – 1 slice (15g) 40 calories
- Cashew Cheese – 25g 50 calories
- Camembert – 25g 75 calories
Check out our extensive list of lip-smacking cheeses for all occasions, and what calories they punch by heading here.
Nuts
Nuts are a super simple and delicious snacks, and because of this, are super easy to pick at. But due to their high healthy, unsaturated fat content, do tend to contain more calories than you might think! We do love to add nuts, but just don’t go too crazy on them.
Some great ones to add to your board are:
- Raw Almonds – 14 almonds, 97 calories
- Dry Roasted Salted Almonds – 14 almonds, 98 calories
- Dry Roasted Pistachios – 29 pistachios, 99 calories
- Raw Cashews – 10 cashews, 98 calories
- Raw Peanuts – 17 peanuts, 99 calories
Vegetables
Veggies are a staple in any SuperFastDiet meal, as the calories are so low, we often say to go crazy and eat as much as you want. There are plenty of scrumptious, nutrition-dense, colourful vegetables that fit in great on a grazing board, especially paired with some lovely low-cal dips, that we will touch on below! Here are the ones we can’t go past:
- Carrot – 100g, 28 calories
- Celery – 100g, 8 calories
- Capsicum – 100g, 26 calories
- Cucumber – 100g, 10 calories
- Cherry Tomatoes – 100g, 26 calories
- Gherkins – per serving (25g), 29 calories
Dips
To accompany these lovely low-cal dippers above, we, of course, need some flavoursome dips! There are a plethora of amazing choices out there, but checking for the sneaky add-ins such as sugar or unnecessary additives is key! Better yet, have a crack at making your own. If you’re strapped for time, here are some of the best to pick up on-the-go:
- Chris’ Tzatziki – 20g serve, 20 calories
- Black Swan Fresh Guacamole – 20g serve, 26 calories
- Black Swan Skinny Hummus – 20g serve, 65 calories
- Bulla Cottage Cheese Onion & Chives – 20g serve, 18 calories
- Chris’ Egyptian Beetroot – 20g serve, 20 calories
Meats
Generally, at social gatherings, the go-to meats for a big, juicy cheese board are processed salami and packeted ham. These tend to be not too great for your heart health, as well as higher in calories! Your best bet to cut down the baddies and calories is to go for the whole cut meat, being ones that are not so processed, containing more nutrition.
We recommend these meats below for more natural goodness, all containing protein and the salmon, omega-3:
- Oven Roasted Turkey Breast Sliced From The Deli (Woolworths) – 100g, 125 calories
- Bertocchi Double Smoked Ham Off the Bone From the Deli (Woolworths) – 100g, 169 calories
- Tassal Premium Smoked Salmon Slices – 100g, 209 calories
Crackers
Crackers can often be a huge downfall when it comes to consuming a large number of calories pretty quickly. Due to most crackers and biscuits being unrefined carbs, they are much easier to eat in excess without feeling full. Unrefined vs. refined carbs are explained in this blog here.
There are plenty of biccies on the market, and options such as corn thins, are extremely low cal, but to enjoy on a cheese board with friends, here are our favourite low-cal options:
- Seeded Crackers (Ob Finest 3 Seed Crisps) – per serving, 92 calories
- Saladas – per serving (2 crackers), 115 calories
- Waferthins – per serving (6 crackers), 41 calories
For even more awesome tips and tricks, join our SuperSquad today! Click here to learn more and to join us now for one of our best offers yet.
