Andrea Miller, RDN, registered dietician, diabetes care and education specialist, Parkview Bryan Hospital, shares inspiration for a crowd-pleasing holiday platter.
If you're looking for a healthy dish to take to your upcoming festive family gatherings, try a charcuterie board. While there's no wrong way to present charcuterie, here are some tips to keep your offering healthy and nutritious.
Stoplight method
I like to think of my foods in terms of green light, yellow light and red light.
Green means go. Green light foods should make up about 50% of your charcuterie board. Green foods would be foods like:
- Fresh vegetables
- Fresh fruits
Yellow light foods are foods that are still nutritious but contain a little more calories and fat. These should take up about 30% of our charcuterie board. Yellow light foods might include
- Dips, like hummus
- Cheese
- Nuts
- Pickled items
- Olives
- Dried fruits
- Crackers
Red light foods should take up the smallest percentage of your charcuterie board, and that spot's reserved for a little bit of fun! Red light foods would be things like:
- Processed meats
- Sweets
If you're looking for ways to make your charcuterie board extra festive, you could consider making it into a fun shape, like a Christmas tree or a wreath. A color theme can also add an extra element of whimsy.
Experiment with your favorite foods and have a healthy, happy holiday!
