Braaivleis isn’t exactly the most heart-healthy meal to consume, and it isn’t low in fat either. Moreover, the side dishes acquainted with braais doesn’t do your waistline any justice either.
We know that the smell of a braai conjures up mouth-watering images of some very wonderful bad food choices like fattening boerewors rolls and six-packs of beer, but there are tons of tasty swaps that you can implement to keep your braai tasty and your waistline healthy.
Consider implementing these tips at your next braai:
1. Add colourful fruits and veggies:
Braais, however tasty, are normally various shades of brown. Adding a pop of colour is guaranteed to be more visually appealing, and there is no better way to brighten up your braai than adding some fruits and veggies. Fresh produce is the safest way to go as it’s likely to be more nutrient dense.
2. Choose healthier alternatives:
Try substituting beer and boerewors rolls with low kilojoule drinks and lean meat with a seasonal salad instead. There is in actual fact a wide variety of foods that you can include into your braai instead of braai broodjies and cheesy potato bake.
Choose healthier snacks:
- Try swapping salted peanuts with raw, unsalted nuts.
- Have lean biltong instead of fatty biltong.
- Lightly salted popcorn can easily replace salted chips, and spicy backed chickpeas works too.
- Slice some fresh veggies and serve it with some hummus or cream cheese dip.
Braai meat alternatives:
- Fresh fish
- Fillets or lean beef
- White meat like skinless chicken, ostrich or pork
- Game meat
Side dishes:
- Swap potato bake for baked sweet potatoes
- Have a roasted tomato, feta and basil salad instead of roasted garlic bread
- Try couscous with veggies instead of braaibroodjies
Don’t forget about dessert:
- Instead of roasting smores, try grilling fruit kebabs instead.
- You can also make homemade popsicles
- How about a lovely fruit crumble?
We hope that this blog gave you some food for thought and that you will make some heart healthy choices at your next braai.
