You are on summer holiday and why don’t you enjoy yourself by having a picnic with your family? I think that will be an amazing way for you to reconnect with your beloved ones as well as spend some quality family time with them.
To have a healthy trip with your family, preparing foods plays a key role. Some classic picnic foods that are often chosen include sandwiches, fruits, salads, vegetables and bottled water. However, there are some kinds of foods and drinks that you should and should not pack for your trip.
Following is a list of the best and worst foods you should pick or skip if you are planning a picnic.
Best
1. Fruit salad
Fruit salad not only is rich in fiber and antioxidants but also low in calories. Despite containing a large amount of natural sugar, it takes a spot on the list of the best foods for your picnic. You can enjoy your trip with a refreshing salad made from seasonal fruits such as cucumber, avocado, strawberry that will fill you up and deliver a lot of nutrients.
2. Nutrient-heavy sandwiches
Sandwiches are a picnic staple and a 100-percent whole-grain bun without high-fructose corn syrup is a perfect choice for your picnic. However, you can add favourite fruits or vegetables to your sandwiches to increase the nutrient content. Apples, cucumbers, strawberries and mangoes are options you can choose.
3. Pasta salad
Pasta salad is a masterful meal that is colorful and offers a distinctly international list of spices and ingredients. You can add some low-cal ingredients and increase protein with lean meat and low-fat cheese.
4. Homemade snack mix
To have a healthy picnic, you can make some snack by yourself to enjoy during the trip. You can mix up nuts, pretzels, and other salty tidbits to have a healthy snack that is nutritious and easy to eat on the go.
5. Grilled fish
Fish is high in omega-3 fatty acids but low in calories. Moreover, it takes you just a few minutes to cook fish on the grill. However, you should not select types that are prone to high levels of mercury like shark, mackerel king, swordfish and tilefish.
Worst
1. Fried chicken
Despite its taste, fried chicken is at the top of worst picnic foods because it is chock-full of calories, fat, and sodium. Moreover, when you pack for a picnic, you usually want to minimize your waste. Fried chicken ensures that you will need a lot of napkins and that’s another reason why you should not bring this food along with you.
2. Sugary soda
Cans of sugary soda may travel well to a picnic but they are full of empty calories. They also contain dyes that may cause liver cancer. In addition, these sweetened drinks have preservatives linked to kidney damage and a chemical called bisphenol A that is associated with brain cancer, breast cancer, diabetes and some other diseases. Besides, they can turn into a sticky mess and are loaded with a lot of sugar without the healthy fiber.
3. Potato salad
Potato salad is a dish made from boiled potatoes, which is a great source of vitamin C and fiber. Its versions vary throughout different regions and countries of the world. Traditional potato salad with full fat mayo and eggs delivers 20 grams of fat, 170 mg of cholesterol and 358 calories that make it a diet disaster.
4. Hot dogs
A hot dog is portioned-controlled and generally a good choice but it contains up to 180 calories and 17 grams of fat.
5. Strawberry shortcake
Containing fruits doesn’t mean a strawberry shortcake is the lowest-calorie choice. Between the cake and the loads of whipped cream, you get more calories and fats (about 425 and around 20-25 grams of fat) than you think.
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