We Brits don't need much encouragement to make the most of the sun when it shines! And what better way to enjoy our time outside than with a picnic – get digging out your blankets, cool bags and finest plastic crockery! If you're trying to lose weight, just follow our smart food swaps below to ensure an afternoon of al fresco grazing doesn't tip you off track.
A typical picnic plate might consist of a cheese sandwich, a snack sausage roll, a mini pork pie, a slice of quiche, maybe a chicken drumstick, a couple of spoons of coleslaw, a handful of crisps with dips, perhaps followed by a sweet treat such as a scone. We totted up the calorie count and were surprised to find it came in at 1,800 calories and 115g fat – that's more than your daily weight loss callowance, in just one sitting!
But with some savvy food swaps, you can cut the calorie count by more than half to 800 calories – an impressive 1,000 calorie saving! The secret is planning – it just takes a little extra thought when you're shopping.
Swap This... Cals / Fat | For This... Cals / Fat | ||
---|---|---|---|
Mini Pork Pie | 192 / 12.8g | Mini Cornish Pasty | 104 / 6.5g |
Snack Sausage Roll | 111 / 7.4g | Cocktail Sausages (per item) | 22 / 1.6g |
Coleslaw (50g) | 87 / 8.1g | Reduced Fat Coleslaw (50g) | 55 / 4.6g |
Potato Salad (100g) | 179 / 14.2g | Reduced Fat Potato Salad | 105 / 5.3g |
Scotch Egg | 274 / 18.2g | Mini Savoury Egg | 50 / 3.2g |
Cheese & Pickle Roll | 430 / 26.1g | Ham & Pickle Roll (low fat spread) | 230 / 7g |
Tuna & Mayo Roll | 382 / 22.8g | Tuna & Extra Low Fat Mayo Roll (no butter) | 210 / 3.2g |
Chicken & Bacon Pasta Salad (100g) | 135 / 6.2g | Salad of lettuce / tomato / cucumber (100g) | 20 / 0.3g |
French Stick (per slice) | 60 / 0.4g | Ryvita Crackerbread (per slice) | 19 / 0.1g |
Cold Quiche Lorraine (1/4 quiche) | 284 / 18.9g | Mini Quiche Lorraine (per quiche) | 73 / 4.2g |
Kettle Chips (30g serving) | 154 / 9.0g | Crudites (carrot, cucumber, pepper) | 70 / 0.7g |
Cheese & Chive Dip (30g serving) | 107 / 10.5g | Tomato Salsa (40g serving) | 16 / 0.6g |
Chicken Drumsticks (per drumstick) | 104 / 5.1g | Chicken Satay Sticks (each) | 32 / 1.3g |
Fruit Scone with Butter & Jam | 377 / 17.5g | Strawberries & Cream (30ml cream) | 175 / 14.6g |
Jam Tart | 138 / 4.7g | Cadburys Chocolate fingers (each) | 26 / 1.4g |
Mr. Kipling French Fancy | 104 / 2.7g | Mini Chocolate Brownie | 45 / 1.7g |
Swap This... Cals / Fat | For This.... Cals / Fat | ||
---|---|---|---|
Lemonade (per 250ml) | 45 / 0g | Diet Lemonade (per 250ml) | 3 / 0g |
Beer/Larger (per 330ml bottle) | 129 / 0g | Pimm's & Diet Lemonade (50ml Pimm's) | 87 / 0g |
Dry White Wine (per 250ml glass) | 188 / 0g | Dry White Wine Spritzer (175ml wine with soda) | 130 / 0g |
Nutritionist Emma Brown (ANutr), MSc Human Nutrition is passionate about how food science applies to the human body, and how the nutrients in what we eat affect us and ultimately have an impact on our health.