Eat To Live

Clean, Healthy Snacks

We all get those moments when we search through the cupboards for a snack and usually land up eating things full of preservatives, salt and colourants. With just a little bit of advance preparation, though, it’s easy to make a healthier choice in the moment.

Here are some tips on ways to plan and make a delicious snack-ready crudité platter!

Tips for Keeping a Crudité Platter on Hand

Make it a habit. Whenever you’re heading to the grocery store, take an inventory of the vegetables you’ve got on hand. If you don’t have the makings for a crudité platter, add them to your grocery list.

Buy your favourite vegetables. The ones you’re going to enjoy snacking on – crunchy red peppers, cucumber, carrots, tender-crisp blanched green beans, or refreshing sticks of jicama, everyone has their crudité of choice.

Make it pretty. You don’t have to whip out your master vegetable carving skills or anything, but take time to line up the carrot sticks, trim the ends off the green beans, and generally make the plate look nice. It’ll be much more appetizing that way.

Place the container at eye-level, front and centre in your fridge. You want it to be the first thing you see when you’re in “snack-mode”. Do NOT keep crudites longer than a day or two, as mould can set in and long periods in the fridge cause the nutrients to degrade.

Dip it. If you find plain veggies too boring, keep some home-made hummus, spinach leaves and avo mayonnaise on hand – take a handful of the veggies, add some home-made avo mayonnaise and wrap the crudites, or just dip and eat….

There are many vegetables that would work well for a crudité platter, but here are some of ideas: Remember to buy organic where you can.

Jicama – So refreshing, especially during summer! Pare away the tough outer layer, then cut the crunchy white vegetable into pieces the same size as you’d cut carrot sticks.

Cucumbers – Another hydrating choice. I like to quarter Persian cucumbers lengthwise, then halve the spears into about 3-inch lengths.

Carrots – You can’t get more classic. Try out some heirloom varieties in vibrant reds and yellows, or tender, smaller Nantes or Thumbelina carrots, which just need a quick scrub and trim.

Green Beans – Fresh from the garden or farmers market, they can be delicious raw, but I generally prefer mine blanched. This does take a little extra time, and if I’m bothering with the green beans, I’ll be sure to include other blanched favourites like brussels sprouts, broccoli, or cauliflower.

Cherry Tomatoes – Rinse, dry, and mound on the plate, or place in a small bowl in the centre. Easy.

Munching on delicious raw fruits and veggies as snacks has many benefits. The fibre from these delicious ingredients are beneficial for keeping the bowels healthy, they act as prebiotic foods for the good bacteria in the gut AND they are packed with enzymes that are considered to be the Fountain of Life. For information on how to take advantage of the medicinal value of these delicious ingredients, by incorporating them into your daily diet – follow the link to our “Food As Medicine” page or you can read more on the specific Therapeutic Foods, Supplements and Herbs that DBM use frequently in their health programs, on this link.

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Cleaning Produce

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