Healthy baskets and batches for Christmas

We began to have multiple work commitments, family ... related to food, and these foods can be classified in many ways, but the most common is not moderation. And to finish fixing it, it comes to us that neither more nor less comes loaded with sweets, sausages, liqueurs and other types of alcohol. Very not recommended, go.

Looking for food to fill the Christmas basket

From the outset, we will try to use food that is not very perishable, since Christmas baskets by definition are not transported or kept refrigerated and it may take several days from when the basket is prepared until it reaches the home of the person who is going to consume it. Depending on how long the delivery takes, we can include a fresh product or not.

On the other hand, we can think of foods that have an exotic point and that therefore can be attractive to consume during the holidays. Or products that are not exotic, on the contrary, that are very ours, but have an added value that will be very interesting to offer as a gift. It would, for example, be the case of foods with designation of origin.

And, in addition, we should take into consideration if we are offering this basket to a person who, for medical, religious or conviction reasons, has some kind of limitation in the consumption of food. We would be talking about people who suffer from an allergy or intolerance or other health problems, or about individuals who follow a type of halal, kosher, vegetarian or vegan diet or with any type of restriction.

Let's start filling the basket with healthy products

In general terms, thinking about foods that are not very perishable and that allow us to comply with the health messages that we mentioned at the beginning (moderate sugar consumption, limit the intake of meat products, avoid alcohol ...) we could include:, olive oil, olive oil , asparagus, canned fish and shellfish, olives, capers, coffee, tea, pure cocoa powder, dried fruits, or specialty paste, legumes with a designation of origin, nut cream without other added ingredients, dates or any other little perishable fresh fruit ...

Providing an exotic touch

If distribution times allow it, we can prepare a Christmas basket with a touch of freshness and exoticism by adding some fresh food to the composition. This fresh and exotic touch can be provided by a fruit that is not very perishable, such as coconut or We will be adding a healthy food, which can be interesting to use during Christmas meals as a dessert, appetizer or to accompany a recipe and that will give a different style to the Christmas basket.

Providing a sweet spot

Instead of choosing sweet products that are processed and contain large amounts of sugar, we can obtain sweet snacks with naturally sweet foods such as dates or dried fruits. In reality, dates are a particular fruit that, although nutritionally considered to be part of dried fruits, is not a fruit that undergoes a drying process, but rather they ripen and dry on the tree itself. There are many different varieties, such as barhi, deglet noor, halawy, etc., among which the Medjoul date is prized for its juiciness and sweetness. So, if we want to offer a sweet, much better to include this type of product.

Thinking about the difference

Many Christmas baskets offer a large quantity of sausages, pates and different processed meat products, but we know that their intake should be limited due to their link with different types of diseases. Therefore, it is convenient to look for alternatives. As in some toasts, as we do with a pate, there are different types of "patés" or vegetable creams (if you look at the ingredients, there are very interesting varieties). Some examples are olives, tahini (sesame cream), nut creams, etc.

Betting on non-alcoholic drink

We know that the drink par excellence should always be water, but when we finish a meal with a different drink or simply have a snack between meals, we can choose a good infusion or good tea or coffee. Although we know that alcohol consumption at a social level is very widespread in our society, we also know that it is not a healthy product, therefore, if we do not want to contribute to its consumption, we can choose to offer much more recommended drinks. If we choose interesting varieties, they are also highly valued.

Including local products

Depending on the region in which we are, we can choose the most valued products in the area to offer in our Christmas baskets. We will be promoting local commerce, advertising our own indigenous product and, if we also choose well, we are promoting health. These products can be a good one of a certain variety that is well appreciated, some asparagus from Tudela, some legumes with a designation of origin such as "els fesols de Santa Pau", or cereals such as rice from Valencia, etc.

• If distribution times allow it, we can prepare a basket with a touch of freshness and exoticism by adding some fresh food to the composition.
• Instead of processed sweets that contain large amounts of sugar, we can obtain sweet snacks with foods that are so naturally such as dates or dried fruits.
• Instead of patés, sausages ... we can opt for the olive, vegetable creams, the tahini (sesame cream) ...

Bachelor of Food Science and Technology Diploma in Human Nutrition and Dietetics