Health Conscious Guests

Health Conscious Guests

A lot of people judge how good an event was based on how much food is left by the time the last guest departs. If people hardly ate anything, it is assumed that the event was a disaster and no one had a good time. I can certainly understand this mentality, since it is definitely annoying to spend hours cooking food to make your guests happy, and then have them barely touch anything.

However, we must remember, we are in a very health-conscious time. A lot of people are on diets and aren't ready to blow a year's worth of hard work at one party, so they may only touch fresh fruit and water. Others may be on a low-carb diet, and will only munch on meat/cheese products and stay completely away from sugar. Health issues such as diabetes may be a factor. Also, age is something to think about: a party full of 20-year-olds may chow down on chips and pizza with no problem, while a party with 60-year-olds will most likely gravitate more towards healthier foods that are more easily digested.

Here are some tips to appease everyone's pallete at a party, even dieters!
- Provide water, juice, or diet soda in festive jugs along with the alcoholic/sugar-filled drinks. At my grandmother's last birthday party we served wine and punch, and thought we had our bases covered by offering alcholic and non-alcoholic. Only until a guest specifically asked for water did we realize we should put out a pitcher of water as an alternative. It was empty by the end of the party.
- Place any healthy foods in the center of the table so your guests won't have any trouble finding them. Things such as fresh vegetables, fruit, or shrimp cocktail are a nice alternative to greasy or spicy foods.
- If you're going to have a main course, try to use spices and herbs for flavor rather than gravy or sauces. Chicken or beef can be very flavorful with just a few spices. You can always have sauces as an option on the side, so that those who aren't dieting can always add it if they want it.
- Salads are always acceptable! Salads are allowed on pretty much every diet, and most people like salads even if they aren't watching what they eat. You can even make a mini salad bar, allowing your guests to choose whether or not they have cheese, croutons, tomato, etc. A choice between regular and non-fat dressing would be a big plus.
- Cake is the universal dessert for parties. If you know your guests will enjoy a cake, you may want to cut it into moderate slices, or even ask your guests individually what size of a slice they would like. If you know most of your guests won't go for a frosted cake, angel food with strawberries is an excellent low-fat dessert. Another idea is to have small individual desserts, such as cookies, tarts, or candies. This way your guests can choose the amount of dessert they get, rather than feeling they have to clean their plate.

The bottom line is, prepare for people with different eating habits. Most likely you will have a party full of different people of different ages, and they will all hunger for separate things. Don't be afraid to make those amazing, fat-filled dishes that we all love at parties! Just don't forget to provide an alternative for those watching their waistline. Food is an important part of any event, so if you keep everyone's taste buds happy your event is sure to be a success!

Comments

[Tyler]

I think what you are doing is great!!! I want to use your color scheme at my sites...