We took inspiration from Karen Protheroe's book
Skinny Snacks: Eat More, Weigh Less! (Struik), and then asked our experts for their advice on how to snack the right way when you're having a good time with friends; without chomping down on high calorie mini pies and creamy dip.
AT THE MOVIES
Decanting sour cream and cheese flavouring over your large box of popcorn might seem like a great idea, but there are healthier and equally tasty ways of enjoying your popcorn. 'Leave off the flavourant and just use a little bit of salt,' says nutritional therapist,
Andrea Jenkins. She also recommends sharing your popcorn instead of munching through an entire box yourself.
Alternatively, clinical nutritionist
Sally-Ann Creed suggests taking along a few pieces of dried fruit, a handful of nuts or some protein-rich biltong.
'Slide by the fizzy drinks,' adds clinical nutritionist Jill Fraser Halkett, 'as they will leach calcium from your bones, send your sugar levels into overdrive and skew your brain.'
AT A BRAAI
Just because there are chips and saucy dips on the table doesn't mean you have to go there. Take your own raw vegetables and cottage cheese, suggests Jenkins. Fraser Halkett recommends making your own oatcakes with rolled oats and topping them with hummus or a tapenade made with fresh ingredients.
Or, adds Jenkins, take corn-on-the-cob, butternut or potato wedges with you and simply ask the braai-man to add them to his grill. Just because you're eating healthier doesn't mean you can't benefit from the grill like everyone else. And, instead of cracking open a beer or cider, drink a wine spritzer or sparkling water.
AT THE RUGBY
It's easy to get carried away by the Super 14 spirit. Try to avoid the canteen's slaptjips and draughts. Snack on biltong – Fraser Halkett, Jenkins and Creed all agree biltong has healthy levels of protein. You could also take apples, pears, raw almonds, seeds, or vegetable chips along with you, adds Jenkins.
AT A COCKTAIL PARTY
'Give the cocktail viennas and sausage rolls a miss,' advises Fraser Halkett, 'as they're full of preservatives and usually contain MSG. And go easy on the dips.' She suggests sticking to avocado and hard-boiled eggs instead of heading straight for the mini samoosas and deep-fried calamari rings.
Jenkins agrees and thinks looking out for sushi rolls or raw vegetables with hummus or guacamole is a healthy choice. Alternatively, she says, simply eat supper before you go out to avoid being tempted by the crackers.
FOR HANGOVERS
Of all the hangover cures, greasy food seems to be the most popular. But it doesn't have to be. 'Drink as much water as you can and stick to protein,' says Fraser Halkett. While you might feel like pasta and other sugar-laden foods, your body doesn't need it. 'Go back to biltong, a piece of chicken and some raw vegetables, and stay away from fruit.'
Creed agrees and recommends tuna or a chicken breast wrapped in a salad leaf with a little mayo. Jenkins suggests hard-boiled eggs on wholegrain bread and downing a glass of fresh vegetable juice.