Healthy and Delightful Dips for Dieters

Many people go crazy for dips - be it strawberries dunked in wonderful creamy chocolate, nacho chips with fresh salsa, or buffalo wings in a mouth-watering sour cream coating… After all, what food could be easier to make and more comforting to the stomach than pita bread stuffed with deli hummus dip, fresh veggies, and a drizzle of olive oil!

No one argues that dips taste wonderful, but can you eat them if you are trying to lose weight? If you are on a diet, you should use dips in moderation and watch sodium, fat and calorie intake, but you certainly should not deny yourself a pleasure of their delightful taste. Actually, dips are perfectly fine for as long as you know how to make them in a healthy way. The biggest dangers for dieters are saturated and trans fats, which are contained in ready-made supermarket dips, as well as their high sodium content. This is why we recommend that you should make your own dips from healthy low-fat and low-sodium ingredients, or opt for ready products with a reduced amount of fat and salt.

There are a lot of healthy and weight-friendly dipping alternatives - for example, you can replace rich cheese-based dips with lighter varieties made with yogurt, or use healthy vegetables and olive oil in recipes which call for full-fat ingredients. In preparing dips, try to combine a full range of different spices and herbs, as well as some less conventional ingredients like anchovies or smoked salmon to boost the taste. Lemon, chives, avocados, cucumbers, zucchini spears, endive leaves, or roast peppers will greatly enhance the aroma and nutritious value of your dips. Besides its wonderful taste and ease of preparation, the right dip can be a wonderful accompaniment for your basic meal, or even a great meal by itself. Try to make your own salsa from roasted corn, fresh tomatoes, garlic and black beans, and enjoy it with corn tortilla chips - and you will never want to buy supermarket dips any more!

Learn about portions. Two tablespoons (30 ml) of full-fat sour cream is considered one serving, while 1/2 of a cup (100 ml) of vegetarian salsa is also one serving. Add there one portion of your favourite whole wheat tortilla chips (12 to 14 pieces), or one serving of flatbread (half of pita) - and you will have a healthy and delicious lunch which won’t affect your waistline. And, last but not least, don’t forget to cool your home-made dips fast to avoid bacterial contamination - place them in the refrigerator, or on ice in your picnic cooler.

Salsa Ranchero

This fresh and delicious tomato salsa is to scoop up with tortilla or pita crisps. One serving (1/2 cup) contains about 36 calories with only 3 grams of fat.

1. In a heavy skillet, heat dried oregano and ground cumin (1/2 tsp of each) over medium-low heat until fragrant (about 2 min.); transfer to a bowl.
2. Seed and chop 1 large jalapeno pepper and 1 sweet yellow pepper; add to the bowl.
3. Chop 1 large tomato, 2 cloves of garlic, and 1/2 small white onion; add to the bowl together with chopped fresh coriander (2 tbsp), 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, and salt to taste. Mix well and enjoy!

 Mango Dip

This wonderful chunky dip with a fresh, tropical taste is a great topper for grilled fish or chicken. One serving (1/2 cup) contains about 40 calories and no fat at all!

1. Combine together in a bowl one 14-oz can diced tomatoes, 1 sliced mango, 1/4 finely chopped small red onion, and 1/2 seeded and diced jalapeño pepper.
2. Add to the bowl 1/2 cup fresh, finely chopped cilantro, juice of one lemon, 1 tbsp sugar, dash of cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and refrigerate immediately. Serve within 2 hours.

Bon appetite!

Tim Ford