How to Build a Healthy Cheese Plate

How to Build a Healthy Cheese BoardNik and I tend to have little get togethers with friends just about every weekend. And one thing that makes an appearance no matter if we are at out house, our friends’ houses, or out at restaurants are cheese plates. We just love a good cheese plate!

As someone who doesn’t count calories or cut any food groups out, I believe indulging in a healthier cheese board is perfectly fine! The secret is picking the healthiest cheeses and having the right “extras” to go along with it!

But I will say this, as a Fit Girl, you still have to be mindful of how much you eat! And while there are ways to make a healthy cheese board, the biggest thing to keep in mind is PORTION SIZES! Make sure you don’t over indulge, and only get about an ounce to an ounce and a half of cheese per person to keep things in line. So, if you have 4 people to serve only get a total of 4-6 ounces of cheeses.

How to Make a Healthy Cheese Board

Healthy Cheeses – The trickiest part about making a heathy cheese board is, well, the cheese. Picking the right cheese will make or break your cheese board. And, because this is a bit of an indulgence, go for the good cheese. And when I say good cheese, splurge on the price a bit, it makes all the difference! Find a fancy cheese shop or go to your local supermarket and ask for some help if you need to. 

ā™” Healthy Cheeses to Love ā™” 

ā™„ļøŽ Swiss – Swiss is relatively high in protein with 8 grams per ounce, and it’s one of the highest in calcium.
ā™„ļøŽ Part-Skim Mozzarella – Mozzarella in naturally low in fat (unlike processed low-fat “cheese”) because, obviously, it’s made with skim milk. 
ā™„ļøŽ Gruyere – Gruyere is a lot lower in sodium than most other cheeses because strict production regulations only allow salt to be added to the surface of the cheese. 
ā™„ļøŽ Parmesan – Look for a parmesan cheese that is aged at least 16 months, it’s a nice hard cheese that is lower in fat than most cheeses. And honestly, parmesan just goes well with anything!
ā™„ļøŽ Goat Cheese – YUM! Goat cheese is probably my favorite! It’s nice and creamy, but still lower in fat than even most hard cheeses, one ounce has only 6 grams of fat. It has a great tangy flavor too!

How to Build a Healthy Cheese Board

Fresh Fruits – Having fresh fruit to snack on helps to makes it easier that you don’t over indulge on the cheese. Fruit is always a great low calorie and nutrient rich snack to have that it also rich in fiber. The extra fiber from the fruit will come in handy when your body is digesting all that cheese!I love including fresh grapes and apple or pear slices. 

Raw Nuts -Almonds are a perfect go-to in my opinion. They just go with anything really. But you could also sprinkle in some cashews, walnut, or peanuts depending on your crowd.

Healthy Crackers – It’s important to get a cracker that doesn’t have a ton of additives or a crazy amount of ingredients. I really enjoy adding Blue Diamond Almond Nut-Thins to my cheese boards right now. They are a great gluten-free cracker made with almonds and rice flour. They are super light and have just the right hint of salt. Plus, they are relatively high in protein as far as crackers go! They have all sort of flavors too, like Pepper Jack Cheese or Country Ranch!

Healthy Cheese Board

Raw Honey or All-Natural Preserves – A cheese board is never complete without something sweet to balance out the salty-ness of the cheeses! Many people tend to forget to add all-natural preserves or honey…and to be honest, that’s my favorite part! I love using special raw honey, my current favorite is a Sunflower Raw Honey that I found at my local Whole Foods. But organic, no-sugar-added fruit preserves are just as tasty! Maybe an apricot one! YUM! Or if you can find them, even a full blown honeycomb!! (My mouth is watering just thinking about it!) As you know I LOVE raw honey and as one of my healthy pantry staples I always have some on hand. Stock up on some special honey just for your cheese boards!

Wines – Ok, let’s be real, cheese and wine go together like peanut butter and jelly. And if you’re going to have a cheese board, you’re going to need wine as well. I loooove prosecco or champagne and at only 90 calories a glass, I love it even more! Of course, I won’t say no to a good Pinot Grigio or a great red wine as well! And come on, you’ve heard all about wines antioxidant benefits! šŸ˜‰

How to Build a Healthy Cheese Board

What’s your favorite appetizer for small soirees?

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Blue Diamond Almond Nut Thins. All opinions are 100% mine. Thanks for supporting The Live Fit Girls!

BlueDiamond

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12 Comments

  1. Okay, you’ve left me craving some vino and cheese right now. I’m still adjusting to cooking so have literally been making ‘poor man platters’ for dinner aka deli meat, pre made guac and cheetos. I wish I was lying.

  2. Mmmm, there are some fabulous nut cheeses that would be delicious too (I don’t do the real thing).

  3. Okay – your food photography is amazing. I want your tips.

    For get togethers, I’m a huge fan of guacamole. There’s just nothing about it I don’t like. šŸ™‚

    1. Mmmmm!! Guacamoleeeee!!! That’s another staple at our get togethers too!

      Thanks! I actually learned a lot from Pinch of Yum, and other bloggers like Minimalist Baker and Cookie and Kate! Since I upgraded my camera a few months ago, I’ve noticed a big difference too. But my biggest tip is definitely lighting. I just use plain white poster board to bounce the light back how I want it to hit it, makes a big difference!

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