How to have a healthier afternoon tea

Afternoon tea can be a capital family dainty and some small changes can make it more heart-healthy. Our senior dietician Victoria Taylor explains how to have your cake, scone or pledge and consume it .
On a relax afternoon, settling down with a cup of tea and a nosh often seems like a great mind. sadly, hot buttered toast, wedges of Victoria leech or cream-covered scones are not such a good theme if you ’ re trying to look after your affection. But with a few tweaks, you can still treat yourself from time to time .

1. Choose healthier treats

 
Bread-style bakes such as fruit bread, malt loaf of bread, currant bun, crumpets, bagels and english muffins are normally healthier than cakes and biscuits. Don ’ metric ton fancy them plain ? Steer clear of butter and perplex to a dilute layer of low-fat, unsaturated dispersed, or try one of our 5 healthy toast toppings .
If you ’ re going for biscuits, remember those that snap, such as ginger nuts or fat tea, are lower in fatty than biscuits that decay, such as shortbread or cookies ( the fatness gives them the crumbly texture ). This means they are lower in calories per biscuit, but may inactive be high in sugar, so dowry control is important.

If you ’ re going for biscuits, remember those that snap are lower in fat than biscuits that crumble

by and large, fruit-based cakes and biscuits will be a rebuff improvement on chocolate-based ones, but don ’ t be lulled into a faithlessly sense of security. tied a healthier patty or cookie is likely to be high in sugar and fat, so check the nutritional information .
easy pretzels have become more popular in late years, and can be a lower-fat option than cakes and cookies, but may inactive be high in salt and sometimes sugar besides .

2. Always check the labels

food labels are the best source of information if you ’ rhenium buy cakes or biscuits in a shop. many café or restaurant chains now have nutritional information on-line, and some even display calorie data on the menu .
Where this international relations and security network ’ triiodothyronine available, cut the calories and fat by sharing one fortune of coat between two. Or try a small individual mailboat of biscuits ( frequently found near the till ) as these normally come in a smaller part and therefore incorporate less carbohydrate and fat .

3. Don’t be deceived by ‘healthy’ ingredients

Healthy-sounding ingredients such as oats, fruit, wholemeal flour or nuts can cast a aura over the intersection in question, but this doesn ’ thymine mean they are low in carbohydrate, saturated fat or calories. Flapjacks and muffins ( such as blueberry ) voice healthier than coat, but often aren ’ triiodothyronine much better .
A blueberry muffin has about 400kcal, while a throng doughnut has nearer to 250kcal. A 50g firearm of pancake will contain around 250kcal – 50kcal more than a patch of Victoria sponge of the same weight.

4. Try baking at home

Scones are easy to make and a few simple changes to the ingredients and toppings can make them a healthier option. Try our yellowish pink and apple scone wedges ( pictured ), which include fruit for moisture and season, and wholemeal flour for character. Have them with olive or sunflower spread rather of butter to cut down on the saturated fatten .
Wholemeal flour can besides work well in cakes such as carrot, banana or even chocolate, where it will combine with the richer spirit. Try our carrot, sultana and orange cake. The color of these ingredients means it ’ s not obvious that you ’ ve made a change. If you are nervous about going fully wholemeal, swap half the flour rather .

Making smaller portions is easier if you bake your cake in a square or orthogonal can

Wholemeal flour might not be correct in a Victoria sponge or a lemon drizzle coat, but there are still ways to make a healthy change. Choose a cake recipe that uses a vegetable vegetable oil, or replace butter with unsaturated fat spreads ( spreads based on sunflower, olive or corn oil fall into this category, for example ). arsenic long as they are not ‘ lightly ’ or low-fat spreads it should work just a well .
Try to avoid adding icing – dress with fresh berries for an attractive option .
Making smaller portions is easier if you bake your patty in a square or rectangular tin, quite than making a turn patty. You can besides use a scone cutter one size smaller, and make miniskirt fairy cakes preferably than standard ones – just don ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate feed twice a many to compensate !
even if cakes aren ’ t your thing, there are other options. baked apples stuffed with spice raisins and sultanas served with low-fat custard or low-fat greek yogurt are a warming treat.

5. Keep an eye on savoury snacks

not everyone has a angelic tooth, which is dear for avoiding carbohydrate, but piquant treats can be higher in saturated fat and salt. Cheese is a democratic choice. It ’ s alimentary, but besides high in saturated fat and salt, so control your portions ( a helping of cheese is a matchbox-sized sum ). Reduced-fat cheeses are better, but this is an example where reduced fatten doesn ’ t entail humble fat – and reduced-fat cheeses are much however high gear in salt. voiced cheeses such as quark, reduced-fat soft cheese or low-fat bungalow cheese are much lower in salt and fatten .
Healthier piquant options are avocado, pure ( unsalted ) nut butters, reduced-fat versions of hummus and tzatziki, tomato salsa and greasy fish .