It's party season again, so watch out! Finger food is notorious for piling on kilos.
Don't fall into the snack food weight trap. Judy Davies looks at a number of popular party nibbles and warns us which ones to avoid.
Provided you don't eat too many of them, these fetta-stuffed olives are quite a healthy snack. Five olives stuffed with fetta provide 113kJ and 1.5g of fat.
Think twice before you dive into the chip bowl. They're not very big and they certainly won't fill you up, but a couple of handfuls (about 20 chips) still amounts to 790KJ and 11.6g of fat. And that's before you add the dip!
Most parties have a cheese platter on offer, but you don't need much to stack on the kilojoules. A small 50g piece of brie with 6 water crackers adds 1113kJ and 16.7g of fat to your daily intake.
Okay, so they may be healthier than chips, but roasted nuts are also very high in energy, so go easy on the portion sizes. Just a small handful (or quarter of a cup) of roasted nuts amasses 854kJ and 18.2g of fat.
Compared to a lot of other party foods, sushi is a good snack to help soak up the alcohol at a party. Three bite-sized tuna-filled sushi amounts to only 570kJ and 3g of fat.
Most main meals don't contain this number of kilojoules. Four medium wedges with two tablespoons of sour cream and one tablespoon of sweet chilli sauce contains 2,537kJ and 31g of fat.
For the host, it's a simple matter of throwing them into the oven to heat and serve. For the guest, throwing two party-sized sausage rolls down your mouth amounts to an extra 1065kJ and 17.8g of fat.
Hummus is a good source of fibre and good fat and fills you up better than some other party foods. Three tablespoons of hummus with 10 plain rice crackers amounts to 885kJ and 10.7g of fat.
Judy Davie is the author and co-author of The Food Coach Recipe Book (Penguin), Read the Label (Random House) and Star Foods (ABC Books). Judy also produces and presents online videos that show how to make delicious and easy healthy meals. Visit her website at www.thefoodcoach.com.au