Ideas for a Sugar Free Summer Picnic: Enjoying the Fresh Bounty of Summer Without the Sugar

Watching your carbohydrates? Trying to keep excess sugars to a minimum? Still want to enjoy yourself with family and friends at outdoor picnics this summer? It's easier than you think to have delicious choices where you won't feel deprived and can still stick to the sugar free eating plan of your choice.

Snacks. Start with a beautiful platter of fresh vegetables and dips for snacking. Celery, carrots, snow peas, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes and cucumbers bring color and crunch to a fresh tray. Add a selection of dips for variety and interest and you'll have a snack even the most devoted chip fan will love. Mix fresh salsa with cream cheese for a spicy and creamy dip. Use a cup of store bought roasted garlic hummus for that garlicky addition. Mix the remaining fresh salsa with a can of black beans, some fresh lime juice and cilantro for a light and protein filled black bean salsa you can scoop up with the celery and cucumbers. If you're looking for something else to add, baked whole grain pita chips make excellent lower carb scoopers for dips.

Sides. Prepare a few salads in advance to keep you picnics cool and easy. Sliced and peeled cucumbers can bathe for days with some sliced onions in white vinegar and Splenda for a refrigerator pickle salad. And what about the traditional devilled eggs? Hard boil some eggs, slice in half and mix the yolks with some mayonnaise, a little horseradish for kick, ground mustard and salt and pepper to taste. Pipe back into the egg white halves and serve. Devilled eggs are a perfect naturally sugar free side for a summer picnic.

Mains. Meat is another naturally sugar free food and here your choices are almost unlimited. Hot dogs, hamburgers, steaks and brats are good choices with low to no sugar, but what if you want some picnic barbecue? Rubs and sauces are loaded with sugar and can tank your diet in a heartbeat. So what to do? Substitute Splenda brown sugar for that caramelly taste in a rub or sauce. Or spend a few extra minutes in the grocery store checking out low sugar or sugar free barbecue sauces. Plenty of large brand names offer the lower sugar options, and some even have lower carb versions without marking them as such. Look at the nutritionals and you may be surprised what you'll find.

Dessert. Brownies and cookies are popular picnic fare, but what about sticking with simple fruit? Bring your meal full circle from your vegetable platter and dips starter to a fruit platter and dips ending. For a sweet selection slice up some cantaloupe, honeydew, strawberries, peaches, oranges and pineapple. Add some grapes and a few unpeeled bananas for even more color and then give your fruit their own corresponding dips. Yogurt is a natural complement to fruit and you can choose from a huge selection of sugar free flavors. Next to the fruit flavored yogurt, you can offer a sugar free vanilla yogurt dip with crushed pineapple and coconut for a tropical flavor. A simple combination of sour cream and Splenda brown sugar will add a light caramel touch to a third dip choice. If you are limiting even your simple sugars, a few fruits that you could really focus on would be strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, apricots and high fiber apples.

Spending some time picking out your favorite fruits and vegetables and relying on Splenda brand sweetener to add sweetness to foods without adding calories and carbohydrates can really make your picnic special and still healthy. Calories and fat can also be reduced by using low fat or fat free cream cheese, mayonnaise and yogurts if you desire and you can have a completely guilt free and flavor full summer picnic that will be enjoyed by all.