Healthy Charcuterie Board

By Sean Vander Veer RD, LD, CPT

 

Not much in life gets me more excited than a plate full of meat.  In this blog post I want to talk about a different type of plate of meat, one that has been growing in popularity.  This plate is called the charcuterie board.

First, a quick history lesson on where the term came from and what it means.  Originally derived from the French words for “flesh” (chair) and “cooked” (cuit), the term charcuterie was used to designate shops in fifteenth-century France that sold products made from pork.  But, how do we get from that point to meat on a board with cheese and other pickling items?  Well, in the fifteenth century, charcutiers were not allowed to sell uncooked pork so they created all manner of cooked (or salted and dried) dishes to be sold later via pate style.  These cuts of meat are made from pork, the meat is then cubed or chopped, salted heavily and cooked slowly in fat until it is tender enough to be easily shredded, and then cooled with enough of the fat to form a paste, sausage, bacon, hams, and a variety of head cheeses.

Overall, charcuterie is the form of salting, smoking, and cooking to preserve meats and food products.  Charcuterie has been one of the foundations of human survival in that it allowed societies to maintain a food surplus throughout the year.  Now let’s get into how to make a healthy charcuterie board.

What goes into a Charcuterie board?

Cured meats, breads, pickled items, cheeses, something salty and something sweet

Meat options

• Traditional Italian cured meats include prosciutto, pancetta, lardo, finocchiona, capocollo, saliccia, salame, mortadella, soppressata, chorizo, pate

Cheese options

• Soft and spreadable – Brie, Goat, Camembert
• Semi-soft – able to be spread and mild in taste – Munster, Gruyere, Blue (not mild)
• Semi-Hard – aged longer than the soft varieties – Cheddar & Gouda
• Hard – Aged for months to years and crumble easily – Manchego, Asiago, Parmigiano

Something Salty & Something Sweet

• Cashews, almonds, olives, sun dried tomatoes, nuts
• Figs, fresh fruit sliced, dark chocolate, honey, nectarines

Now that we know what goes into a charcuterie board, how do we build it?  I like to pick 3 cheeses, 3 meats and mix in some bread or crackers, along with something sweet and salty from the list above.  Simply arrange the items on a plate or board and voila!  Have fun with it, get creative, there is no right or wrong way to put together a board.

The Elite Nutrition and Performance Board

Here is a comparison of some items you will find on a Charcuterie board and a list of healthy alternatives that will keep that waistline trim and in check!

Traditional	Healthy Substitute
prosciutto, pancetta, lardo, finocchiona, capocollo, saliccia, salame, mortadella, soppressata, chorizo	Sliced grilled chicken breast, low sodium chicken or turkey deli meats, smoked salmon, seared beef tenderloin/pork tenderloin sliced thin (carpaccio)
Brie, Camembert, Cheddar, Gouda, Manchego, Asiago, Parmigiano	Goat cheese is naturally lower in fat and contains 75 calories per ounce (try herb crusted), part skim mozzarella at 70 calories per ounce, reduced fat cheeses like Cabot 50%, Feta cheese at 75 calories per ounce, Neufchatel at 70 calories per ounce,
Cashews, almonds, olives, sun dried tomatoes, assorted nuts	23 almonds to get 160 calories, 18 cashews to reach 160 calories, and pistachios offer 49 nuts to equal 160 calories. Plus, they come equipped with a shell that needs to be decoded prior to eating!
Figs, fresh fruit sliced, dark chocolate, honey, nectarines	Horseradish, pickled onions, beets, pickles, mustards (spicy, regular), low sugar preservatives such as Smucker’s red raspberry or apricot

The key is to share the board with friends and family members, add in those pieces of sliced fruit to get those needed vitamins and minerals.  The protein from the meat and cheese will help keep your metabolism firing on all cylinders.  If were looking at a low fat board to keep the calories down, try adding reduced fat cheese options or load the plate up with deli meats such as turkey and or slices of chicken breast instead of the higher fat cured meats mentioned above.

If you or someone you know would be interested in learning more about how to put a healthy meal together, we at Elite Nutrition and Performance will be demonstrating that at Arcadia Edge Apartment complex on Thursday September 15^th at 7:15 PM.  During this event you will get the chance to sit, watch, and eat as the dietitian prepares a healthy and flavor packed meal on the grill.  You’ll learn some trade secrets to healthy grilling including how to marinade and create spice rubs for your food choices.  For more information, please visit our website or simply follow the link in this email.