Enjoy a healthy July 4 celebration with these delicious, naturally red, white, and blue foods

Sue Heikkinen, MS, RDN, CDCES, BC-ADM, ACE-PT - Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist

Pinterest may be full of red, white, and blue foods, but are they healthy for your Fourth of July gathering? Read on for ideas that spark creativity and fewer calories.

3 cheers for lots of red, white, and blue foods!

Independence Day is a time for gathering with friends and family, often around a cookout, picnic, or parade. Create a festive celebration with these naturally red, white, and blue foods.

Red foods

It's delightfully easy to find red foods to serve for patriotic holidays. Strawberries, raspberries, cherries, watermelon, and tomatoes are typically bountiful and delicious in the summer. Apples, red grapes, radishes, and, red bell peppers are other versatile red foods.

White foods

Foods that are white have surprising health benefits. Don't overlook them as part of your color theme. Cauliflower, jicama, onions, potatoes, radishes (inside), white beans, apples, bananas, coconut, and yogurt are excellent examples of nutrient-rich white foods.

Blue foods

Few foods are naturally blue. Antioxidant-rich blueberries are the obvious exception. Blue cheese, blue corn, blue (purple) potatoes, blackberries, and Concord grapes provide blue-ish hues.

Ways to include red, white, and blue foods in your Independence Day spread

Appetizers, salads, and sides

• Blue corn tortilla chips and jicama with salsa
• Cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella balls on small wooden skewers, drizzled with balsamic vinegar and topped with fresh basil leaves
• Coleslaw with added blueberries or dried cranberries
• Peppadew peppers stuffed with a crumble of blue cheese
• Popcorn with dried blueberries and dried cranberries
• Red, White, & Blue Potato Salad made with blue potatoes and roasted red peppers
• Watermelon with Mint and Feta

Desserts

• Berry Kabobs with Greek yogurt
• Cherry or berry popsicles made with 100% fruit
• Fruit salad made with blueberries, sliced strawberries, watermelon chunks, and banana slices (cut the watermelon into star shapes with a cookie cutter for an extra festive look)
• Layered Berry Dessert
• Strawberry bites: Halve large strawberries. Place a dollop (about a teaspoon to half a tablespoon) of vanilla-flavored Greek yogurt on each strawberry half. Top with a few blueberries.

Beverages

Generally, July means hot weather, so cool beverages are an essential part of your holiday spread.

Infused water in a glass jar looks beautiful and encourages hydration. You don't have to schedule a spa day for this easy preparation technique. Soak two cups of rinsed and sliced fruit in two cups of water in a jar for one to two hours in the refrigerator. Then pour over ice. The flavor is subtle and refreshing-no sweetener needed.

Add a pop of color to beverages by freezing raspberries, blackberries, or blueberries with water in ice cube trays and adding to water, sparkling water, iced tea, or even your favorite cocktail.

Find more healthy Fourth of July recipes from MyNetDiary

Browse MyNetDiary's Premium Recipe Collection for inspiration. You can add recipe filters, including Grilling, 4th of July, and Summer. You can also add filters for preferred main ingredients, excluded ingredients, and diet type. Your guests will cheer for the healthy variety of red, white, and blue foods at your holiday gathering!

Additional resources

Planning outdoor activities with family and friends that burn calories
10 Healthy grilling tips to make your summer barbecues sizzle!
Why blueberries are one of the healthiest fruits for your weight-loss plan
3 Delicious and healthy summer BBQ recipes

Adapted from original content by Donna Feldman MS, RDN, author of Food Wisdom for Women.

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