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Healthy eating in… Spain

Steer clear of calorie-packed Spanish food, and you can still have a ball while on holiday in Spain without worrying about your weight.

There’s nothing like the feeling of satisfaction after you’ve shaped up for your break – and our Summer Diet can help. But once you’re looking great and feeling confident, why undo all your good work while you’re away?

Of course holidays are all about relaxing and indulging. But you can dine on the best cuisine and have fun, without piling on the pounds.

Our food swaps show you how to stay trim in Spain and come back with a great tan… but no excess baggage!

Always remember…

Make use of the wonderful tapas-style bars where you can mix and match small starter-sized portions of your favourite local dishes. Avoid anything ‘frito’ which means ‘fried’.  Look instead for food prepared ‘a la plancha’, ‘a la parrilla’ or ‘grille’, which all mean grilled.

Starters orders

• Gazpacho instead of chorizo a lo peruano (fried beef)

A refreshing, vitamin-filled bowl of chilled tomato-based gazpacho soup is unlikely to exceed 122cals per big bowl. A small serving of fried minced beef, on the other hand, could give you 400cals before you can say: “Hola”.

• Mussels in tomato sauce rather than patatas bravas (spicy fried potato)

This fantastically tasty shellfish starter will give you just 130cals per serving, compared with around 250cals for a small portion of patatas bravas.

In the main

• Gambas al ajillo’ (prawns in garlic, chilli and wine) instead of paella

A fabulously garlicky bowl of prawns will give you 150cals and fill you to the gunnels. Opt for this rather than Paella, which gives you 600cals for even a modest sized serving. But if you can’t resist sampling this classic Spanish dish, share a portion with a friend to bring the calories down.

• Pork fillets in sherry sauce instead of lamb casserole

A lean pork fillet is one of the lowest calorie meats going, so tuck into this Spanish sherry-based delight, with 300cals per serving, while leaving the fattier lamb casserole, with a minimum of 500cals, to others.

Just dessert

• Orange slices with liqueur with 160cals makes a much more waistline-friendly pudding than crema catalana, a rich, sugary, egg yolk and full-fat milk-based custard with a crispy caramel topping – and 300cals per person.