I may not be American but that doesn’t mean I can’t join all of my friends down south in celebrating the Independence Day long weekend.

For those who may not know, Independence Day is a celebration of the declaration that took place on July 4th 1776 which stated that the thirteen American colonies ( at the time) no longer considered themselves under British control. 

Instead, they formed a new country – The United States of America. This declaration is known today as the Declaration of Independence and is arguably the most important document in American history.

The Independence Day Food Art/Recipe Challenge

Everyone knows that in order to do Independence Day food right you need a little red, white and blue. But, as a dietitian, I am not talking about red, white and blue food colouring.

So my challenge to anyone reading this is to come up with a HEALTHY Independence Day recipe or food art display (see mine below) that incorporates foods that are NATURALLY red, white AND blue.

Want to know what I came up with? Check it out here on my Instagram page.

Here are some ideas to help get you started:

Red Foods:  Strawberries, raspberries, tomatoes, red peppers, plums, apples, radishes, cranberries.

White Foods: Mushrooms, cauliflower, tofu, milk, navy beans, white rice.

Blue Foods: The ultimate limiting factor.  As far as I am aware, blueberries are the only food that comes close to naturally being blue (other similar foods are much closer to purple), so it looks like regardless of the recipe you choose you will need to incorporate these berries!

Share your creation!

I hope you will all try to put these healthy foods together in your own creative way and share them with me via social media ( Twitter: AndyThaRD | Instagram: AndyTheRD ) 

Happy 4th of July everyone!

Andy De Santis RD MPH