Numerous tents, beer gardens and hundreds of food stalls invite you to feast at the Munich Oktoberfest.
Beer, chicken and sweets are the order of the day – but they are quite high in calories. Anyone who wants to eat healthily at Oktoberfest faces a challenge.
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With these tips, your visit to the Oktoberfest will be a little lower in calories and healthier, but without compromising on enjoyment.
Before visiting the Oktoberfest: eat a healthy meal
Visiting the Oktoberfest on an empty stomach is not a good idea. If you drink a lot, you also have to eat a lot. And then you’re quickly tempted to make a quick detour to one of the many stands selling crêpes or chocolate-covered fruit after eating chicken or cheese spaetzle in the tent.
In order to avoid being driven by irrational hunger, it is advisable to eat a healthy meal before visiting the Oktoberfest that will keep you full for a long time – such as a hearty breakfast or lunch. Then the first beer won’t have too much of an effect.
Choose healthy alternatives in the beer tent too
In addition to chicken, bratwurst, etc., there are also numerous healthier alternatives at the Oktoberfest. Most beer tents offer several vegan or vegetarian dishes. In addition, many dishes are served with salad or sauerkraut as a side dish – a good source of vitamins.
Even on the meat-heavy snack board, vitamins can be found, for example in the form of radishes. Another healthy option is the traditional grilled fish. Unlike many other dishes, it is low in fat but still fills you up.
When it comes to desserts, a crepe with apple sauce is a good alternative to one with chocolate, and when it comes to chocolate-covered fruits, you can sometimes opt for dark chocolate instead of whole milk.
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Sharing is caring
Most of the dishes at the Oktoberfest are high in calories. The portions are often large and difficult to finish on your own. Therefore, it can be beneficial to share a dish with friends.
This way, you won’t overeat too quickly, you’ll consume fewer calories and you might even still be hungry afterwards to try another dish together.
Don’t drink too much beer!
In addition to the food, many calories are consumed at the Oktoberfest through alcohol, and mostly through beer. Unfortunately, the traditional drink has quite a lot of calories: around 50 calories per 100 milliliters. A Maß has around 500 calories – quite a lot.
It can’t hurt to switch to water between beers and reduce your consumption a little. Another lower-calorie alternative is shandy – it has around 100 calories less than a beers’ beers. Some tents also offer sour shandy, i.e. with sparkling water instead of lemonade.
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