Life and Soul of the Cocktail Party? You can be without putting on those extra kilos – here's how...

Eat This: Biltong
Not That: Grilled cocktail sausages

Although easy-to-eat mini sausages are a tad better grilled, they’re still loaded with fat. Just five of them have about 25g, with more than half being the unhealthy type. Good quality biltong is a lean protein-packed snack that’s generally low in fat, especially if it’s venison or ostrich. It provides a good dose of iron too.

Did you know your daily iron needs are more than double those of your man? Plus, about half of that is heme iron, the easier-to-absorb kind. Note: biltong is high in salt, so go easy on other salty snacks.

Eat This: Peanuts
Not That: Vegetable samoosas

Even though the samoosas are filled with veggies, the deep-fried pastry carries plenty of fat, most of it unhealthy. A handful of peanuts will give you about 10g of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats.

Studies show that these fats can help lower blood cholesterol levels and may lower our risk of developing heart disease when consumed in moderation. That same handful also gives you a good dose of your daily vitamin E quota. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant, stopping the formation of harmful free radicals and preventing cell damage. But stick to a handful, because peanuts are kilojoule-dense, and opt for unsalted, if you can.

Eat This: Mini meatballs
Not That: Biscuits with cream cheese and sweet chilli sauce

Four or five mini meatballs will be kinder to your waistline and heart than biscuits topped with wedges of cream cheese and dripping in sweet chilli sauce. The cheese and biscuits contain around 15g of unhealthy fat, while the meatballs come in at about five grams. But best not to overdo the meatballs either – they’re high in sodium and still contain a fair amount of fat.

Drink This: A flute of brut sparkling wine
Not That: A cocktail glass of strawberry daiquiri

These drinks clock up a similar amount of kilojoules, but daiquiris are most often made with at least 10g of sugar per glass, whereas the residual sugar content of most brut sparkling wines is less than 2.7g per flute.

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