A juicy burger or tangy chicken leg, chips and creamy potato salad remain the ideal barbecue foods for many people. Yet these foods, at least when prepared traditionally, may be loaded with salt, fat, sugar and even cancer-causing substances from the grilling process. Opt for healthier ingredients and methods when planning your next backyard barbecue.
Offer Low-Fat Choices
Red meat, though notoriously high in saturated fat, often enjoys star status at barbecues. Prepare healthier versions of familiar BBQ staples like chili by using ground turkey and beans rather than offering an all-beef version. Ground turkey patties also substitute for beef-based burgers on the grill. Other low-fat strategies include skinning turkey or chicken before tossing it on the grill, making all-vegetable shish kebob skewers and cooking with low-fat barbecue sauce. Use reduced-fat mayonnaise and milk in your coleslaw, potato salad or egg salad. If your guests look forward to your "chip and dip" tray before the main meal, use low-fat sour cream and spices in place of high-fat dips and pair them with crunchy veggies and baked vegetable chips. Salsa is another fat-free dip that combines well with vegetables and whole-grain tortilla chips.
Cut the Sodium
Some sodium-reducing methods for barbecues are obvious. Provide sea salt, rather than table salt, for guests who want to liven up their corn on the cob. But even health-conscious hosts sometimes forget that prepared foods like salad dressing, barbecue sauce and spice rubs may be loaded with sodium. Homemade versions needn't be time-consuming. Combine olive oil, lemon juice or vinegar and dried herbs to create a zesty vinaigrette for green salads. Create barbecue sauce with low-sodium ketchup, cider vinegar, brown sugar, molasses, spices and sea salt. Dry rubs for grilled poultry and steak come together easily with celery salt, paprika, black pepper, sugar and garlic powder.
Reduce Carcinogens
According to the University of Michigan's Comprehensive Cancer Center, grilling animal proteins represents a risk of ingesting carcinogenic substances. Heterocyclic amines, or HCAs, are cancer-causing compounds known to cause tumors in laboratory testing. Sticking to grilled vegetables is the best bet for avoiding barbecue-related carcinogens, but marinating the meat before grilling also seems to reduce the incidence of HCAs. If you do grill non-marinated meat, make sure to cook it at a low temperature, flip it often and remove black pieces; all of these measures add up to healthier barbecued food with fewer HCAs.
Boost Nutrients
Vegetable and fruit dishes often offer the best chance to consume vitamin-rich foods at a barbecue. Don't neglect the corn on the cob, grilled vegetable side dishes, green salads, sliced fresh tomatoes, fruit salads and vegetable crudité platters. Fruits often star in summer desserts, whether it's peach cobbler, strawberry shortcake or simply a fruit and cheese course. Use low-fat or fat-free ingredients, along with sugar and egg substitutes, when baking fruit desserts to further boost their health value.
Member Comments