Fire up the grill. This summer, your taste buds will flip over these healthy barbecue alternatives. Yes, it’s possible to make vegetables taste good, which will help you adhere to eating more healthy foods. Barbecue season can be a flavorful and healthy celebration with just a few simple changes.
Summer barbecues and grilling are typically associated with hamburgers, hot dogs, sausages and other animal proteins. It’s okay to have some of these foods, but it’s better to focus on vegetables. By making meaningful small changes you develop healthy habits that you can maintain long term.
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12 Healthy Barbecue Ideas
Instead of the main component of your meal being an animal protein, aim for half (or more) of your plate to be nicely grilled, or fresh, non-starchy vegetables. Turn the protein into the supporting cast, and let vegetables be the star.
1. Make a hamburger healthier
If you’re served a beef burger on a bun, add some vegetables to it. Remember, healthy habits are about making incremental, progressive improvements. Adding vegetables to a dish automatically improves it. Eating vegetables helps reduce cravings and stave off hunger, helping you stay full and satisfied for a longer period of time.
2. Grill lean poultry or seafood
If you’re going to be incorporating animal protein at your BBQ, choose fish or seafood that provide omega-3 healthy fats, which are important for your heart and brain. If you’re used to eating red meat, then try eating more lean poultry. If you typically eat poultry, take the next healthy move to eating more seafood and fish. Small changes or modifications help you improve your overall health.
3. Experiment with kebabs
Interestingly enough, you can enjoy vegetables and fruits on a gas or charcoal grill. Grilling provides great flavors to vegetables and fruits. Make veggie kebabs with grilled mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and pineapple for a healthier alternative to a meat kebab.
4. Grill a vegetable “steak”
Veggies that can easily be cut into large slabs — think zucchini, eggplant, peppers, onions and portobello mushrooms — are among the more popular vegetables to grill. Cauliflower can also be cut into slabs and grilled.
For cauliflower steak, brush both sides with olive oil or any olive oil-based seasoning mixture (lemon juice, garlic and/or fresh herbs would be great). Sprinkle with salt. Grill covered on medium heat for about five minutes per side, or until a good char develops and the thicker stem is softened. Serve as is, or with your favorite garnishes like toasted pine nuts, grated Parmesan cheese or buffalo wing sauce.
5. Baked potatoes and baked beans
Baked potatoes are a staple at barbecues. They provide a filling, nutrient-dense side dish as long as they are devoid of the butter, sour cream, cheese and bacon. Low-sodium, no-sugar added mesquite-type marinades and sauces can give a great flavor and taste to baked potatoes, as well as grilled vegetables and fruits.
If baked beans are commonplace at your barbecue, try healthier alternatives with less sugar, such as black beans, garbanzo beans, black-eyed peas or even lentil soup.
6. Corn on the cob
A barbecue staple, corn on the cob is delicious but typically slathered in butter and salt. Kick it up a notch for a healthier alternative when marinated in skim milk and cinnamon before it’s given a nice char on a hot grill. You won’t be disappointed. It’s got an even sweeter flavor than regular corn.
[See: 7 Healthy Summer Dinner Ideas.]
7. Potato salad
This favorite side dish can be easily made healthier than commercially available potato salads. Substitute the typical mayonnaise for a fat-free sour cream or a fat-free plain yogurt. Add some dill or cucumbers.
8. Pasta salad
You can make a whole-wheat pasta salad, instead of eating the refined flour in typical white pasta salads. Ensure that vegetables are the main character of the dish. You can grill tomatoes, onions and mushrooms to include in your whole-wheat pasta salad.
9. Healthy dips
Potato chips are dry, not very filling, salty and fatty. Focus on things that contain more fiber and water so they fill you up, helping you eat less of the main meal.
Dip into some hummus (garbanzo beans, lemon, garlic, spices) with a rainbow of cut vegetables (cucumbers, bell peppers, carrots, broccoli). You and your guests will love this crunchy, beautiful vegetable crudité. People who come to our Pritikin Program here in Miami, enjoy many great barbecue recipes, including our famous broccomole dip, which substitutes avocado for broccoli.
10. Lemonade
Water is always the best first choice for hydration. But if you’re looking for a healthier alternative to store-bought lemonade, splash into your glass some homemade lemonade consisting of water, lemons and a little bit of Splenda or Stevia. Or go for unsweetened iced tea. When choosing beverages, avoid added sugars, sweeteners or a lot of sodium.
11. Grilled fruit
The grill is not just for meat. Try a banana on the grill. Bananas caramelize when grilled to create a deliciously sweet, healthier treat. Tropical fruits, in general, are great on the grill. You can even try honeydew or cantaloupe.
Try slicing watermelon into pieces about one-eighth of an inch thick. Sprinkle on some olive oil, season with salt, pepper and a smidge of smoked paprika, and then grill for two or three minutes. Or trying grilling peaches for about three minutes with the skin on to keep them sturdy. You can mix up a peach salsa or skewer them with grilled strawberries or melon.
12. Roasted chickpeas
By putting foods on top of tin foil or a baking tray, your patio grill can double as an oven. Try roasting chickpeas and serving them as nibbles in place of the standard chips and salsa. Swapping out chips for roasted legumes will cut out fat and add immunity-boosting antioxidants to your meal.
[READ: Picnic Foods That Won’t Spoil in Warm Weather.]
4 Ways to a Healthier Barbecue
1. Sizzle some seafood and add more veggies
Let some seafood and fish sizzle on the grate as a healthier alternative to traditional burgers, steaks and hot dogs. But the most important aspect about healthy barbecuing is adding more vegetables. Adding vegetables automatically improves the meal as they are nutrient-dense and add fiber and water, which helps you feel satiated and full sooner.
2. Listen to your hunger cues
Always listen to your body’s physiological ques for hunger and satiety — don’t starve and don’t stuff. Eat when you’re hungry, and stop when you’re comfortably full.
3. Focus on progress, not perfection
Remember that it is not about perfection. You’re human — when you have that particular meal or BBQ where you weren’t able to make healthy choices, take the next meal as the opportunity to focus on healthy choices. The idea is to focus on progress, not necessarily about being perfect. Making small changes or modifications to improve your overall health works, making consistency easier.
4. Get active
Be consistent about incorporating your typical healthy habits, such as physical activity. Toss a ball with the kids or dogs at the BBQ. Go for a walk with a friend or family member. You can be consistent about your engagement in physical activity while still enjoying your BBQ day.
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Healthy Barbecue Ideas and Recipes originally appeared on usnews.com
