It’s the summer, and you’ve just been invited to a 4th of July barbecue. You RSVP “Yes”, but in the back of your mind you’re thinking, “Ribs, hot dogs, potato salad, creamy dressings, hamburgers, icecream; How am I going to control myself?!”
Obviously, if you are attending a barbecue, it is impossible to control WHAT is there, but it is possible to control what you put on your plate and how much you eat! While you are outside with guests, make it a point to enjoy the company of others and socialize rather than stand at the food table and snack all day. Enjoy what is there, but fill up your plate with the healthiest options available, like salad with light dressing, a piece of grilled chicken, corn on the cob, and fruit salad. If it helps control your food cravings, try eating a piece of fruit with peanut butter, a small salad, or a handful of nuts before going to the barbecue. Many people think, “Well, if I don’t eat anything before I got out, then I can eat more when I am there.” This simply is not a healthy way to go about your daily eating! Trust me, in the end, you wind up eating more!
Now let’s say you are the one hosting a barbecue and you want to create a delicious menu that your guests will enjoy, but will be healthy and prevent your child from overeating.
What should I drink?
The best option is to stick with water! Try adding orange slices, lemon slices, or lime slices. They add a great subtle flavor with virtually no calories! It is important to keep yourself hydrated while you are outside!
For your guests, offer cans of diet and regular soda along with whatever alcoholic or other beverages you think they would like. However, make it a point to place the diet soda in a separate cooler of ice; that way you will remind yourself to just go to that cooler and avoid the one with the regular beverages.
What kinds of appetizers should I serve?
The best appetizers and snack options to offer are baked tortilla chips with salsa, pretzels, fresh fruit salad, and cut-up vegetables with low-fat dip.
What should I grill? Hotdogs and hamburgers just seem so easy to throw on the grill, but I know there are healthier options.
If you simply can’t do without hamburgers and hotdogs, then opt for buying 93% or 95% extra lean ground beef and forming them into patties yourself! Spray the grill with non-fat cooking spray and enjoy a delicious lean burger. Hotdogs can be very tricky because often they are loaded with fat and sodium. The best option for hotdogs, are low-sodium and low-fat. Brands such as Healthy Choice and Hebrew National offer this! My family loves the Hebrew National 97% fat-free hot dogs! If you want to be adventurous and try some other meats, here are a few options that go great on the grill! Always remember to trim the fat off of your meats and avoid high-calorie marinades! Opt for light, whole-wheat rolls rather than white rolls and fat-free cheeses instead of regular cheeses. Limit the amount of condiments used and avoid mayo altogether. If you must have mayonnaise, use a small amount of fat-free mayonnaise.
| Option | Serving Size | Food Color |
| Lean Flank Steak | 3 ounces | Yellow + Green |
| Grilled Shrimp | 6 large | Green |
| Veggie Burger | 1 burger | Green |
| Fat-free turkey hot dog | 2 hot dogs | Green |
| Pork Tenderloin | 2 ounces | Green |
| Veggie Sausage Links | 3 links | Green |
| Chicken Breast/NO skin | 2 oz/half breast | Green |
Keep in mind that fish is also a great BBQ dish, but can be difficult to cook on the grill, as it breaks apart easily. Try placing a white, lean fish of your choice in parchment baggies and toss in veggies and lay on the grill! It’s easy to make and when you’re done, just throw the bag away.
Another great fish option is to cook salmon on a cedar plank placed on the grill. The outside gets crisp while the inside remains soft. Plus, the cedar gives the fish a fabulous taste!
Top Tips When Grilling Meats:
- 1. Trim the fat
- 2. Avoid high-calorie marinades
- 3. Take off the skin
- 4. Stay away from overly processed meats, like full-fat sausage!
- 5. Try cubing chicken or beef and making a vegetable kabob
- 6. Use fat-free cooking spray. Avoid greasing the grill with oils/butters as it adds unnecessary fat and calories!
But what should I serve WITH the meat? That always seems to be the hardest part for me.
I am sure you are thinking about pairing that hamburger with potato salad or a buttered-up corn on the cob, but there are many satisfying healthy options to pair meat with. Here are just a few:
| Option | Serving Size | Food Color |
| Fresh strawberries | 1 cup | FREE |
| Grilled peppers and onions | ½ cup | Green |
| Salad with fat-free dressing | 1 cup | Green |
| Sugar-free jello | 3 tbsp. | FREE |
| Corn, cob, NO butter | 1 cob | Green |
| Grilled zucchini and squash | ½ cup | FREE |
| Angel Food Cake | 1 slice | Green |
| Potato Chips, baked | 10 chips | Green |
| Baked Sweet Potato | 2 oz./half potato | Green |
| Fat-free pudding | ½ cup | Green |
Hopefully, this gives you some great ideas to work with for your next barbecue! Remember to enjoy the company of your guests and plan fun activities and games with the kids to keep them active and not focused on sitting and eating. Set up a volley-ball net, jump in the pool, set up a relay-race or obstacle course, and get moving!
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I loved this post. Thank you for posting drink options. I never think of having fruit to sweeten or flavor the water. I am going to encourage my dd to do this at home. It will be a good habit to start forming. We only buy soda for special occasions. We do have juices all the time and I that can add a lot of calories during the day.
This is a great post! I would have never thought of adding lemon or orange slices to water. I may try that with my kids to get them to drink more water instead of Kool-Aid.
I am always looking for tips to eating out. BBQs are so hard because people always make such fattening foods. I find if I stick to veggies, salads (not pasta etc.) and grilled meats, I will be okay.
Wonderful tips! Thanks so much!!
The article is very good. I have the opposite problem of most Americans. I have 3 boys that have very fast metabolisms and the weight seems to fall off them. Are there healthy things I can be feeding them in order to add a little bulk to their frames?(I was the same way as a child. My mother used to have to sew elastic into my pants.)
I try really hard to remind them that just because they are smaller it doesn’t give them liscense to eat anything and they still need to eat healthy.
I’ve found the easiest way to avoid all those high-calorie/fat foods is to tell myself that I can always come back later if I’m still hungry after eating the better for me stuff. There’s always more! This little mental trick helps me feel like I’m not *really* denying myself a pleasure, just delaying it. I always get plenty full on what I know I should eat, so there’s no return to the buffet.
There are many kids in the same situation as your children. It is important to feed your kids healthy foods. I often see parents of thin children feeding them chicken fingers and french fries. This worries me because these foods contain saturated fats which can cause heart disease. Remember, even thin children need to eat healthy foods. Try adding heart-healthy olive oil to your kids’ food. You can also encourage them to eat peanut butter and nuts. Low-fat dairy products are also healthy as are lean sources of protein. Good luck!
These are some great tips, especially about the Colors that go with which meat/main course! Thanks!
Thanks for the tips. I teach so staying fit during summer id hard!!
mj.coward[at]gmail.com
These are some great ideas for the summer time
Thanks so much and see you tonight on Twitter
Thanks for sharing these great ideas. This post answered a lot of my questions on summertime eating!
I can’t (weight) to meet you at the party tonight ,and chat about weight issues for kids. Even as a Nurse, I still have a child real really bad foods issues! madly59
I love the way you break things down for everyone to see. You have a wonderful site and are doing great things.
Congrats!
Those are some great tips. I never thought about spraying the grill before usage and of course, using a fat free spray! I also really like your idea of using little cubes of meat on a kabob.
Thanx for the great BBQing tips, I will definitely keep these in mind the next time we have a BBQ!
Great Idea, using FF marinades, using this tip tonight as I cookout chicken!
Great ideas! I am still finalizing plans for my hubs 40th birthday bbq! Lots of your ideas will definitely be used!
oh yum- I like that strawberries are free!! I wish they were free at the store too, LOL!!
Great ideas! Going to print them off and save them!
[...] How To Survive A Summer BBQ Without Gaining Weight! [...]
thanks for the tips
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