The #HealthyGirl’s Guide To A Summer Cookout
Don’t get buried in BBQ! Make smart choices all day long with these easy food swaps. (Thomas Barwick / Getty Images)
Grilling season is in full swing, and I don’t know about you, but everyone I know seems to be having a cookout. Traditional fare, such as hamburgers, baked beans and ice cream can quickly jack up the fat and calories–and leave you feeling sluggish post-meal. Try seven easy swaps to shave more than 700 calories off traditional cookout options and have you feeling fit and healthy all day long.
Creamy doesn’t have to mean high calorie.
Slaws and potato salads make for a great cool, creamy side dish, but often times they can be loaded with artery clogging, cholesterol-raising saturated fat. To cut back on the fat without sacrificing the flavor, try using a canola oil mayo instead of the traditional stuff. Canola oil mayo is not technically a “low-fat” or “light” mayo, but since it is made with canola oil, it is all heart-healthy fat and doesn’t have any saturated fat or cholesterol. It still has the traditional creamy flavor and texture of real mayo! Or substitute nonfat plain Greek yogurt, which has a thicker and creamier texture than regular yogurt, for the mayo or sour cream in your recipe. It also has the added nutritional benefit of calcium, vitamin D and protein! Switching from regular mayo to a canola-oil version will save you 80 calories per two tablespoons and switching to nonfat plain Greek yogurt will save you 164 calories per two tablespoons!
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Go for a meatless burger.
Lean beef or chicken are definitely healthy options, but grilling a large portabella mushroom cap and serving it on a bun or going for a veggie burger is just as tasty and can save you a whopping 277 calories! Try SELF’s Black Bean-Corn Burger Recipe.
Crunch on something new.
Love crunchy crinkle-cut potato chips? Try crinkle-cut carrots instead. You can find bags of these pre-cut carrots in the produce section of your grocery store. Not only do they have the same look and crunch of potato chips, they will save you 147 calories per one ounce serving.
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Be different with your beans.
Baked beans are commonplace at cookouts, but the added sugar they contain adds calories, too. Instead of baked beans, try serving a black bean salad instead, which is flavored with lime juice, cilantro, and cumin (as opposed to sugar), so it will save you 50 calories per half-cup serving.
Swap out your sweets.
Instead of ice cream, try grilling some fruit and topping it with nonfat vanilla yogurt. You will get all the delicious sweet flavors you crave, but you can have a large slice of grilled pineapple and three-fourths cup of nonfat vanilla yogurt and still save 60 calories over just a half-cup portion of vanilla ice cream.
Just by making these simple swaps, you will have a cookout with all the flavors you love while saving up to 778 calories!
By Sarah-Jane Bedwell
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