Best and worst BBQ foods
This weekend marks the official start to BBQ season—yay! I lovethe traditional foods of summer: burgers and dogs, creamy salads,yummy desserts. While cookout fare tends not to be the stuff that’sgoing to win any nutrition awards, you can partake andstill walk away with your shorts buttoned. (Check these 7 tricks for staying slim through BBQseason.) It just means making the right choices—and, no, youdon’t have to limit yourself to the corn on the cob and watermelon.Just skip (most of) the worst choices; the best ones are often justas satisfying.
1. Bad BBQ main dish: Acheeseburger. A quarter-pound beef burger with a slice ofcheese will set you back 510 calories (26 grams of fat). Skippingthe cheese will save you about 100 calories. But if you love a goodburger, go for it. It’s an excellent source of iron.
Better BBQ main dish: A hot dogis lower in calories than you might think. Enjoy one on a roll withyour favorite toppings (with lower-cal toppings like mustard,relish or just a little ketchup) and you’ll come out around 300calories, 17 g fat.
Related: Can’t live without your burger? Try one of thesedelicious, better-for-you burger recipes.
2. Bad BBQ side dish: Potatosalad. There’s nothing inherently bad about potatoes:they’re actually a great source of vitamin C and fiber, but theycontain more calories than other veggies. Plus, most potato saladsare smothered in way too much full-fat mayo and will cost you about360 calories and 20 or so grams of fat per cup.
Better BBQ side dish: Coleslawcan satisfy a craving for something creamy for far fewer calories(83, with 3 grams of fat per cup). Low-cal cabbage is also a richsource of isothiocyanates, compounds that amp up the body’s naturaldetoxifying enzymes.
Related: Low-Cal Potato Salad Recipes That Won’t PackPounds
3. Bad BBQ appetizer: Potato chips withFrench Onion dip. A large handful of chips delivers about150 calories and 10 grams of fat. Add to that 60 calories and 4.5grams of fat from 2 tablespoons of dip. Tortilla chips andguacamole deliver about the same calories (about 140 calories, 7grams of fat, plus 50 calories and 4.5 grams of fat in the guac).The problem with these snacks isn’t so much how many calories oneserving delivers, but rather how darn hard it is to stop there.
Better BBQ appetizer: Veggies with hummus. You canhave a full cup of sugar snap peas for 60 calories (0 grams offat). Add 2 tablespoons of hummus (50 calories, 3 grams of fat) andyou have a nice fiber-rich (read: uber-filling) snack for just alittle more than 100 calories.
4. Bad BBQ drink: Margarita (or most othercocktails). Between the alcohol and mixers, a small 3.5-ounce drinkpacks about 160 calories (0 grams of fat). If you’re staying awayfrom alcohol, you might want to stay away fromsoda, too: a 12-ounce can delivers about 150calories—all from added sugars.
Better BBQ (alcoholic) drink: Lightbeer. A 12-ounce bottle generally has a little less than100 calories. Or go for the best choice of all:zero-calorie flavored seltzer.
5. Bad BBQ dessert: Strawberryshortcake. Just because it contains fruit doesn’t meanit’s the healthiest or lowest-calorie choice. Between the cake andthe loads of whipped cream that typically tops this summerfavorite, you get a lot more calories than you may be bargainingfor: about 425 (and around 20-25 grams of fat).
Better BBQ dessert: A frozen fruitbar (100 calories, 0 grams of fat). Or even a scoop ofvanilla ice cream: 140 calories, about 5 grams of fat.
Related: Craving a brownie or bar instead? Browse theserich-tasting, low-calorie recipes.
What are your favorite diet-friendly BBQfoods?
Nicci Micco is editor-at-large for EatingWell andco-author of EatingWell 500-Calorie Dinners. She has amaster's degree in nutrition and food sciences, with a focus inweight management.
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