If you are anything like me, you?ve been waiting all year for the summer! The sun is shining on your morning walk.?? The balmy nights are perfectly relaxing.? And there?s nothing better than joining your best friends and family for delicious food and a cold drink at a summer cookout.?? So why is this blog titled ?Surviving? Summer BBQ?s?? What?s not to love?? ?
Well, for many people who have made the effort to eat right, a BBQ can cause anxiety.?? You may worry that you?ll fall off the ?health wagon? and lose the habits that you?ve worked so hard on all year long.? After all, BBQ?s involve loads of not- so- healthy food, tons of alcohol, and friends and family who may not live the lifestyle that you and I do.? ?Not to worry!? Below are some tried and true tips, as well as a few smart recipe ideas to help you enjoy your next BBQ without compromising your healthy lifestyle.?
1.? ?Remember, balance is the key to a healthy lifestyle.? There will be times in life when you may overindulge; an extra glass of your favorite wine, a heaping scoop of ice cream or maybe even a pile of fall ?off- the bone ribs at a cookout.?? Taking part in the occasional treat is normal, in fact it?s great!? Because if you can live a healthy lifestyle while still allowing yourself the occasional treat, you?ve truly mastered balance and that leads to permanent change! The lesson to be learned here?? A little indulgence is good for you and keeps you from craving or feeling deprived.? Just make sure to get right back on track with a balanced meal at the next opportunity to get your metabolism moving in the right direction again.
2.? Plan for the event.? If you know that you have a summer cookout planned for this Saturday, aim to be extra consistent with your nutrition and fitness routine all week long.? Acknowledge the fact that you may overindulge at this Saturday?s BBQ, and actually plan the ?off? meal into your week.? Use this ?system? of acknowledging the ?off? meal and planning it to help you to make extra effort all week to eat clean, balanced meals every few hours.? Let the fact that you?ll be indulging on Saturday spur you to kick butt at the gym and make the most of every workout all week long.? The process here is both physical and mental.? By working extra hard all week to make room for this Saturday?s fiesta, you?ll physically be in prime fat burning mode by the time the party rolls around.? Mentally, you?ll be able to let go of any guilt you may normally have (see Tip #1 above as a reminder about the importance of balance).? After all, you?ve worked hard all week and you?ve planned to relax and indulge a bit with your friends and family.? It?s a win, win situation!
3.? Believe it or not, it?s a bad idea to deprive yourself all day Saturday to save ?room? and ?calories? for the big event.? If you walk into a BBQ with every type of food imaginable at your fingertips and you haven?t eaten all day, you are heading for disaster!? Always eat balanced meals one hour within waking and every 3 hours before a cookout.? This way your mind is in control of your food choices, not your empty stomach!? It?s a smart idea to also eat one hour before the event.? Try snacking on a protein bar before the party to help keep blood sugar stable and allow you to make conscious food choices when you arrive.
4.? It doesn?t hurt to bring along some healthy and delicious choices, or at least know how to identify them at a cookout.?? Do your best to build a balanced plate with some protein and carbohydrates and keep in mind that most dishes offered at a BBQ will have more than enough fat (way more actually!).? ?Whether you are hosting the event or attending, the following list makes for delectable (and healthy) party food that everyone will enjoy.
-Try Marinated or BBQ grilled chicken breasts, shrimp, pork tenderloin, salmon steaks or filet mignon (the leanest red meat) on the grill.? Meat, poultry or seafood and vegetable kabobs are also healthy and a fun change of pace.
-Instead of regular hamburgers, try using 97% lean ground beef.?? Serve with all the regular toppings and whole wheat buns.
-Chop a mixture of your favorite vegetables in large chunks (corn, tomato, zucchini, red onion, bell peppers) or try whole asparagus with the bottom of the stalk cut off.? Toss in a bowl with quality extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.? Grill until slightly charred to really bring out the flavors.
-Instead of plain old pasta salad with a few veggies tossed in for good measure, go in the opposite direction.? Use your favorite pasta salad recipe only make a few adjustments.? Triple the vegetable content (and vary it up- grape tomatoes, fresh bell pepper, onion, cucumber, banana peppers, etc.) and use the pasta as the filler, not the main event.? Use a reduced fat version of your favorite dressing such as low fat Italian dressing in place of regular.? If using a mayo based dressing, try cutting the amount of mayo in half and replacing the rest with plain, low fat yogurt- it will add a little tang and a lot of flavor.?? Lastly fresh herbs like parsley or basil really make a dish stand out from the crowd.
-Try whipping up a low fat dip like hummus or mango salsa (combine chopped mango, red onion, a small amount of minced garlic and jalapeno with a splash of lime juice and good olive oil.? Toss with fresh cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper).? Serve with home -made baked whole wheat pita chips.? (Hint- Mango salsa also works beautifully on grilled meat, poultry and seafood.)
-Fresh fruit platters are always well received and a perfectly sweet way to complete a meal.??? Try serving a variety of fruit with a home-made dip of Plain Yogurt, vanilla extract, honey and lemon zest or try our Pina Colada Dip found in your Recipe Collection inside your software!
5.? Speaking of, check out some of these BBQ friendly recipes found inside your software in the Recipe Collection:
Creamy Shrimp Salad, Boca Burgers, Shrimp and Pasta Salad, Restaurant Worthy Steak on the
Grill, BBQ Shrimp Kabobs, Grilled Fish w/ Tomato and Herbs, Pina Colada Dip w/ Fruit,
Strawberry Lemon Frozen Yogurt (try turning these into frozen pops for easy serving!), Greek
Brown Rice Salad, Cheesy Zucchini (an odd choice for a BBQ but it?s really good, promise!),
Grilled Asparagus
6.?? Stay hydrated with plenty of water to beat bloat, fatigue and headaches. ??If you?re the host, try serving homemade lemonade with ice water, freshly squeezed lemon and lemon slices sweetened with Stevia or Truvia.
7. ?Get creative with your alcohol. I like Skinny Girl Margarita in a glass with a ton of flavored seltzer water which adds fizz and extra fluid to make the drink last. Light beer or wine is also a good choice. The rule of thumb with alcohol is, use the drink to replace the starchy carb in the meal.? So basically you would have your protein and fat with some light carbohydrates like grilled veggies or salad plus a drink or two.? If you must splurge on both carbs and alcohol, go for a lighter drink like the ones described above and keep it to a 2 drink maximum if possible.
8. Do something active!? At my house we play ?bags? (also known as Cornhole to all of you in the South) or go swimming with my nephews.? The point is, if you keep mingling and keep moving, your less likely to hover at the dessert table and this means less mindless munching!
9. And my last tip?? I find that after a day cookout, I?m exhausted by 5 or 6 pm, which is frustrating because clearly it?s much too late for a nap and I?m pretty sure I can?t get away with going to sleep at that time!? So I take a power walk outside after the cookout. ?It helps me to burn off some of the treats from the cookout but most importantly, it rejuvenates me enough to stay awake until bedtime.
Remember, the summer is all about having fun, enjoying the weather and family and friends and relaxing!? The great thing is, you can absolutely do all of that while sticking to your goals with the tips above.? Cheers to an amazing summer!
My best,
Valerie Cogswell
Lead Nutrition Coach and Head Chef
Venice Nutrition
Source: http://www.venicenutrition.com/blog/2012/06/28/SurvivingSummerBBQs.aspx
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