Hot Tips to Cut Calories at Your Next BBQ

HG Alert! The average person attending a summer BBQ will consume at least one beer, a hot dog, a burger, chips, coleslaw, potato salad, and dessert. That can easily exceed 1,500 calories. No worries. You can still enjoy the festivities (and the food!) without going overboard. HG's here with the need-to-know BBQ info...

Guilt-Free Grill Guide - Typical BBQ meat options include hot dogs, burgers, and chicken. Grilled chicken is definitely your best bet. Try it bunless on a plate loaded with veggies like tomatoes, onions, and lettuce. Or, if you've gotta feed a starch craving, pile your chicken and veggies onto half of a bun, and enjoy an open-faced sandwich. If you are going to have a burger or dog, try to stick with ground beef that has a small percentage of fat or a hot dog that is at least 97% fat-free.
 
Side Dish Dos and Don'ts - Run screaming from (or just politely decline) mayo-soaked sides like slaws, potato salad, and macaroni salad. Each tiny serving of those is crammed with fat and calories. Instead opt for sweet corn on the cob (swap the butter for a squirt of lemon and some salt & pepper), baked potato with salsa (sweet potatoes ROCK, and they taste amazingly good without any add-ons), and grilled veggies.

BBQ Beverages - Just because your neighbor can't stop yapping about her fantastic homemade margaritas, that doesn't mean you need to cave to that crazy cocktail. Margaritas contain hundreds of calories (thanks to sugary mixes and assorted alcohol). Instead, whip up your own low-cal cocktail by combining seltzer with a shot of rum or vodka, and then flavoring it with a few lemon & lime wedges and any other fruit you can get your paws on. As for beer, stick with the light kind. Beck's Premier Light has just 64 calories per bottle, and Miller's latest light one (Miller Chill) is a rockin' 110-calorie Mexican-inspired brew. Bring along either of those, and you'll earn instantly party cred with the other calorie-counters!
 
Sweets in the Heat - Desserts don't have to be calorie-catastrophes -- or BORING. Grilled fruit kabobs are INSANELY good. Grilled mango, banana, pineapple and more are an awesome alternative to plain fruit salad. The fruit will taste sweeter and have groovy grill marks too! Also, choose icy treats (like sorbet and ice pops) instead of creamy & carby ones (ice creams and cake) -- you'll save oodles of fat and calories that way.


 

Product Picks for Your BBQ!
 
d'Oni Specialty Sauces - These low-cal, fat-free marinades are PACKED with flavor. Use 'em on chicken, seafood, veggies and more! HG's fave? Bold as Love Honey-Habanero-Mustard. Click here to find stores near you that stock 'em, or here to order online. As for a supermarket staple, go for Lawry's awesome marinade line-up, and also keep an eye out for the tasty new marinades from Newman's Own.
 
Amy's Texas Veggie Burgers - Meat-eaters and vegetarians will flip for these barbeque-flavored patties packed with soy protein, veggies, oats, and walnuts! All that adds up to just 120 calories and 2.5 fat grams each. We also dig Gardenburger's line-up of veggie burgers (especially the Black Bean Chipotle one!), and we love Boca's burgers, too.

Hebrew National 97% Fat Free Beef Franks - These 50-calorie pups taste EXACTLY like the real thing but have just a fraction of the calories and just 1.5 grams of fat each. No BBQ should be without 'em! (Pssst... make sure you get the 97% Fat Free ones and not the Reduced Fat dogs -- those have WAY more calories and fat!)

Weight Watchers Sherbet and Ice Cream Bars - These portion-controlled pops combine creamy vanilla ice cream AND fruity sherbet. We're OBSESSED with 'em. Each bar has just 60 calories and a half-gram of fat. (FYI, they come in Strawberry, Key Lime, and Passion Fruit.)
 
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