Article:
6 Tips for a Healthy Barbecue Season
By Roslyn Franken
Summer is finally here which means barbecue
season here we come. When you think of barbecues, you picture family and friends coming
together to eat, drink and be merry surrounded by the sizzling sounds of steaks, burgers,
hotdogs, sausages, chicken and fish on the grill, salads galore and who could forget good
old corn on the cob and plenty of beer, wine and coolers to go around. But as one of my
healthy weight & lifestyle coaching clients recently asked me, “How can I enjoy a
barbecue and still manage to stay healthy and control my weight?” Let’s
look at how you can make summer barbecues work for your health without feeling either
hungry or deprived.
If by making a few small changes you can
manage to take in fewer calories than you would normally then you are headed in the right
direction for better health and weight control. This doesn’t mean counting every
calorie you eat or drink, however, it is helpful to have some idea of what are healthy
choices that you can eat in greater quantities and what are less healthy choices to be
eaten in more limited quantities on a more limited basis. Here are six tips to
consider next time you go to a barbecue or have one at your home:
1.
Watch out for beer, wine, coolers and other
alcoholic beverages. Alcohol
is not only high in calories it also impairs your judgment which can lead to making poor
food choices or overeating. This doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a drink with your
meal. What it does mean is that if you’re used to having a few beers and/or a few
glasses of wine, try having one half to two thirds of what you would normally have. By
slowly cutting back on the quantities or replacing it with a non-alcoholic low calorie
beverage, you’ll be saving yourself lots of extra calories and yet you won’t
feel totally deprived. Peer pressure can become an issue when drinking alcohol is what is
expected by your peer group. Be strong. They will have to adjust to your new habits as
well.
2.
Drink diet instead of regular soft drinks and
preferably ones with no caffeine. I’m not a big fan of soft drinks
be they regular or diet, but in limited quantities on a limited basis you may as well
forgo the extra calories and caffeine found in the regular type.
3.
Choose fatty cuts of meat and smoked or cured
meats like bacon, bologna, hot dogs, ham, corned beef, luncheon meats, and sausage in VERY
limited quantities on a VERY limited basis. The reason you want to be careful when
choosing these foods is because they are generally high in saturated fat, salt and
calories all of which do not contribute to good health and effective weight control.
You’d be much better off to choose leaner cuts of meat, chicken, turkey or fish
instead and avoid highly salted foods where possible. If you just can’t give up that
juicy hotdog or sausage, then treat yourself, but have half of what you normally
would. That will still be a success.
4.
Watch out for refined grains including white
bread, white rice and white pasta. Choose whole wheat alternatives wherever
possible to get the added fiber which helps to make you feel fuller. If you’re not
sure what the host is going to be serving, then bring your own whole wheat hamburger buns
and offer to bring a green salad or a vegetable or fruit tray so you’re guaranteed to
have at least a few healthy low calorie choices that you can fill up on and help offset
your higher calorie choices.
5.
Stay clear of items with creamy salad
dressings, mayonnaise, and butter that are high in fat content. If you can’t avoid them completely, eat
them in half or less than half the amounts you would normally eat. This will help to save
extra calories as well. Remember, this also includes all the creamy potato and pasta
salads commonly found at most barbecues.
6.
Avoid foods high in salt such as most cheese
spreads and cheeses, salty chips, nuts, and pretzels. If you can’t resist then be sure to not
position yourself near the food tables. Sometimes the best strategy is to just walk away.
It may seem like there’s lots to think
about when all you really want to do is just eat and enjoy. However, making healthy
choices does take some work on your part, but is your health and self-esteem not worth the
effort? Follow these tips as listed above and with each healthy choice you make you
will be one step closer to better health and a slimmer you.
Roslyn Franken is
a proud cancer survivor and acclaimed author of The A List: 9
Guiding Principles for Healthy Eating and Positive Living and Death Can Wait: Stories from Cancer Survivors. She is a motivational speaker and host of the How to Thrive after 35 internet radio
show. Roslyn also offers one-on-one coaching by telephone and
email conveniently accessible world-wide. For more information, send email to info@roslynfranken.com or visit www.roslynfranken.com.
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Roslyn
Franken is author of The A List: 9 Guiding
Principles for Healthy Eating and Positive Living. She is a Weight Loss Coach and
Motivational Speaker on positive living solutions for positive results for greater health,
success and quality of life. She hosts How to
Thrive After 35 Internet Talk Radio and is co-author of Death Can Wait: Stories from Cancer Survivors.
Diagnosed
with cancer at age 29, Franken fought back to become a long-term cancer survivor. Then at
age 39, at her heaviest weight ever, and concerned for her health, she decided to fight
back once again, only this time to overcome her battles with food and weight once and for
all.
Roslyn
owns Roslyn Franken Group, committed to helping people lighten up their lives one bite at
a time by reaching and maintaining a healthy weight, balanced lifestyle, and positive
outlook.
For
more information, visit www.roslynfranken.com
or view her video at http://www.roslynfranken.com/highlights.wmv
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