Eliana Lakritz MS RD LDN, Clinical Dietitian, Baystate Noble Hospital (WNG file photo)
by Eliana Lakritz MS RD LDN, Clinical Dietitian, Baystate Noble Hospital
As the weather warms up, it’s time to start thinking about inviting friends and family over for a BBQ. BBQs have become part of the American culture, bringing families together for great food, games, and conversation. Making meals a pleasant experience is important, but traditional BBQ foods, including hot dogs, hamburgers, kielbasa, and sides like potato or macaroni salad, are not the healthiest options to choose from. Surprise and impress your guests with healthier, non-traditional alternatives. In doing so, you can support the health of those you love. Consider these guidelines when choosing meals/sides to serve:
- Reduce saturated fat:
- High meats like burgers, steak, pork, hot dogs, and kielbasa contain a lot of saturated fat. Sides such as potato salad and macaroni salad are also often prepared with a lot of saturated fat from mayonnaise. This unhealthy type of fat has been shown to raise cholesterol levels.
- Consider leaner choices or good sources of unsaturated fat (healthy fats). Turkey burgers, salmon, veggie burgers, or chicken breast are all healthy choices.
- Consider preparing a lighter side dish. A three bean salad, green salad, grain salad, grilled corn or even potato/macaroni salad made with ½ plain Greek yogurt and ½ mayonnaise are healthy alternatives.
- Create a colorful grill:
- Consider making vegetable kabobs (like pepper, onion, cherry tomato, mushrooms and summer squash) to deliver a healthy dose of vitamins to your guests.
- Prepare roasted vegetables by wrapping them in aluminum foil with lemon juice, garlic, or other fresh herbs like dill or rosemary. This works nicely with carrots, potatoes, eggplant, zucchini, and corn.
- On low heat, grill sliced pineapple or peaches (halved). Serve this with low-fat vanilla yogurt.
- Boost your Hydration:
- It is easy to forget to drink water when you’re busy making conversation or playing a game. Make sure to drink water consistently, especially when drinking alcohol.
Does Grilling Cause Cancer?
When animal products like fish, pork, chicken, and beef are grilled at high temperatures, they form heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). HCAs form as a result of charring meat. PAHs form when meat juices drip onto the flame, causing smoke that adheres to the meat surface. These chemicals have been shown to cause changes to DNA and increase your risk of cancer. Cooking meat low and slow and/or flipping often help to prevent charring. Marinating the meat, trimming the fat, and cooking to the side of the open flame can also reduce the risk of the chemical formation.
If you are interested in learning more about nutrition counseling sessions with a registered dietitian at Baystate Noble Hospital, please call 413-568-2811 ex: 5671 for more information.
