Spice Up Your Summer BBQs and Picnics

Want to add healthy sizzle to your summer barbeques and picnics, without sacrificing taste? It's possible, thanks to a dizzying array of ingredients and ideas stirring in America's melting pot.

Don't worry, this doesn't necessarily mean giving up your favorite foods or slaving over a complicated recipe.

"You can have a traditional BBQ and accommodate all your friends with the same basics -- the burgers, meat, chicken, salad, and corn on the cob -- and season it with a variety of different toppings and accompaniments," explains Lisa Dorfman, MSRD, a national spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association (ADA), and author of The Tropical Diet.

A Cornucopia of Choices

Most mainstream grocery stores have powdered seasonings, salsas, sauces, spices, drinks, fruits, and vegetables from all cultures that are easy to serve with barbeque and picnic favorites.

Options include:

• Middle Eastern or Mediterranean hummus. This paste of pureed chickpeas, lemon, sesame tahini, oil, and spices can be served as a dip or spread for veggies, crackers, and bread. Hummus is high in protein and fiber, and often contains little or no saturated fat, cholesterol, or sugars.
• Jicama. Peel and cut up this low-calorie tropical root to eat raw, sprinkled on your regular salads, or stir-fried with vegetables. This crunchy and sweet vegetable, which is also known as the Mexican potato or the Chinese turnip, is an excellent source of vitamin C.
• Jamaican hot sauce. With no fat or calories, this potent blend of tropical peppers can add a Caribbean kick to grilled lean meats.

You can even use familiar ingredients to create exotic dishes, which can both intrigue and appease the most conservative diner:

• Lemon juice, red pepper, and salt are all many Indians need to add zing to corn on the cob.
• Latin Americans use tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeño, onions, garlic, and salt to create tasty salsas.
• Some Kenyans tenderize and jazz up meats with an overnight marinade of olive oil, vinegar, or lemon juice, and spices (ground pepper, cloves, and rosemary among them).

To really impress your family and friends, bring something completely different to the picnic table.

Malena Perdomo, RD, the Latin Nutrition spokeswoman for the ADA, recommends trying a prickly pear cactus, called Nopal, which can be bought in some urban supermarkets and Mexican grocery stores. The thorny vegetable, which tastes like a lemony and salty green bean, is peeled, boiled, or grilled, and then added to dips, salads, soups, and meats.

Nopales -- the plural form of Nopal -- are especially rich in fiber, calcium, potassium, and vitamin A.

From the exotic Nopales to the common lemon, Americans do, indeed, have a lot of choices when it comes to culturally diverse and healthy fare.

If the above sampling of foods has whetted your appetite for something different this summer, make sure to read on. WebMD has a few more scrumptious and nutritious options, provided by a few ADA dietitians and other health experts.

We've broken down the ideas by the course -- from the appetizers, to the sides and sauces, to entrees, to desserts and drinks. Give them a try, and discover a world of delicious, healthy eating.

Bon appétit!