Dads, Cook Your BBQ -- and Eat It, Too

3 secrets to "doctoring" your BBQ to health

Ah, summertime. It's the season for baseball games, beach trips, boat rides, and (last, but not least) BBQs! But all the hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, potato salad, and beer will do nothing for your waistline, except, well, expand it. No worries! You can cook your BBQ and eat it, too. I've got three great secrets to help you lighten up your typical BBQ spread so you can stay on the healthy eating track.

1. Hold the Mayo

Take your standard summer BBQ. You'll eat some mayonnaise-laden pasta salad, some sausage-spiked baked beans, a hot dog, and, of course, a sinfully chocolate dessert. A serving of each of the above items adds up to...(drum roll please) about 1,500 calories and 83 grams of fat. Wow, that's heavy!

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But if you opt to eat a serving of all of the delicious, lighter recipes below with a Ball Park Lite hot dog instead, you're down to 920 calories and 29 grams of fat. That's a savings of 580 calories and 54 grams of fat all by simply cutting a few calories here and some fat grams there.

2. Spread out your servings

BBQs are usually entertaining get-togethers with family and friends that last awhile. So spread out your servings of the various BBQ dishes throughout the afternoon and evening. You'll still enjoy the BBQ and the various foods, but you'll avoid eating large meals and splurging. This might mean sampling a couple of different salads being served in the late afternoon, then having a light hot dog and some beans a couple of hours later, and finally topping off the evening with a little serving of dessert.

3. Don't spend all your calories at the cooler

At summer BBQs, it's a given that we'll eat a few more calories than we normally do. So the last thing we need to do is indulge in various not-so-healthy beverages. It all seems innocent enough: a can of soda when you arrive at the BBQ, then a 12-ounce bottle of sweetened iced tea with the meal, followed by that "secret recipe" 8-ounce margarita that Uncle Marty wouldn't let you refuse. Total calorie damage? 650!

Rewind. Let's start again. You opt for the diet soda when you arrive at the BBQ, then enjoy a 12-ounce bottle of mineral water with the meal, followed by a small glass (about 4 ounces) of that yummy, frozen drink that you just can't refuse. Total calorie damage now? About 180 calories.

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