You love to barbecue and care about good health? Enjoy your summer pleasure with peace of mind since grilling is compatible with healthy foods, as long as you make the proper choices.
Here are some ideas on how to eat healthier while enjoying your grill.
Think marinade instead of sauce
Barbecue sauce, though delicious, can sometimes be quite high on salt and sugar. Studies suggest that a homemade marinade will not only add taste and moistness to your meat but is also a healthier option since its ingredients can help limit the formation of carcinogenic substances.
How to create the perfect marinade?
- One fatty ingredient– for example, oil.
- An acidic intake that can be added by either lemon juice, natural yogurt, wine, beer or herbs.
- Seasoning, whether with maple, basil, cumin, garlic, other spices or herbs.
Marinating time can considerably vary depending on the type of meat. For fish and seafood, less than an hour is plenty. However, for chicken, veal and pork, marinating time can take much longer, up to 8 hours. As for lamb and beef, time can vary between 3 hours and 2 whole days!
Think leaner meats
Although fatty meats taste great and add tenderness to your grill, a healthier option would be to privilege leaner flesh, such as poultry or fish, to your weekly meals. They will be just as delicious and take less time to marinate.
Indulge yourself with vegetarian dishes
Nowadays, great tasting vegetarian recipes can easily be found; they might get you hooked once you try them.
- Nicely flavoured tofu is a perfect replacement for flesh in skewers, salads of burgers.
- You can make your own fabulous Veggie Burgers by mixing such ingredients as black beans, mushrooms and onions.
- Grilling cheese, such as Halloumi, is also great in salads.
Vegetables, and more vegetables!
Complement your steak with a salad, a homemade salsa of grilled vegetables. Zucchinis, potatoes, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, onions and peppers are always delicious, however, getting off the beaten track is always a good idea. Don’t forget that diversity makes for healthy eating.
A few extra tips for eating healthy
- Regularly clean your barbecue grate to remove carbonized residue before preparing a meal.
- Thanks to foil and cedar boards, the flame never directly touches your food.
- Natural yogurt, especially Greek one, is an excellent substitute to mayonnaise in many recipes.
