The Oil

When it comes to choosing oils when barbecuing we do need to be careful. Olive oil may taste great combined with your salad on the side, but when heated to a high degree (~190°C) the oil begins to degrade and change their chemical structure. This causes them to become highly inflammatory to our bodies and gives the meat an awful bitter taste. When barbecuing at such high temperatures, try and use oils with much higher smoke points such as avocado oil (271°C) or peanut oil (232°C).

The Marinade

I do love a bit of marinated on my meat. But, we do need to just keep an eye on the marinade we use, especially if it is alcohol. As it is very tricky to keep control of our waistlines when there is alcohol involved.

Consequently, an alternative marinade such as the combination of garlic, onion lemon juice and mixed hers can be just as tasty with much greater health benefits.

The Sauce

Despite ketchup being a family favorite and heaps of it going on to your good old British burger, a quarter of the bottled is sugar. Mayonnaise isn’t much better either as it contains 11.5g of fat per tablespoon, with much of that being very harmful polyunsaturated fats.

Try use greek yoghurt , balsamic vinegar or maybe try a bit of salsa instead.

This will help to keep things very tasty and vibrant, but also very healthy.

The Meat

This may be the most important part of the barbecuing process…….getting the right meat. To ensure we help maintain our trim waistlines, then it is important not to gorge on the fatty, high calorie meats such as ribs, pork chops, hot dogs, burgers and any other kind of processed meat rubbish that you may think of. My top 5 healthy meats that we recommend are:

Ground Turkey Burgers

No BBQ is complete without a burger. But these provide a very healthy, lean alternative to the original burger. Typical Turkey Burger (150g) Protein: 41g Fat: 3.5g Carbohydrates: 0g Calories: 196

Pork Tenderloin

To avoid the huge fat slab that comes with your typical pork chop, try a bit of pork tenderloin. Rather than containing 16g of fat like a pork chop, the tenderloin has only just over 4g of fat. Thus, pork tenderloin can provide a much healthier alternative. Typical Pork Tenderloin (150g) Protein: 22g Fat: 4.6g Carbohydrates: 0g Calories: 137

Flank Steak.

When it comes to a BBQ, burger and hot dogs just don’t cut it for some. They prefer a more sophisticated meat like a bit of steak. This can be done healthily by getting a juicy bit of flank steak, which is a lot leaner than other typical slabs of steak like rump or sirloin. A great way to have it is sliced in some tacos, with a bit of grilled onion, pepper and some guacamole. Typical Flank Steak (150g) Protein: 39g Fat: 10g Carbs: 0g Calories: 260

Swordfish

If health is well on the agenda for your BBQ, then there is nothing healthier than fish. One of the best fish for grilling is swordfish, because it is very meaty and can also handle the high heat of the BBQ without falling to pieces. Additionally, it can go really well with different ingredients like a bit of lemon juice, salt, pepper and olive oil. Typical Swordfish (150g) Protein: 33g Fat: 11g Carbohydrates: 0g Calories: 244

Now go and enjoy x