Try Healthy Grilling This Summer

One of the absolute best parts of this time of year is getting friends and family together in the backyard for a good old-fashioned summer cookout. But if you’re trying to lose weight, old-fashioned may not be what you’re looking for. Instead of defaulting to burgers and brats, you can try healthy grilling with lean meats and satisfying sides, helping you stay on course without sacrificing flavor. If you know some handy tricks like how to create sugar-free marinades and maintain the proper cooking temperature, you’ll be well on the way to a healthier backyard barbecue.

3 Healthy Grilling Tips for Summer

Choose Your Main Course Wisely

A good main course is the centerpiece of a solid cookout, and you’ll need to be a bit more selective if you’re trying to keep your grilling healthy. Instead of burgers and hot dogs, which have high fat content and tend to go with carbohydrate-heavy buns, try leaner cuts like chicken, steak, and fish. This also allows you to get a bit more creative with your plating and sides, helping you swap in healthy options like grilled vegetables.

Try Low-Sugar and Sugar-Free Marinades and Rubs

A meal is only as healthy as how you dress it, so the key to healthy grilling is to steer clear of marinades with high sugar content. You can easily find healthier sugar-free marinades at the grocery store, or you can create your own using ingredients like soy, citrus, olive oil, and mustard. Dry rubs and seasoning are also great options because they tend to be low in sugar—just make sure you’re not using too much salt.

Be Aware of Proper Cooking Temperature

Even if you’ve selected some great lean cuts and let them soak up the flavors from a sugar-free marinade, it’ll all be for naught if you’re not cooking food at the proper temperature. Undercooked meat is dangerous and can cause you or your cookout guests to get sick, so consider investing in a meat thermometer to make sure steaks, chicken, and fish are optimally cooked.

Get More Healthy Grilling Tips at Livingston County Chiropractic

You can enjoy healthy summer grilling, and Livingston County Chiropractic can help. We’re pleased to offer lifestyle coaching and Ideal Protein Weight Loss, which can help you feel and look better without having to sacrifice your love of summer cookouts. To get started, call us at (815) 844-4631, schedule an appointment online, or visit us at our offices in Pontiac, IL.

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