If you are a health-conscious individual, choosing the right meal can sometimes be a very difficult thing to do. You may find it hard to eat the food that you want to eat since you are always counting your calorie intake. You must adequately know the ingredients and the type of sauce and seasonings added to the food. Was it fattening? Was it too salty? Am I going to gain a lot of weight if I eat more than two serves of this food item?
If there are special gatherings, you need to check the food that is being served continually. For instance, you joined a family gathering, and all they are serving are BBQ meals. A heavy BBQ meal can easily ruin your healthy diet. If you are going to eat a burger with coleslaw as your side dish, add some room for dessert and a beer to wash down all the food you ate will add more than 1,000 calories to your body.
Worry no more because we have listed down below the different things you can do with your BBQ meals that you will be able to eat entirely without being guilty of adding too many calories on your body.
The Best BBQ Meals If You’re Trying To Lose Weight
- Corn
Corn contains some good gut bacteria that can help digest our food inside our stomach. It aids our body to have a better metabolism which is really essential in your weight loss journey. One cob is considered two servings.
It will make you feel that you ate enough food already without consuming a lot of actual food. It is also high in fiber, which can really be good for your belly. Just take note and be cautious about the type of toppings that you will add to it.
- Bun-Free Burger
A burger is loaded with a lot of calories and fat, which can be very bad for your diet. Typically, a burger with bun and other extra condiments like mustard, ketchup, and pickles, can reach up to more than 500 calories. Try removing the bread and different additional sauces so you will only have a calorie intake of not more than around 450 calories.
You can replace the bun with lettuce or tomato. Wrap your meat with big leafy veggies or choose a taco shell instead since it has a lower calorie count than a regular bun. The bread itself is composed of around 150 calories already.
- Choose a Leaner Meat
Bringing in white meat like chicken or turkey instead of red meat like pork or beef can also help you trim down your calorie intake. Make sure even that you remove the skin of the chicken or turkey when grilling them since their skin has a lot of fat in it.
If you cannot resist eating red meat during your barbecue sessions, you can opt to have a small portion of some pork or beef on your plate. Make sure to properly check the serving that you will devour so that your diet will not be ruined.
- Salmon
A barbecued salmon can be such a great help for your weight loss journey. Salmon is a type of fish with very high protein that is good not just for you to achieve a slimmer body but also for your heart, brain, and bones. The omega-three that can be found in salmon can help you boost your fat loss because it will break down and dissolve the fat inside your body. The omega-three can also help in reducing your fat storage.
- Raw Veggies and Fresh Fruits
It is essential to eat raw veggies and fresh fruits before devouring your meat during a barbecue gathering. This is because you will already be somewhat filling up your body with nutritious food with very low calories. You can choose from any salads and fruits that are being served.
Coleslaw can be made up of fresh fruits and raw veggies, but you must always remember that it has a lot of mayonnaise. Mayonnaise has a lot of calories on it, with an estimate of 100 calories per tablespoon. Just stick with vinegar-based slaw to avoid taking in some mayonnaise.
Stay away also from potato salad. Potatoes are added with at least two tablespoons of mayonnaise, making it reach up to more than 300 calories, which is already kind of high.
- Halloumi Steak
Halloumi is also suitable for weight loss since it contains saturated fat, which is a healthy type of fat. It is also high in protein, making it ideal for those who are vegans. One serving of it can only contain around 110 calories with 7 grams of proteins.
- Baked Potato
Potatoes are nutritious and can aid you in your weight loss though it does not really contain all the needed nutrients for you to achieve your ultimate body goal. A medium-size unsalted baked unskinned potato has only 160 calories and is cholesterol-free.
If you want to add some flavor into it, you need to choose only one topping from butter, cheese, or sour cream. Adding a lot of other flavors into it will add a lot of cholesterol into it, making it an unhealthy food.
- Grilled Eggplant
Eggplants are also very high in fiber but have very low calories, making it an exceptional addition to your weight loss journey. A cup of eggplant alone can be fulfilling to your stomach already and contains around 3 grams of fiber but only has approximately 20 calories.
Eggplants can lower your body and blood sugar so that you will not have a lot of stored fats inside your body. It can slow up the buildup of sugar in your blood, reducing you to crave more food. These are also good if you are trying to trim down your carbohydrate intake.
- Beans
Beans are very healthy to eat since it has high fiber and protein, which are the two nutrients that are needed in order for you to weigh loss safely. Beans also contain some resistant starch. Be careful in adding flavors to your beans when preparing them.
Choose correctly the condiments that you will use because some of them include too much fat, sodium, and other things that can hinder you from losing some excess fat from your body.
- Kebabs
You can eat kebabs during your barbecue session, but make sure that it has many vegetables. It is also healthy since the amount of red meat in it is already portioned on a smaller size, making you intake lesser fatty meat and calories. Go also for kebabs with white meat on it so that you will not feel guilty while eating a lot of kebabs.
- Dairy-Free Food
A good barbecue gathering is not complete without some desserts. An excellent dessert contains a lot of dairies, and dairy includes an ample amount of calories making your body add stored fats. For you to avoid this kind of situation, choose desserts that are free from dairy. A fruit salad with a lot of fat-loss boosting items like blueberries, blackberries, and any other berries can be a suitable replacement for your dessert.
- Balsamic Vinegar
To make your barbecues have a very satisfying taste, choosing the right sauce and marinade can be very crucial when you are on a strict diet plan. What you need to do is to choose balsamic vinegar in replacement to the vinegar that you are used to in marinating your meat. Unlike any other flavoring agents like the mayonnaise, the balsamic vinegar is fat-free. It can also help you in digesting your food properly as it contains some strains of probiotic bacteria. This type of bacteria helps improve our gut, and it can also make you feel full so that you will be able to lessen your food intake.
- Olive oil
Another excellent replacement for your barbecue sauce is olive oil. The olive oil contains monounsaturated fatty acids that can help you keep your heart always healthy, and it also assists in stabling the level of sugar inside your body. Just like the balsamic vinegar, it can also make you feel satiated and will prevent you from eating other food that is full of fat.
Eating grilled meat during your weight loss journey is not a mortal sin. A lump of grilled meat contains fewer calories compared when it is deep-fried. The high temperature of the grill will help trim down the excess fat of the meat, and the griller will drip down the extra oil that it will produce. Always choose the best marinade and oil for your meat when cooking.
Take note that using the right flavor additives can help you lessen the calories of the food that you will intake. Pick the right meat when you are going to grill something. Choose leaner meat as this type of meats has a lower amount of calories and will make you feel full right away. Eating a lot of raw and fresh vegetables and fruits can also help you avoid eating a lot of meat during barbecue gatherings.