Enjoying the summer weather often means backyard barbecues and pool parties and all the unhealthy eating that goes with them — fatty hamburgers and hot dogs, salty snacks, rich deserts, sugary pop and alcohol. But there are many ways to treat your guests to a summer meal that’s both healthy and tasty.

“A barbecue is wonderful in summer,” says Ramona Josephson, a registered dietitian, nutrition coach and president of the Vancouver-based dietary advice Web site, www.weightlossdeal.com. “But there’s no reason to focus on high-fat foods when there are so many options available.”

Josephson suggests starting with a healthy appetizer of raw veggies and a dip. You can buy a low-fat hummus dip or make it yourself from chickpeas and sesame-seed paste. Mashed red and black beans also make great dips.

If you are barbecuing red meat, she adds, choose meats that are lean. When protein with a lot of fat is cooked at high, barbecue-level temperatures, it can produce a cancer-causing chemical called heterocyclic amine.

You can avoid the HCA by partially cooking the meat in the oven, which will release a lot of the fat, then put it on the barbecue for a few minutes to give it the barbecue flavour. Or, Josephson says, you can choose leaner cuts such as tenderloin, sirloin or a filet. And avoid meat that’s on the bone, which has a higher fat content. Also, look out for marbling, a white streak in the meat, which indicates fat.

“The less white you can see, the leaner the cut,” says Josephson, “and always cut off the visible fat.”

Of course, there are numerous alternatives to burgers and steaks. A chicken breast is quick and easy, high in protein and lower in fat than most red meats. Meat kebabs or meat-and-vegetable kebabs are also good on the barbecue, if you take steps to avoid the HCA. If you must have burgers, try chicken burgers (not battered or breaded), veggie burgers or salmon burgers, all of which are excellent on the barbecue.

While dieticians tell us to avoid the fat in meat, they say the opposite when it comes to fish. “Fish is the one kind of food [for] which we say, ‘The fattier, the better’,” says Sara Mahdavi, a registered die-ti-tian and nutrition therapist in Toronto (www.balanced-nutrition.ca). “Fish has two types of omega-3 fatty acids, which many North Americans lack in their diet. These good fats help with brain development in fetuses and children and are also good for preventing and treating cardiovascular disease.”

Barbecue trout, mackerel or salmon burgers, Mahdavi suggests. Other seafood, such as shrimp, lobster and clams, can’t claim to provide omega-3 but are lean meats and a good source of protein. So, barbecue some shrimp or make a seafood salad.

For vegetarians, peas and beans are good sources of protein. A meat alternative, they are low in fat and healthy. Put them into salads, or marinate and grill chunks of firm tofu and veggies as kebabs.

Vegetables and salads make good low-fat side dishes. Make a healthy, low-fat marinade with olive oil and lemon or cranberry juice, plus fresh herbs; or marinate meaty vegetables, such as zucchini, eggplant and peppers, for an hour or two, then grill them, Mahdavi says.

Josephson suggests making veggie kebabs or fruit and vegetable kebabs with cherry tomatoes, onions, peppers, eggplant and pineapple chunks. ”It’s low in calories, loaded with healthy ingredients,” she says, “and a wonderful accompaniment to your protein.”

Salads don’t have to be creamy. A green, Greek or spinach salad — with emphasis on the greens — is healthy. If you are watching your weight, the less dressing, the better. Mix olive oil and balsamic vinegar to make a good, healthy dressing, but use more vinegar and less oil.

For dessert, skip the ice cream and pie; try fresh fruit and yogurt. Make fruit kebabs with pineapple, peaches, strawberries and grapes, or a fruit salad. Sorbet is low in fat.

Instead of sugary pop, make a fruit punch. Use various fruit juices, such as cranberry and pomegranate, add club soda or diet 7Up, and throw in some frozen cranberries.

“The occasional diet pop is OK if you feel like a fizzy drink,” says Mahdavi. “Diet pop, if used in small amounts occasionally, is better than sugary pop, which can lead to weight gain.”

@page_break@Limit alcohol to one or two drinks at a time. A drink a day is not considered harmful, especially a glass of red wine; it contains antioxidants, which can protect against cancer-causing free radicals, and is believed to be good for the heart. If you prefer white wine, says Josephson, you can stretch it by making a spritzer: half a glass of white wine topped up with club soda.

Your guests will thank you for making healthy food choices.

Cheers. IE