By Rennie Aranda – Skinny Gene Nutritionist

Fire Up the Grill!

The month of June brings in summertime, which means it’s barbecue season and time to fire up the grill! Barbecues can be a time to enjoy good food with your loved ones, but does not always consist of healthy meals. Use this time as an opportunity to come up with some tasty and healthy new dishes for the next barbecue with your family and friends!

Serve up tasty and healthy dishes this barbeque season

Try some of these ideas for healthy grilling:

– Trim visible fat from meats to help reduce calories and fat in the meals

– You can still choose your favorite meats, (although lean meat is healthier), but consider eating smaller portions and balancing them with low fat, fiber-rich side dishes.

– Grill vegetables! It’s better to grill veggies first before the meat to limit the risk of cross-contamination. After grilling the vegetables, set them aside while the meat cooks. Try cutting zucchini or eggplant, brush with olive oil and herbs, and then grill on both sides until tender. Quartered and seeded bell peppers or thickly sliced onions make good options as well. Don’t be shy to grill fruit! Peaches or pineapple slices are delicious complements to chicken or beef.

– Make kabobs. You can stretch out your meat by adding less meat to the kabobs and adding in small chunks of fruits and veggies. Be creative. Add different colors for a more visually-appealing kabob and choose a variety of flavors.

– Marinate your meat in advance. Not only does it enhance flavors of the meat, it has also been shown to reduce carcinogens by 57% – 88%. A marinade typically consists of a mixture of oil, vinegar, herbs and spices.

This summer, try some of these healthy grilling tips to make meals that everyone can enjoy!

Happy grilling!