LA fitness news

BBQ Busters

Barbecues are often associated with high-fat, high-calorie foods, but that needn’t necessarily be the case. Here are some suggestions for healthy eating from the grill.

1. Fix your favourite fruit and veggies - mushrooms, courgettes, pineapple, onions, tomatoes and so on - on a wooden skewer; brush them with a little olive oil, bung them on the barbie at a medium temperature, et voila, vegetable kebabs. If you want to spice them up a little add tofu and/or prawns - and for extra flavour try marinading the kebabs an hour or so before they go on the grill.

2. Fish is always a healthy barbecue option and salmon is one of the easiest fish to do on the grill. Cooking the salmon in tin foil with a little seasoning and lemon helps to seal in the flavours. Salmon won’t take long to cook, so don’t overdo it.

3. Sweetcorn is another healthy option. You can put the corn on the grill (leaves and all) and cook it from scratch, or you can pre-boil it to speed up the process. If you like a little butter with your corn, use a low-fat spread. When it comes to dessert you should also try barbecuing bananas in their skins - they’re lovely.

4. If you are a fan of asparagus you will enjoy cooking it on the grill. Shouldn’t take more than two or three minutes - just cut off the bottom, brush the stalks with olive oil and you’re ready to go.

5. Don’t forget that a good barbecue isn’t just about what is cooked on the grill. Imaginative salads combined with fresh wholegrain bread can make all the difference. Avoid potato salad and coleslaw unless they are genuinely low in fat.

6. Reduce the salt you put on the food and replace it with herbs and spices. Basil, mint, rosemary, thyme, oregano and sage are all good.

7. Give the bangers and burgers a swerve and opt for lean steak and skinless chicken instead (at least half the fat in chicken is in the skin). Cook the chicken thoroughly (partially cooking it in the oven beforehand is a good idea) and flash the steak (only turn it once to seal in the flavour). In order to tenderise the meat and add flavour, marinade and place it in the fridge before cooking. Worcestershire sauce and chilli sauce make interesting marinades.

8. In order to avoid incinerating the food on the outside before it’s cooked on the inside - particularly if you are using a charcoal barbecue - let the flames die down a little before you start cooking. You might also like to raise the grill six inches or so above the coals.