As we come to the end of the summer, don’t forget, grilling is STILL one of the best preparations for food.
While the average outdoor cookout meal exceeds 1500 calories, or almost an entire day’s worth of calories in one meal, the good news is with some minor adjustments, the barbecue season doesn’t have to be fattening. Read the following tips to grill your way lean!

On the Grill: Believe it or not, grilling is actually a very healthy way to cook meat. Of course the type of meat that you choose will make all of the difference. Burgers and hot dogs are traditional barbecue meats, but they aren’t the healthiest.

Here are 4 Tips To Make the Barbecue Work For Your waistline:

1. Choose the correct cuts of meat:

Choose lean cuts of beef, pork or poultry
Marinade with low fat dressing
Make hamburgers with extra-lean ground beef
Take the skin off chicken before grilling
Replace beef patties with ground turkey patties
Grill up salmon or cod
Forego the meat and grill veggie burgers
Side Dishes: This is where most people run into trouble. Barbecue side dishes are typically filled with loads of fat. Creamy coleslaw and potato salads can hold as much as 15 grams of fat per serving. Try the following instead:

2. Don’t Forget The Vegys!

Make veggie kabobs and grill them
Grill bok choy (see recipe below)
Replace the mayo in your salads with low-fat mayo
Serve fresh salad with light vinaigrette
Try whole-grain macaroni for your pasta salad
Grill up corn on the cob (pass on the butter)
Put out a veggie tray with low fat dip
Drinks: Most people don’t realize that beverages play a big role in summer weight gain. Margaritas, beer, soda and punch all contain lots of empty calories. Try the following:

3. Don’t Drink Those Extra Calories:

Drink water, it is always your healthiest option
Stick with light beer
If you have to have a soda stick with diet
Brew unsweetened ice tea and serve with lemon
Dessert: Yes, there are ways to satisfy your sweet tooth while getting lean. Think outside of the box instead of turning to the typical fattening options like ice cream, pie, cake or cookies. Try the following:

4. Don’t Forget Dessert!

Grill mango, banana and pineapple on kabobs
Stick with sorbet instead of ice cream
Replace peach pie with grilled peach halves
Choose light ice cream over regular
Remember, it’s ok to splurge every once in a while. Enjoy yourself. Just keep in mind that by taking a few of the above suggestions you can enjoy great food while getting back into great shape.

So there seems to be an Omega-3 Fatty acid craze going on right now.  Every time I get on CNN Health or Dr. Oz these days there is always something new I hear and learn about this subject.  I thought I would look into it a bit more and share what Ive read.  To be honest I didn’t really know much going in.  All I knew was that my Mom always said to make sure I have my Flax Seed everyday because it was good for me.

So what are Omega-3 Fatty Acids and why are they so good for you?

Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats found naturally in oily fish, nuts, seeds, and leafy green vegetables. Omega-3 fatty acids are thought to protect against heart disease, inflammation, certain types of cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and macular degeneration (a leading cause of vision loss). Omega-3 fatty acids are critical for proper brain development and neurological function in developing babies, too.  They are often classed as “essential fatty acids”, meaning that they are necessary for our health and that our bodies are unable to produce them.   There is a great article on WebMD that talks about how to best get your Omega-3.  Many think the easiest and low-cal way to get them is through fish oil capsules.  Not so according to one nutritionist they interviewed on the subject.  Lona Sandon RD a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association said:

“There is something about whole food that when it goes into the body it’s more than 90% absorbed, while [with] a supplement you absorb only about 50%,” says Sandon.

Moreover, says Sandon, because the components of different foods work together, they may offer a more complete and balanced source of nutrients.

“It could be something more than just the omega-3s in fish that make it so healthy,” says Sandon. “It could be the amino acids that provide benefits we are not going to see in fish-oil supplements alone.”

There are many great articles written about this subject.  Here are a few links if you would like to research it more.

http://www.healthcastle.com/omega3.shtml

http://ask.doctoroz.com/question/adding-fatty-acids-to-diet