Grill Smart

Grill Smart, Grill Safe

Barbecued foods have a pretty bad rap for being diet- and health-disasters, but you don't have to prepare them that way. There are easy, safe ways to cook classic BBQ foods and plenty of new, healthy alternative dishes to try as well. So make room for our nutritious, mouthwatering healthy grilling guidelines!

Guilt-Free Grilling

Marinating is best because it cooks your meat faster at safer temperatures, and keeps your meat fresh longer than other outdoor cooking methods, saving you from food poisoning, advises Tara Miller, a Registered Dietician at NYU Medical Center. Her advice: Try marinating grill-friendly swordfish, shark, salmon, tofu or lean chicken, and add a little lemon juice or vinegar to kill bacteria.

Rare Delights

Try a dairy-free, meat-free rib replacement, Garden Burger's Veggie Riblets, made with the same great BBQ sauce you love and only 230 calories. A recent American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Review (AJCNR) study shows protein from soy products significantly reduced participants' LDL cholesterol, especially those who had high cholesterol.

Ditch the Meat-kebab

Experiment with flavors that will excite your taste buds! Miller recommends grilling fish with mango or tofu with colorful fresh vegetables like mushrooms and bell peppers: Go for all colors -- red, orange, yellow and green. "The more colorful the variety of vegetables or fruit the more nutritional value it has," Miller explains. Varying your vegetable intake increases the amount and effects of polyphenols -- micronutrients that help prevent degenerative diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases -- found in fruits and vegetables, according to an AJCNR study from 2004.

Steamy Dish

Choose dishes with more veggies than carbs -- these don't have to taste bland. "If you steam anything in its own juice it adds a lot of flavor," Miller says. Try a toxin-reducing method of vegetables -- steam bell peppers, green beans, asparagus or mushrooms with a little garlic in a tinfoil tent. One cup of mushrooms provides about one-third of the recommended daily intake of copper, which helps the produce red blood cells, plus mushrooms are also a good source of potassium a USDA study in 2006 showed.

Get Saucy

Mayo and salad dressings are high in calories and full of artery-clogging fats, plus they need refrigeration. The fix? "It's as easy as chopping chipotle chilis and mixing them into ketchup," explains 'Campfire Cuisines,' author Robin Donovan. "Or try mashing a ripe avocado or prepared guacamole which both contain healthy fats and don't spoil easily, Donovan adds.

Spicy Grills

Donovan recommends spicing up healthful sides like grilled eggplant, zucchini, squash, cauliflower and mushrooms with fresh rosemary, thyme, oregano and basil to turn them into a main course. Plus, you will be helping your heart. For every extra serving of fruits and vegetables that participants ate as a part of a recent Harvard, their risk of heart disease dropped by four percent.

Tater Temptation

Nothing says summer barbeque like your old-fashioned baked potato, but steam it, don't boil! Potato skins contain abundant nutrients so keep the skins when preparing, recommends The Idaho Potato Commission. It suggest adding a squeeze of lemon, some salt and pepper, and topping it with salsa to keep it healthful.

Skip the Soda

What about fruit juices? They contain highly concentrated fructose but lack beneficial fiber of whole fruits, Miller told us. For diluting, pair fresh fruit juice with a calorie-free sparkling soda and mix in fresh chopped fruit like melons or grapes. Plus, have plenty of cold water or flavored iced teas. As Miller says, everyone will appreciate refreshing green tea's antioxidant value.

Frozen Dessert Delite!

Take a twist on traditional fat-free Popsicle desserts that are usually overloaded with sugary fruit juices and substitute fruit purees. This keeps the fiber, the healthy content, Miller explains. Add fat-free vanilla yogurt and fresh cubed pineapples, cantaloupe, kiwi or other flavorful fruit, place in plastic cups with popsicle sticks, freeze, serve and enjoy!