YMCA Healthy Living Magazine, powered by n4 food and health Summer 2018 | Page 10

ROSALYN D’ANGELO, APD
Rosalyn is an Accredited Practising Dietitian at Bupa. She would not want to live without
her passport or her runners, and she remains adamant that eating chocolate and dancing
around her house is part of her training regime for the New York City marathon! To read
more from Rosalyn visit http://theblueroom.bupa.com.au
HOW TO HAVE
A HEALTHY
SUMMER BBQ
Nutrition expert, Rosalyn D’Angelo, offers these five BBQ swaps that will make your next
BBQ healthier and even more delicious.
simple way to boost your nutrition and ensure
suitable portion control is to aim to have double the
amount of cooked veggies or green salad than meat
or bread on your plate. Here are a few simple food swaps to
help your next summer BBQ be an even healthier one.
A
Swap: Beef sausages in white bread          
For: Homemade rissoles
Because: Swap sausages for homemade rissoles and switch
from white to wholegrain bread. This will ensure you’re eating
more micronutrients and fibre, and you’ll gain extra points for
adding some lettuce, tomato and onions on top! 
Swap: T-bone steak
For: A palm-sized serve of lean red meat (eye fillet or sirloin)
Because: These cuts are much lower in saturated fat.
Basically the less white fat you can see on the meat, the
better. Size also matters; choosing a cut the size of the palm
of your hand is the perfect portion size for red meat.
Swap: BBQ pork ribs or chicken wings
For: Homemade pork / chicken breast and veggie kebabs
Because: Spare ribs are quite a fatty cut of pork and the
sauce they’re basted in often has a lot of sugar and
salt. Kebabs are a fun and delicious ways to incorporate
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YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE SUMMER 2018
some extra veggies in your meal. Plus with all the different
colours and shapes on skewers they’re great for entertaining.
Swap: Mayonnaise-based potato or pasta salad
For: Modified Nicoise salad
Because: By removing the tuna, anchovies and egg from a
traditional Nicoise salad, this modified salad will still contain
potato, as well as lots of beans, tomatoes, olives and herbs.
This makes it a great swap for a mayonnaise-laden potato
salad, which can be high in fat and salt. As a rule of thumb, try
and opt for salads dressed with olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice or
garlic, and to ensure your salad is healthy, use no more than 50
per cent starchy vegetables like potato or corn, or other
carbohydrates like pasta or rice.
Swap: BBQ chicken drumsticks (skin on)
For: Skinless chicken breast
Because: The breast is the leanest cut of chicken. Most of
the saturated fat in chicken sits just below the skin so it’s
best to remove the skin before cooking. If you remove it
afterwards, a lot of the fat has already seeped in during the
cooking process.
With these kind of swaps, you’ll be able to enjoy delicious
BBQs all summer long, without putting your health at risk.