Five Healthy Summer Grilling Tips For Your Outdoor Living
Memorial Day is just around the corner, and although this year’s celebration might be a little more low-key than usual, that doesn’t mean you can’t crack open your propane barbecue grill for a delicious flame-broiled meal for the family.
Just be sure to make healthy choices to keep that immune system working stronger than ever!
Follow these five simple tips to make your summer grilling menus as nutritious as they are delicious:
- Make sure your meats are thoroughly cooked – Use a food thermometer to make sure your meat, poultry, seafood, and other cooked foods reach their safe minimum internal temperature. You can learn more about food thermometers here.
- Minimize HCAs and PAHs – Cancer-causing Heterocyclic Amines (HCA) and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) can form when you cook high fat meats at high heat for long periods. Use leaner cuts of beef, pork, or skinless chicken in smaller sizes (skewers work great), combined with a PAH/HCA-busting marinade (olive oil + mint family herbs such as basic, mint, rosemary, thyme, and oregano) to minimize PAH/HCA formation.
- Add fruits and veggies – Immune-promoting vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants are abundant in fruits and vegetables, so pack them in. Tomatoes, onions, peppers, zucchini, pineapple, mango, and even apples are delicious when grilled!
- Choose healthier sides – Swap the traditional store-bought macaroni salad and potato salad – which are usually loaded with saturated fat, sodium and sugar – for healthier homemade versions. Salads – bean, fruit, or leafy green – are also great.
- Ask the pros – Healthy recipes abound on the internet – check out these pages to get you started:
Enjoy!
Don’t get caught short of propane! Stop by one of James Oxygen’s convenient western North Carolina propane filling station locations for your propane barbecue cylinder refill today.
