Healthy BBQ swaps

With the weather warming up and daylight savings upon us, we start to exit our winter hibernation. This often means more social events, such as barbecues with friends over events like the Melbourne Cup, Christmas and New Year.

Barbecues can be healthy, however, it all depends on what you put on your barbeque plate! Grilled meat is an obvious choice, but there’s so much more you can do.

Healthy Barbecue Ideas

Instead of the usual red meat options, like sausages, steak and chops, why not grill some fish on the barbecue? Salmon drizzled with lemon, olive oil and herbs is delicious thanks to the smoky barbeque flavour.

Grilled vegetables have a lovely flavour. Corn, capsicum, zucchini, potato and mushrooms all work well on the barbie.

If you choose to eat meat, select lean cuts of meat and skinless chicken.

Get creative with your salad options. Include roasted vegetables, wholegrains such as brown rice, quinoa or even pearl barley, and chopped nuts for a variety of different flavours and crunch.

Swap soft drinks, including diet varieties, for plain sparkling mineral water. Infuse jugs of mineral water with fresh fruit and herbs, such as lemon, lime or berries with mint, for some flavour and something a bit fancy!

Read our simple swap ideas to make your next barbecue healthy and delicious!

Swap This	For This	Dietitian comments
One thin BBQ beef sausage Kilojoules: 901 Fat: 15 grams Saturated fat: 7 grams Sodium: 457 milligrams	One kangaroo sausage Kilojoules: 414 Fat: 2 grams Saturated fat: 0.9 grams Sodium: 410 milligrams	Sausages are a highly processed meat, yet tend to feature regularly at many backyard barbecues. The best option is to replace sausages altogether with something like a lean beef and vegetable kebab, however, if you really love a barbecued sausage, consider kangaroo meat. Kangaroo meat is very lean and these sausages contain less than half the kilojoules and very little fat and saturated fat compared to regular beef sausages. However, they still contain a significant amount of sodium.
One regular beef burger patty Kilojoules: 901 Fat: 13 grams Saturated fat: 6.3 grams Sodium: 438 milligrams	One peppercorn extra lean beef burger patty Kilojoules: 516 Fat: 7 grams Saturated fat: 2.5 grams Sodium: 374 milligrams	Regular beef patties are made from fatty cuts of minced meat. These Peppercorn extra lean beef burgers are available from Woolworths and are much lower in total fat, saturated fat and sodium. Add them to a wholegrain roll with plenty of salads and you have yourself a healthier burger.
Creamy potato salad, 100 grams Kilojoules: 622 Fat: 9.3 grams Carbohydrate: 15 grams Sodium: 256 milligrams	Foil wrapped BBQ potatoes, 100 grams Kilojoules: 318 Fat: 0.4 grams Carbohydrate: 14 grams Sodium: 23 milligrams	The creamy potato or pasta salad is another classic summer barbecue dish. Most varieties will be high in fat from the mayonnaise and sour cream used in the dressing. You could try making your own healthier version using a reduced fat Greek or natural yoghurt. Another option is to wrap some jacket potatoes in foil and grill them on the barbecue. Add some herbs and Greek or natural yoghurt instead of sour cream.
Ceasar salad, one cup Kilojoules: 1063 Fat: 16 grams Saturated fat: 5 grams Fibre: 3 grams Sodium: 901 milligrams	Barley salad Recipe from the Australian Healthy Food Guide Kilojoules: 725 Fat: 3 grams Saturated fat: 0.9 grams Fibre: 6.5 grams Sodium: 80 milligrams	Instead of a high fat, low fibre Caesar salad, get creative and try something a bit different, like this recipe for a barley salad with sweet corn, roasted capsicum and fetta from the Australian Healthy Food Guide website. This salad contains a variety of vegetables, including spinach, beans, corn and capsicum, some pearl barley for extra fibre, and currants for sweetness.
Pavlova with fruit and cream, one slice Kilojoules: 1139 Fat: 15 grams Carbohydrate: 33 grams Sugar: 30 grams	Grilled peaches Served with reduced fat Greek yoghurt (1 large peach, ½ cup reduced fat Greek yoghurt) Kilojoules: 756 Fat: 5 grams Carbohydrate: 18 grams Sugar: 16 grams	No dessert is more Australian than the pavlova with fruit and cream. However, it’s best saved for special occasions due to its high fat and added sugar content. Why not try grilling fruit on the BBQ? It really brings out their sweetness as the natural sugars caramelise. Stone fruits and pineapple work really well on the barbecue. Serve with some reduced fat Greek yoghurt for a healthy, summer time dessert.