Bad side dish: Potato salad. There’s nothing inherently bad about potatoes: they’re actually a great source of vitamin C and fiber, but they contain more calories than other veggies. Plus, most potato salads are smothered in way too much full-fat mayo and will cost you about 360 calories and 20 or so grams of fat per cup.
Best side dish: Coleslaw can satisfy a craving for something creamy for far fewer calories (83, with 3 grams of fat per cup). Low-cal cabbage is also a rich source of isothiocyanates, compounds that amp up the body’s natural detoxifying enzymes. Another great option is reduced-fat potato salad.
Drinks
Bad (alcoholic) drink: Regular margarita. Between the alcohol and mixers, a small 3.5-ounce drink packs about 160 calories (0 grams of fat). Fortunately, there are some reduced-calorie mixers that are better options.
Bad (non-alcoholic) drink: Soda. A 12-ounce can delivers about 150 calories thanks to added sugars. In addition, study after study shows that soda’s other ingredients may increase your risks for certain illness, such as metabolic syndrome and diabetes.
Best (alcoholic) drink: Light beer or wine. A 12-ounce serving generally can have as little as 100 calories.
Best (non-alcoholic) drink: Seltzer water. A zero-calorie flavored seltzer with a slice of fruit in it is the best choice of all.
Desserts
Bad dessert: Strawberry shortcake. Just because it contains fruit doesn’t mean it’s the healthiest or lowest-calorie choice. Between the cake and the loads of whipped cream that typically tops this summer favorite, you get a lot more calories than you may be bargaining for: about 425 (and around 20-25 grams of fat).
Best dessert: A frozen fruit bar (100 calories, 0 grams of fat). Or, you can also opt for a reduced-fat ice cream bar or a scoop of vanilla ice cream: 140 calories, about 5 grams of fat.
The Healthiest Barbecue Food was originally published on blackdoctor.org
