Hosting a Healthier Summer Barbecue
This season is prime time for firing up the grill and welcoming friends and family to your home for outdoor get-togethers. These gatherings can be the highlight of the year for many, but as the host, you may struggle to find a balance between prioritizing fun and ensuring the well-being of your guests.
With some forethought, though, you can throw a laid-back summer soiree everyone will enjoy—and you won’t need the rest of the weekend to recover from it. Use these tips to help guarantee that your guests leave feeling content, healthy, and happy.
Food and drinks
Ask anyone, and they’ll tell you that food and drinks are the heart of every great barbecue. Fortunately, it can be surprisingly simple to put a healthy spin on summer classics.
If you’re planning to grill, you’re already at an advantage. Grilled foods are not only delicious but also nutritious. Unlike frying or baking, grilling prevents foods from reabsorbing fat; in fact, the grates actually allow excess fat to drip away from the food. Fish, beef, and chicken are high-protein options that pair well with seasonal vegetables like corn, peppers, and tomatoes.
Most grilled foods will taste amazing with nothing more than a sprinkle of salt and pepper. However, you can up the ante on flavor by offering a plethora of homemade dipping sauces, which will be much healthier than store-bought choices. You can quickly whip up a chimichurri sauce, for example, with just a few handfuls of cilantro and parsley, onion, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and basic seasonings; it pairs well with virtually anything but is particularly tasty on grilled meats. You also can’t go wrong with a tangy, low-sugar barbecue sauce or a smoky romesco sauce made from roasted red peppers.
Sides are often easy dishes to swap in better-for-you ingredients, such as by subbing mayo in pasta and potato salads for Greek yogurt and preparing creamy dips with low-fat or nonfat sour cream or cream cheese. Cooking everything homemade can be a big undertaking, though, so don’t be afraid to buy premade; just be mindful of the ingredients to ensure that the quality is top-notch.
Now on to drinks. Depending on the time frame of your party and the weather, guests may be inclined to enjoy a lot of refreshing beverages. A good estimate is about one to two drinks per hour per guest, which means if you’re planning an all-day affair, the sugar quotient can add up quickly. To help keep it down, target the variety of low-sugar beverages on the market, including lemonades, teas, sodas, and alcoholic drinks, and offer plenty of water so guests can stay hydrated, especially if they’re imbibing or the heat is scorching. And if you’re making your own mixed drinks, opt for a homemade simple syrup—or, better yet, nix it altogether—to better control the sugar content. Premade drink mixes tend to be loaded with sugars and syrups.
Entertainment
After food and drinks, entertainment is the most significant element of your party, so it’s important to get it right. Whether your partygoers enjoy engaging in good conversation, playing lawn games, or swimming, setting up a safe environment for them to do so is crucial.
Make sure your patio or deck is clear of tripping hazards, like bunched-up rugs or an overabundance of furniture, and that the space is well lit, especially if the gathering is going to extend deep into the evening. Inspect your seating for rust, loose screws, and wobbly legs that could pose a potential threat, and fix or replace any furniture pieces that are broken.
Games are a must for your barbecue, but you’ll want to examine your lawn to make sure you’re setting them up in an optimal spot. Avoid placing activities like cornhole, horseshoes, and ladder toss on a slope or rocky terrain where players could more easily trip and injure themselves; instead, put these games in flat areas where there’s no risk of players running into the street or a neighboring yard. If your plans involve water balloons or other small objects, encourage players to pick up after themselves to prevent these pieces from becoming choking hazards for children or pets.
Whether in-ground, aboveground, or kiddie, a pool can be an epic focal point of a summer barbecue. However, as every responsible pool owner knows, it’s essential to take precautions to ensure the well-being of all swimmers. First and foremost, pool gates should be closed and locked at all times to prevent little ones and pets from sneaking through. If guests plan to bring their pets, you should instruct them to keep the animal indoors or, at the very least, on a leash and away from the water. Young children should never be left alone in the pool or without an adult supervisor, and all swimmers should be made aware of any rules, such as “no jumping or diving from the edge” and “no swimming after dark.”
Ambience
Last, you’ll want to prioritize creating a comfortable atmosphere for your guests—even small, pleasant finishing touches can go a long way. For example, instead of asking guests to douse themselves in sticky, smelly bug spray that’s often full of chemicals, place citronella candles on tables or citronella torches around your yard’s perimeter to help keep bugs at bay. Want an even more natural approach? Planting certain flowers and herbs, such as lavender, basil, lemongrass, and mint, can prevent pests from invading your yard; these plants may smell lovely to us but are repulsive to them.
Speaking of bugs, increased foot traffic in and out of your home can quickly result in critters making their way inside. This will inevitably be a pain for your indoor visitors during the festivities and for you when you’re chasing the insects out later. Encourage guests to keep doors and windows closed, and consider investing in a magnetic door screen, which will automatically seal shut behind guests as they pass through the doorway.
As you prepare your backyard to be filled with the sights, sounds, and smells of barbecue season, make sure you factor in the well-being of your guests by heeding the advice in this guide. Your partygoers will be grateful to have such a thoughtful and gracious host.