TOPS offers healthy cookout tips to spark up the grill

MILWAUKEE, WI - This summer, let your kitchen be lonely. Turn your oven off, and take your family outdoors to fire up the grill for sizzling, healthy meals on a sunny day.

Since July is National Grilling Month, it offers tasty timing for TOPS Club, Inc. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) to suggest nutritious alternatives to cook on a grill.

Registered dietitian Dena McDowell, M.S., C.D., nutritional expert for TOPS, suggests preparing lean ground turkey breast as an alternative to ground beef for burgers. She advises looking on food labels for ground turkey that is at least 93 percent fat-free.

According to www.nutritiondata. com, four ounces of ground beef containing 10 percent fat has 240 calories and 12 total fat grams. Four ounces of ground turkey with 7 percent fat has 150 calories and 7 total fat grams. Four ounces of ground turkey with 1 percent fat has 120 calories and 1.5 total fat grams.

Here are tips from McDowell to keep your food fresh and healthy at a cookout:

· Trim the excess fat from meat before grilling to lower the fat in the end-product, as well as reduce the amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are produced.

· Get creative and grill vegetables and fruits to add more texture and flavor to the meal. Use a grill basket (found at most hardware stores) to grill slices of peppers, eggplant, zucchini, sweet potatoes, and even corn on the cob. For a sweet dessert, try grilling pineapple and papaya slices. Add a little cinnamon for increased sweetness.

· Use a marinade that contains lemon, lime juice, or vinegar. The acidic nature of these marinades will reduce the amount of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) that are formed. AGEs can cause inflammation in the body and increase risk of chronic diseases such as cancer heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.

· Keep food out of the danger zone (between 40° F and 140° F). Bacteria can multiply quickly if food is kept in this temperate zone. Keep hot foods hot, using a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. Keep cold foods below 40° F by keeping foods in coolers that have adequate ice.

· Cook beef to a minimum of 160° F or until the center is no longer pink and juices are clear. Cook ground poultry to 165° F and poultry parts to 180° F.

· Marinades diminish the charring of meats, which reduces the risk of developing heterocyclic amines (HCAs). These food components can increase risk of certain forms of cancer.

· Marinades that contain red wine, beer, or fruit juices (such as papaya or pineapple) will tenderize the meat and also prevent charring from taking place. This may reduce the amount of HCAs produced by an estimated 90 percent.

· Never reuse marinades that have been used for raw meat, chicken, or fish.

Smart cooks find ways to lighten up. The following recipe from McDowell for barbecue sauce reduces the amount of salt and sugar, especially in the form of high-fructose corn syrup. Healthy Barbecue Sauce 1 cup low-sodium ketchup 2 teaspoons chili powder One-half cup onion, minced 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon brown sugar * 1 teaspoon vinegar

One-half teaspoon garlic powder

Sauté onion with butter until tender. Mix all remaining ingredients with onion. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes. Add extra chili powder or Tabasco ® sauce to make a spicier version. Makes one-and-a-half cups.

* To reduce the carbohydrate content further, you can use Splenda® brown sugar in an equal portion.

The following salsa recipe from TOPS' membership magazine, TOPS News, has the advantage of zero cholesterol, along with bursts of flavor, color, and texture. Black Bean Salsa 1 15-ounce can black beans 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans 1 15-ounce can whole kernel corn 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes 1 small can sliced black olives 1 tablespoon thyme 2 tablespoons finely chopped onions 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning 2 tablespoons dried parsley 1 tablespoon dried celery leaves One-fourth cup olive oil

Drain beans and corn and rinse well. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Chill at least two hours. Makes 16 half-cup servings.

TOPS Club, Inc. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), the original, nonprofit weight-loss education and support organization, was founded more than 61 years ago to champion weight-loss support and success. Founded and headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., TOPS promotes successful weight management with a philosophy that combines healthy eating, regular exercise, wellness education, and support from others at weekly chapter meetings. TOPS has about 170,000 members in nearly 10,000 chapters throughout the United States and Canada, and several chapters in Europe.

Visitors are welcome to attend their first TOPS meeting free of charge. To find a local chapter, view www.tops.org or call (800) 932-8677 for more information.