{"id":1598,"date":"2025-08-27T13:52:24","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T13:52:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/?p=1598"},"modified":"2025-08-27T13:54:25","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T13:54:25","slug":"10-ways-to-navigate-your-labor-day-weekend-bbq-from-a-dietitian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/?p=1598","title":{"rendered":"10 Ways to Navigate Your Labor Day Weekend BBQ, from a Dietitian"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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10 Ways to Navigate Your Labor Day Weekend BBQ, from a Dietitian<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The last summer holiday is just days away and what better way to celebrate the unofficial end of summer but with a gathering of friends and family while enjoying food.\u00a0 If you\u2019re looking for ways to navigate what to eat at the barbecue and keep it stress-free while doing it, we got you covered with these 10 tips!<\/span><\/p>

  1. <\/b> \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/b>Bring a balanced dish<\/b><\/li><\/ol>

    Social gatherings can bring all sorts of appetizers, entrees, desserts and beverages.\u00a0 My best tip is to volunteer to bring a dish and make it a balanced one!\u00a0 For example, consider bringing a fruit bowl (so at least there\u2019s a fruit option!), veggie platter with hummus (appetizer with a veggie and protein source?\u00a0 Yes please!), quinoa salad (whole grain, protein and fiber containing side dish. Done.).\u00a0 By doing this, you know there will be at least one nutrient dense item on the table for you to gravitate towards AND you know you\u2019ll enjoy it!<\/span><\/p>

    1. <\/b> \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/b>Watch the liquid calories<\/b><\/li><\/ol>

      I know alcoholic beverages are delightful on a crisp summer night, but try to stick to one drink or less for women and two drinks or less for men; otherwise, they can add up fast.\u00a0 Soda or punches can add up too.\u00a0 Some great alternatives are water, sparkling or flavored water, unsweetened ice tea or a <\/span>mocktail<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

      1. <\/b> \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/b>Build a smarter burger<\/b><\/li><\/ol>

        Burgers are a barbecue staple!\u00a0 Maybe this weekend try a leaner protein source than beef like a turkey burger or grilled chicken.\u00a0 If you are having a beef burger, no problem, maybe try to shy away from heavy sauces (that can add extra sodium and sugar) and be conscious of the amount of cheese added on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

        1. <\/b> \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/b>Don\u2019t arrive famished<\/b><\/li><\/ol>

          This might be one of the best tips of all!!! Seriously. If you are arriving to a party (any party including Thanksgiving that I know some of you fall fans are already dreaming of) eat like you always do and do not skip meals or your regular snacks.\u00a0 Arriving to the party starving can just lead you to over eating\u2026<\/span><\/p>

          1. <\/b> \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/b>Practice<\/b> mindful eating<\/b><\/a><\/li><\/ol>

            This might be hard in social settings, but it can be done!\u00a0 Savor your food and the new flavors your experiencing, eat slowly (which might work out well if you are a chatty Kathy), check into your hunger cues (are you still hunger and need more or are you satisfied and full?), focus on your plate and avoid grazing at the buffet table.<\/span><\/p>

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            1. <\/b> \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/b>Fill your plate with half fruits or vegetables (if you can)<\/b><\/li><\/ol>

              This leads back to suggestion #1.\u00a0 If you bring the fruit or veggie, you know that you can add that to your plate easy!\u00a0 Overall (at the barbecue and any day) think colors of the rainbow when eating fruits and vegetables. Different colors provide different nutrients. They also are refreshing and hydrating, which can be helpful on a hot, sunny day.<\/span><\/p>

              1. <\/b> \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/b>Think portions when it comes to dessert<\/b><\/li><\/ol>

                Okay, please note I never said to skip the dessert!\u00a0 If you want it, enjoy it but don\u2019t go overboard!\u00a0 Take a smaller piece of brownie and pair it with the fruit, share the piece of cheesecake with your partner, take one scoop of ice cream instead of two.\u00a0 See what I\u2019m doing here?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

                1. <\/b> \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/b>Focus on socializing, not just eating<\/b><\/li><\/ol>

                  By focusing on conversations, playing lawn games and walking around, it shifts the focus from the constant eating or grazing and more on the events and people around you! Easy way to not overeat and also enjoy the activities and people around you.<\/span><\/p>

                  1. <\/b> \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/b>Hydrate often<\/b><\/li><\/ol>

                    \u2026especially on hot summer days! Thirst can be masked as hunger, so drinking plenty of water throughout the day (even before you get to the BBQ) can help with appetite regulation, energy level and limiting those sugary liquid calories we mentioned before.<\/span><\/p>

                    1. <\/b> HAVE FUN!\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/li><\/ol>

                      Seriously!\u00a0 Don\u2019t make the social gathering stressful.\u00a0 Do the best that you can and take some of these tips and tricks along with you this weekend to help you out.\u00a0 You got this!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

                      Let us know what tip worked best for you this weekend!\u00a0 We love to hear from you!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

                      PS:\u00a0 For those hosting the BBQ, here\u2019s a bonus blog for you on<\/span> grilling safety tips<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

                      Cheers,<\/span><\/p>

                      \"Amanda's<\/p>

                      Amanda<\/span><\/p>

                      This blog was written by Amanda J. Stahl, RD, LDN, co-founder of Simple Start Nutrition.\u00a0 For more blog posts and nutrition information follow @simplestartnutrition on Instagram and Facebook.\u00a0 Also feel free to contact us, by visiting our website (simplestartnutrition.com) to schedule an appointment to discuss your nutrition related needs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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                      The last summer holiday is just days away and what better way to celebrate the unofficial end of summer but with a gathering of friends<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1599,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/LDW-photo.png?fit=1080%2C1350&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1598"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1598\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1603,"href":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1598\/revisions\/1603"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1599"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}