How to Navigate a Cookout

Most of us love a good sum­mer event – be it a back­yard BBQ, out­door con­cert, or a sport­ing event. But for many peo­ple work­ing on improv­ing their health and hap­pi­ness, these events spell TROUBLE. The good news is that it real­ly is pos­si­ble to enjoy a sticky sum­mer night with friends, with­out feel­ing like a bloat­ed walrus.

The most impor­tant thing to remem­ber is to choose wise­ly – I don’t believe in any diet of pure restric­tion (except in the case of an aller­gy). It’s not healthy for our men­tal well being, and puts us in a con­stant state of feel­ing deprived, which isn’t fun for any­one. Does your Aunt Edna make your favorite home­made fudge every year for the fam­i­ly pic­nic? Then by all means, indulge and savor every bite of a rea­son­able serv­ing. But as for the wavy pota­to chips, and store-bought coleslaw you can find pret­ty much any­where? Not worth it.

Sec­ond­ly, remem­ber the Boy Scout mot­to: Be Pre­pared. Whether you are new to nav­i­gat­ing social events with a dietary restric­tion or focus­ing on eat­ing real, unprocessed foods, always always always be pre­pared. Bring a dish that you both love eat­ing, and meets your needs. Chances are there will be oth­er guests that will delight in a health­i­er option on the table, and you know you’ll have some­thing to eat. It real­ly is impor­tant that you love it and look for­ward to eat­ing it – it’s pret­ty hard to watch every­one eat­ing the deli­cious fam­i­ly reunion spread, if you are munch­ing on brown rice crack­ers and sip­ping on water.

Most sport­ing events will allow you to bring in food, just be sure to check the web­site or call the site for specifics. Some ball­parks allow food, but only in a soft lunch box. Oth­ers allow hard cool­ers, but you can’t bring in any glass con­tain­ers. Just be sure to check before you pack your­self a deli­cious and healthy feast. And while you’re at it, send a big hearty hug to the envi­ron­ment by pack­ing your own flat­ware. I love the reusable bam­boo set from to-goware.com.

Last­ly, remem­ber what you are real­ly there for – see­ing fam­i­ly, enjoy­ing music, cheer­ing for your favorite team, etc. and keep that in the fore­front of your mind. Savor that piece of Aunt Edna’s fudge, then head on over to the fam­i­ly cro­quet tour­na­ment and get ready to show your skills.