9 Recipes Under 400 Calories for Memorial Day Weekend

Whether you’re hosting a backyard party or going to a potluck, celebrate the holiday with nine of our favorite recipes — easy skewers, flavorful burgers, tangy chicken wings and healthy sides. Your Memorial Day weekend cookout will be the talk of the town!

1. BAKED PEACH BBQ CHICKEN WINGS | HEALTHY NIBBLES AND BITS

Naturally sweeten up your next gathering with this mouthwatering crowd-pleaser. These all-star peach BBQ chicken wings are so tangy, juicy and finger-lickin’ good, your guests won’t even notice that they’re not fried! Recipe makes 4 servings 4 at 1/4 pound chicken wings (after removing wing tips) each.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 318; Total Fat: 19g; Saturated Fat: 5g; Monounsaturated Fat: 0g; Cholesterol: 85mg; Sodium: 837mg; Carbohydrate: 13g; Dietary Fiber: 2g; Sugar: 10g; Protein: 23g

2. CILANTRO BURGERS WITH SRIRACHA MAYO | COOKING LIGHT

Fire up that grill and cook up cilantro beef burgers dressed with spicy Sriracha mayo. Chopped cilantro flavors the beef while whole sprigs take the place of lettuce. Serve with a fruit salad on the side for a complete meal. Recipe makes 4 servings at 1 burger each.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 363; Total Fat: 19g; Saturated Fat: 6g; Cholesterol: 79mg; Sodium: 491mg; Total Carbohydrates: 20g; Dietary Fiber: 5g; Sugars: 3g; Protein: 27g

3. GRILLED SHRIMP SKEWERS WITH WATERMELON & AVOCADO | PALEO LEAP

Flavored by a Thai-inspired coconut-chili marinade, these shrimp skewers will take your tongue to an island paradise. Shrimp is complemented by watermelon and avocado for a nutritious appetizer rich in high-quality protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals. Recipe makes 4 servings at 2 skewers each.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 148; Total Fat: 7g; Saturated Fat: 2g; Monounsaturated Fat: 4g; Cholesterol: 54mg; Sodium: 205mg; Carbohydrate: 14g; Dietary Fiber: 3g; Sugar: 6g; Protein: 9g

4. BACON BRUSSELS SPROUTS SKEWERS | DELISH

Two-ingredient recipes are the ultimate no-fuss appetizers — and this dish is no exception. Brussels sprouts are skewered with a slice of bacon and roasted until slightly charred — they’re irresistible! Recipe makes 10 servings at 1 skewer each.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 75; Total Fat: 3g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 1g; Cholesterol: 8mg; Sodium: 155mg; Carbohydrate: 8g; Dietary Fiber: 4g; Sugar: 2g; Protein: 6g

5. ROASTED VEGETABLES & GOAT CHEESE PASTA SALAD | CLEAN EATING

This go-to pasta salad is hearty and delicious served cold (but great warm, too). If your kitchen is getting a bit too stuffy for your liking, head outdoors and take this recipe with you: You can also make the whole thing outside on your grill! Recipe makes 8 servings at 1 cup each.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 191; Total Fat: 5g; Saturated Fat: 3g; Carbohydrate: 29g; Fiber: 5g; Sugars: 5g; Protein: 9g; Sodium: 163mg; Cholesterol: 8mg

6. APRICOT-GLAZED GRILLED CHICKEN | THE HEALTHY MAVEN

Apricot-glazed grilled chicken thighs are a great try for your next backyard barbecue session. These juicy marinated chicken thighs are worth getting your fingers sticky for! We recommend serving them with a big helping of greens or roasted veggies on the side. Recipe makes 6 servings of 2 chicken thighs each.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 281; Total Fat: 11g; Saturated Fat: 3g; Monounsaturated Fat: 0g; Cholesterol: 166mg; Sodium: 484mg; Carbohydrate: 14g; Dietary Fiber: 1g; Sugar: 11g; Protein: 39g

7. GRILLED ZUCCHINI CORN SALAD | UPROOT KITCHEN

This smoky vegetable salad makes a great side for your grilling party. Juicy corn kernels and tender zucchini are dressed in a tangy lemon-basil vinaigrette. To make this vegan-friendly just leave out the feta cheese. Recipe makes 6 servings at 3/4 cup each.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 94; Total Fat: 4g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 2g; Cholesterol: 6mg; Sodium: 74mg; Carbohydrate: 13g; Dietary Fiber: 2g; Sugar: 3g; Protein: 3g

8. GRILLED SWEET POTATO WEDGES | FOOD FANATIC

Smoky on the outside but sweet and tender on the inside, these grilled sweet potatoes are a wonderful accompaniment to any meal. The cilantro-lime dressing adds depth and dimension to this sweet potato side. We bet you can’t eat just one! Recipe makes 6 servings at 4 wedges each.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 132; Total Fat: 7g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 4g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 216mg; Carbohydrate: 16g; Dietary Fiber: 3g; Sugar: 5g; Protein 2g

9. 2-INGREDIENT HUMMUS DEVILED EGGS | EATING BIRD FOOD

Love deviled eggs? This recipe uses just two ingredients — hard-boiled eggs and hummus. Combining the yolks with hummus results in a flavorful, creamy filling. These are great as a snack, a dinner appetizer or to bring to a potluck. Recipe makes 12 servings at 1 deviled egg each.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 47; Total Fat: 3g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 1g; Cholesterol: 93mg; Sodium: 57mg; Carbohydrate: 1g; Dietary Fiber: 0g; Sugar: 0g; Protein: 3g

How Much Weight Do I Need to Lose to Prevent Diabetes?

Q. How can a blood test determine if I have prediabetes? How much weight do I need to lose to bring my numbers down?

A. Doctors typically perform one of three blood tests to diagnose prediabetes, a condition marked by blood sugar (glucose) levels that are higher than normal but not high enough to qualify as diabetes. While prediabetes often leads to full-fledged Type 2 diabetes, many people can hold the condition in check if they lose a relatively small amount of weight and increase their physical activity, said Dr. Rhonda Bentley-Lewis, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. “I stress to my patients that we’re not talking about a huge amount of weight,” she said, “just 5 to 7 percent of one’s body weight” — or 10 to 14 pounds for someone who weighs 200 pounds.

Two of the tests require fasting, which helps prevent results being distorted by a prior meal and provides “an even baseline,” Dr. Bentley-Lewis said. One, the fasting plasma glucose test, checks blood glucose levels after an 8 to 10 hour fast; results of 100 to 125 milligrams per deciliter indicate prediabetes. The other, the oral glucose tolerance test, is the most sensitive. It checks blood glucose levels after fasting and then two hours after you consume a sweetened drink; levels of 140 to 199 after the drink indicate prediabetes.

A third test, the A1C test, may be the most convenient because it doesn’t require fasting. It measures your average blood glucose levels over the past two to three months; results of 5.7 percent to 6.4 percent, which indicate the percentage of red blood cells that have glucose attached to them, indicate prediabetes.

Though doctors often repeat a test to confirm a diabetes diagnosis, they do not always do so for a prediabetes diagnosis, Dr. Bentley-Lewis said.

Doctors can treat prediabetes with medication, but many patients prefer to try weight loss and exercise first, Dr. Bentley-Lewis said. Among thousands of people with prediabetes who participated in a national study called the Diabetes Prevention Program, those who received counseling about lifestyle changes, like losing a modest amount of weight, stepping up physical activity and reducing the amount of fat and calories in their diets, were able to reduce their risk of developing diabetes by 58 percent.

What Your Sugar Cravings Might Really Mean

For many people, the battle with sugar can be particularly ferocious. It can arise during an afternoon slump at work, first thing in the morning, after every meal, in the middle of a workout — or, worst, in the middle of the night. In a sugar-laden world, it becomes too easy to reach for a quick fix.

Cravings tend to crop up when there’s a sense of depletion. However, if you can pinpoint what you lack, it’s easier to make healthier choices instead of going for something sugar-coated.

Here are a few possibilities for what may be driving those sweet cravings:

MAGNESIUM DEFICIENCY

For many people, a sugar craving in the form of chocolate could signal a lack of magnesium, a common deficiency according to researcher Susan Yanovski from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Yanovski says that around 80% of people in the U.S. may be deficient in the mineral, which can be tied to irritability, insomnia and high blood pressure. If you feel stressed, chocolate may seem like the answer, but it could be your body yearning for magnesium instead.

While the cacao in chocolate is a rich source of magnesium, the sugar in chocolate could turn frequent consumption into a potential problem since it causes insulin spikes and other issues. Instead of chocolate, reach for non-sugar magnesium sources like nuts, seeds, beans and dark leafy greens.

IMBALANCED GUT BACTERIA

“If we are to prescribe a diet to improve someone’s health, it’s important that we understand what microbes help control those beneficial effects,” says Jeffrey Gordon biologist and professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

Sugar cravings can sometimes be the result of an imbalance in your gut health, which means that all those good bacteria in your digestive system aren’t working as happily as they could be. Compounding the problem is that eating sugary junk food makes the problem worse.

In his research, Gordon found consumption of sugary food can cause gut bacteria to become dependent on it, and cause rejection when healthier foods are introduced. That’s right: Your gut can actively sabotage your attempts to eat better. But the good news is that it can be retrained, according to Gordon.

By bringing in foods that promote healthier bacteria — particularly options with high amounts of probiotics like low-sugar yogurt and other fermented foods — the good bacteria can replace the saboteurs.

NOT ENOUGH REST

Although sleep might be part of resting, consider adding more non-snoozing time into your day instead of seeing bedtime as your only opportunity to get some stress relief.

Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, author of “Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less,” notes that lack of adequate rest can make your body feel depleted in many ways, including nutritionally. This can kick off a need for a “boost” that might come in the form of sugar. While that may provide a temporary surge, it’s very short-lived and can quickly become a habit.

He suggests integrating short rest periods into every day, especially at times when sugar cravings are strong. For instance, instead of that afternoon pick-me-up of sugary snacks, try going for a 15-minute walk outside. Walking is a conscious form of rest, Pang says, because it offers a break from everyday stressors.

Sometimes, sugar cravings can be particularly strong when you have a combination of these factors. For example, you might feel overwhelmed at work, which leads to less-than-ideal food choices that quickly turn into depletion and fatigue.

That kind of chain reaction sets up a condition for cravings. But fortunately, you can easily create healthier habits by taking a moment when the sugar monster appears to consider what you really want instead.