last revised: 10.06.2026
Major points:
- With these barbecue tips, you are perfectly prepared for the next barbecue.
- Be cautious with seasoned or processed food (e.g. meat, fish, or seasoned baguette) and sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened beverages as they often contain added flavors, sweeteners, or sugar.
- Avoid foods that obviously do not fit to Neatic and choose the best possible option!
The days are getting longer and the evenings warmer. As soon as your neighbors fire up the barbecue for the first time in the season, you may start to wonder: BBQ – is that possible without added flavors?
Where can added flavors hide when having a BBQ?
When barbecuing, many conventional foods contain added flavors. Sugar and sweeteners are more likely to be found in drinks.
First, it must be clarified which foods you can consume without hesitation and which you should take a closer look at.
Basically, any food eaten in its natural form does not contain added flavors. These include: meat and fish without marinade, various types of bread and baguette, as well as vegetables and fruits.
All foods that have been seasoned or processed, on the other hand, can contain added flavors. These include: meat, fish and vegetables with marinade, herb baguettes, store-bought salads, BBQ sauces and dips, but also individual ingredients in dishes such as ready-made salad dressing in a fresh salad. Therefore, when consuming these foods, specifically look for the word “flavor” on the ingredient list.
How to avoid added flavors when having a BBQ without sacrificing taste?
With a few simple tricks, you can prepare your BBQ food really delicious without added flavors. Homemade marinades made from oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, or lemon offer a tasty alternative to ready-made products. Fruity components such as grilled pineapple slices or peach halves also bring variety to the plate.
There are also situations in which it may be a little more difficult to stick to the Neatic principles. The following tips are intended to help you get relaxed through the BBQ season.
Invite people to your place for a BBQ
The easiest way is if you fire up the grill yourself – this way you keep control over what ends up on the grill. Another advantage: You can start preparations a few days in advance. Desserts such as coconut bars or no-bake coconut cake can be easily prepared in advance and frozen. Just remember to take everything out of the freezer in time: the almond bars thaw in about ten minutes, the whole cake may take a little longer.
Bring something so you know what is in it
If you are invited to a BBQ but do not know whether the food offered contains added flavors, sweeteners, or sugar, then offer to bring something. Most hosts are happy about a little support and you can be sure that the food you bring fits your diet. For example, bring a salad with horseradish dressing, homemade burger buns, or a vegan aioli.
You can also offer to take care of the drinks. This way you ensure that, in addition to soft drinks and the like, there are also some bottles of water available. Surprise the guests with an iced coffee during coffee time. All you need is prepared coffee, which you freeze in ice cube trays – so you can simply take it out of the freezer when needed. The advantage: the iced coffee stays nice and cold and does not get diluted.
Create new habits
Many people have so-called BBQ habits. For some, there always has to be potato salad according to a traditional family recipe, for others, there is no BBQ without beer. Often these BBQ habits do not fit to the Neatic principles.
If soft drinks with added flavors, sweeteners, or sugar are your BBQ habit, you can try homemade peach iced tea or infused water as a healthy alternative. As an alternative to BBQ sauces with added flavors and sugar, try the spicy bell pepper dip or the tomato butter which go perfectly with meat and vegetables.
It may also help you to tell one person or even everyone present that your diet has changed. Then you can try out new BBQ recipes together. The more often you repeat your new habits, the easier and faster the old ones will fade into the background.
What does Neatic recommend concerning BBQ?
Avoid foods that obviously do not fit to Neatic and choose the best possible option.
You cannot always plan every situation well or keep track of everything. It may also be uncomfortable for you to ask about the ingredients of every new dish that comes to the table. So if you do not want to stand out and are still determined to stick to the Neatic principles, it may look like this in practice: Choose the steak without marinade and simply season it with salt and pepper. Enjoy the natural taste of the BBQ food. For side dishes, choose boiled potatoes, rice, pasta, or a plain baguette. Prefer classic vinegar-oil dressing for salads instead of ready-made versions. Water is always a safe choice as a drink.
And if you are ever unsure about a dish but do not want to completely avoid it, then simply choose a small portion – and enjoy all the more the foods that you are sure fit the Neatic principles.
And now we wish you lots of joy having a BBQ.