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.

July is actually National Grilling Month, and the TOPS Club, Inc. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) is suggesting 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.

• 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.

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

To find a local TOPS chapter, go to www.tops.org, or call (800) 932-8677 for more information.