Diet Detours: Summer picnic sides

With Memorial Day this weekend, lots of people will no doubt be heading to cookouts.

That means filling up on things like burgers, potato salad and corn on the cob.

Those calories in some of our favorite picnic sides can really add up.

A burger alone has more than 350 calories, which is okay. But when you start piling on the side dishes, that's where your diet takes a detour.

Culinary nutritionist Diane Henderiks says watch out when navigating the summer buffet.

"It is very difficult when you go to a BBQ because there are so many things to choose from," she says. "You can really get in trouble with some of the side dishes."

Diane says lots of popular summer dishes are loaded with salt, sugar and fat.

And in some sides: "You can get up to 4 hundred calories in just a couple of tablespoons," she says.

First up, the ever popular and creamy potato salad.

Diane says a serving of traditional potato salad with all that mayonnaise can have as many as 400 calories and 20 grams of fat.

That steers this summer favorite right into our first diet detour!

Diane suggests making a healthier version.

"You can actually use Greek yogurt - it adds a little bit of that creaminess as well.

Next up, coleslaw.

"I love coleslaw and many coleslaws have a lot of sugar and a lot of fat in them," says Diane.

She says it's rich in calories too and with 300 calories in one cup, its our next diet detour.

For a healthy alternative, try summer slaw, pickled with vinegar.

"A lot of the pickled items have a lot of flavor with a lot less calories," says Diane.

And who doesn't love fruit in the summer?

A favorite pick by many is ambrosia salad, which is usually made with canned fruit.

"Traditionally its got marshmallows or whipped cream in it," says Diane.

Diane calls this dish with 300 calories per serving: "fruit gone bad".

She suggests grabbing some fresh fruit and dipping it in yogurt as a low-calorie alternative.

Corn on the cob is also on most BBQ menus and there is good news here.

"The thing about corn, especially Jersey corn or east coast corn, it is so sweet when it comes out," says Diane.

And with less than one hundred calories in an ear - it's a green light!

Pasta salad is also a go-to side and it's easy to make it diet friendly.

"You can use citrus, you can use a white wine or rice wine or red wine vinegar," says Diane.

Salads made with quinoa - a super food - is also another diet friendly choice.

"You will be cutting your calories in half choosing these healthy salads," says Diane.

Diane says it usually is the dressings that gets you in trouble so watch out for mayonnaise and creamy dressings.

For a healthy alternative, try Diane's recipe for a grilled romaine salad.