We’re one month away from the official start of summer and with Memorial Day around the corner, there is no doubt you’ll be firing up the grill.

Here are some healthy ideas for cookouts to that experts say will allow you to eat the foods you want without packing on those unwanted pounds.

“Sometimes we eat not for the taste but for the fill of it all,” said Denise Galownia, diabetic nutritionist with Trinity Health System.

Burgers, pasta salade and desserts are tasty but can be heavy on calories, cholesterol and fat.

Simple alternatives can really make a difference in the calorie count.

For burgers, Galownia said the lighter the color of the meat, the leaner it will be.

“You can tell the difference between turkey burgers, they’re lighter in color,” she said.

As a rule of thumb, Galownia advised, make four-ounce patties.

In grilling, about an ounce will be lost.

Rather than white bread, choose whole wheat buns.

There is more fiber in whole wheat and because of that there are fewer carbohydrates.

When it comes to the fixings, opt for dark green lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and mustard and hold the mayonnaise.

“A man can get away with two burgers, a woman one burger but don’t tell my husband,” Galownia said.

What about sides like pasta salad?

Galownia said to use whole wheat pasta and add anything from cheese to tomatoes, olives, carrots and peppers then drizzle them in Italian dressing.

If they are made the day before, the items get a chance to marinate.

And no picnic is complete without desserts.

So choose wisely, such as tan orange Jell-O cake made with sugar-free Jell-O and straight from the Weight Watchers recipe vault.

To make it, mix together one box of sugar-free Jello, one box of yellow cake mix, one can of Sprite or 7-Up, and two egg whites and let it cool.

Cut it into slices, place it on plates and top each slice with two tablespoons of the Light Cool Whip.

Holiday cookouts can last for hours and can lead to grazing. The good news, Galownia said, is that as long as people are active, they can burn off what they've eaten.

With the turkey burger, the cookout food has a total of 525 calories.

Substituting chicken instead brings it down by another 75 calories.

Also instead of grazing on potato chips, opt for baked products and pretzels, which contain less fat and cholesterol than chips.