So, have you done your grocery shopping for the big cookout this weekend? Before you do, think about how comfortable you really are with blowing several days' worth of calories in one big, fatty meal. Since you're here, chances are good you'd rather keep the damage to a minimum. And no, lightening up your Fourth of July spread of food doesn't make you any less patriotic.

Want to cut some calories without sacrificing flavor? The video below has some great tips. We want to hear from you, too. Share your top tips for a slimmed-down barbecue in the comments!

It's already well into July, and I'm sad to say that the number of cookouts I've been to seems unusually low. One here, one there -- but not too many. Could it be that no one wants to bake in the sun? Or that everyone is "at that age" where other obligations must come first? Or is it that people just aren't feeling the cookout scene as much these days?

I'm sure it doesn't help that there's still been no conclusive determination made on the recent E. coli outbreak. Is it tomatoes? Is it cilantro? Is it hot peppers? No one seems to know for sure, which may explain why people seem a bit hesitant to take too many chances with their food. A smart move, too, since an estimated 76 million Americans suffer from food poisoning each year. And, as you might expect, most of these cases take place in the summer, when the rising temperature creates a party of its own for harmful bacteria.

But if you're determined to keep the summer cookout alive and well (and hope for the same for your guests), make sure you're doing what you can to keep your food safe. Self magazine offers the following tips:

• Marinade your meats in the fridge instead of the countertop, where bacteria can grow.
• Use a meat thermometer to determine if a food is properly cooked, because color isn't always a reliable indicator. 145 degrees for steaks, 160 degrees for burgers, and 165 degrees for chicken.
• Don't place other food on plates that held raw meat, poultry, or seafood. Also be sure to use clean utensils every time.
• Clean your hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling raw meat or poultry, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to kill germs.
• Store meat, poultry, eggs, cooked foods, fruits and vegetables, dressings, condiments -- basically, almost everything -- into a cooler as soon as possible to keep it safe.

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