Posted: Wednesday, June 1, 2016 8:15 am
I love to grill out tasty meals for my family and friends as I am sure many of you do as well. Maybe I should be honest here and retract that statement in case Mike reads my article. He is the grilling king at our house. He really enjoys it and likes to try different recipes. I just like to eat it, enough said.
However, there are a few precautions you should know about before you slap that free range chicken or grass fed beef on the grill. Grilling mistakes can indeed cause some specific health risks. Grilling can cause exposure to high levels of cancer-causing compounds like heterocyclic amines (HCAs). Heterocyclic amines form when amino acids and creatine (a chemical found in muscle) react at high cooking temperatures. Scientists have identified 17 different HCAs that may pose human risk. HCAs are formed in meat muscle tissue during high temperature cooking like grilling. When meat gets charred (the black stuff) then you know HCA’s have been formed. HCA’s are linked to stomach and colon cancer but recent research also links them to increased risk in breast, liver, lung, prostate and skin cancer. So obviously, if there are precautions we should take while grilling we should all do so. Here are a few healthy suggestions:
»Make your own marinades if possible using thicker, store-bought marinades containing sweeteners like sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, or even honey makes charring more likely, possibly increasing exposure to carcinogens. There are many marinade recipes that use vinegar or lemon juice mixed with herbs and spices and they are very tasty. Keep in mind that the herb rosemary neutralizes carcinogens (cancer causing agents) and can be used in marinades.
»Opt for organic meats- Many medications used to treat sickly animals are showing up in our non-organic meats. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), exposing these meds in meat to high temperatures doesn’t always neutralize them all, and in some cases can make them more toxic
»The American Institute for Cancer Research highly recommends precooking meat before firing it up on the grill. This helps reduce “drippings” on the grill, which turn into smoke, full of cancer-causing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
»Choose Leaner cut meats- This prevent dripping fat from causing flare-ups, which can deposit carcinogens on the meat.
»Reduce the heat–Cooking at slightly lower temperatures is enough to substantially reduce HCA formation
Enjoy your summer and grill out like crazy, but incorporate these precautions into your grilling.
See you in the gym!
