It’s almost summer again and one
of the most popular summer activities is outdoor cookout. Unfortunately, evidence suggests that foods
cooked on charcoal, gas or electric grill may be hazardous to your health.
The National Academy of Science
has discovered a possible link between the grilling of food and the development
of what are believed to be cancer-causing compounds. Some researchers suspect that when high-fat,
high-protein foods – like hamburgers – are exposed to intense, searing heat of
barbecue cooking, the fat and protein turn into mutagens – chemicals that can damage the genetic material of cells
and possibly cause cancer.
Below are some other guidelines
to reduce the potential risks from eating grilled food:
- Before cooking meat or poultry (or fish, if applicable), trim away fat. And don’t baste foods to be grilled with butter or oil.
- Keep a spray water bottle handy to douse flare-ups.
- Position food well above the heat source.
- If noticebale amounts of fat drip and flare up as food cooks, lower the flame or move the food to another part of the grill.
- Cook food until it’s done, but avoid charring it. The longer the food is grilled and the blacker it gets, the higher the risk.
- To avoid charring fish and vegetables, wrap them in aluminum foil.
- Many foods, like chicken, can be boiled or microwaved before grilling, to reduce fat content and grilling time.
Used with permission from A Year of Health Hints by Don R Powell, PHD and the American
Institute for Preventive Medicine, copyright 2010. www.healthylife.com
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