Grilling Safety Tips and Cancer Prevention
I saw this article & thinking people will be BBQ'ing this weekend, had to share. I have heard about this for years but one thing I have learned in the blog world, just because it has been out there for a long time does not mean people know it.
"While BBQing can be a very healthy way to eat, there have also been concerns about it contributing to health concerns like cancer. Here are the answers to the most common BBQ-related questions I’m asked:" Full article below:
Grilling Safety Tips and Cancer Prevention
There are many signs of summer: camping, mosquitoes, road trips, and of course BBQ. If you’re like most people you’ve already cooked more than a few meals on the grill this summer. While BBQing can be a very healthy way to eat, there have also been concerns about it contributing to health concerns like cancer. Here are the answers to the most common BBQ-related questions I’m asked:
One of the biggest concerns about BBQing is the possible link between BBQed food and cancer. Is there a real risk?
There is a link between BBQed foods and the risk of cancer. Basically, when foods like meat are heated over high temperatures or come in contact with flames, certain compounds can form. These compounds are called: Heterocyclic Amines (HCA) and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH). These compounds are known carcinogens. But, you don’t need to remember their names to lessen your risk of exposure to them.
How can we enjoy grilled food and still reduce our exposure to these cancer-causing agents?
Well, there are actually a few easy things that you can do to reduce your exposure to these compounds.
Choose foods that are low in fat like lean cuts of meat, poultry or fish. Heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are primarily formed when fats are heated to high temperatures or fall into the flames and create smoke. By choosing lean cuts of meat and of course vegetables which are naturally low in fat, you reduce the chance of these compounds forming at all.
You should also trim excess fat from meat prior to cooking it.
What about avoiding flare-ups as much as possible while you’re BBQing?
Paying attention while you’re BBQing helps to lessen the likelihood of flare-ups, intense smoking, and charring is helpful too, which can result in healthier meals.
What about marinating our foods prior to BBQing it? Does that have any impact?
Yes, definitely. Certain types of ingredients used in marinating foods can really impact the formation of carcinogens.
Marinate foods like meat in olive oil and lemon juice-based marinades. Research shows that these two items can reduce the formation of the cancer-causing compounds by up to 99 percent while cooking. Not to mention that they tenderize the meat, add great flavor, and help keep it moist during cooking.
Scientists at the Food Safety Consortium project at Kansas State University have discovered that herbs in a particular family used in marinades drastically reduce the formation of heterocyclic amines. These herbs include: basil, mint, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and sage. Simply use one or more of these herbs, preferably fresh, in a marinade prior to and during cooking. Fortunately, they add tremendous flavor so most people won’t even know you’re making they’re BBQed food healthier.
Related: 5 Marinades for Grilled Vegetables
What about barbecued vegetables? Are they a healthy option?
Yes, as long as you avoid overcooking them. The longer they cook the more certain vitamins like vitamin C and B-complex vitamins break down. So don’t overcook them. Also, avoid eating any charred parts of the vegetables.
One of the easiest ways to make BBQing healthier is to add vegetables as much as possible. Making kebabs is a great way to do this. By alternating lean meat and vegetables, the veggies will not only add flavor, they’ll also help to keep the meat moist and add fiber and nutrients.
Related: Classic Grilled Veggies
Does keeping your grill clean prior to cooking help as well?
Definitely. It’s important to keep your grill clean prior to every use. Not only is it more appetizing to eat food that’s been cooked on a clean grill, but you’ll be lessening the amount of char you consume. The charred parts of food can cause free radical formation in your body and since free radicals are linked with premature aging, disease, and tissue damage, it’s best to reduce your exposure as much as possible.
Do you have any final advice about healthy grilling?
Yes, I love BBQed food as much as the next person. So, I think it’s important to remember that you don’t have to give up BBQed food if you’re trying to eat healthy and follow a healthy lifestyle. You can have your grilled food and enjoy it too, along with your health by following the simple tips I mentioned like choosing lean meat (if you’re eating meat at all), marinating food in olive oil, lemon juice, and fresh herbs and adding more veggies to the grill.
Have a safe & fun holiday
PS: Very valid points Roy and the rest of you! Not having a grill, I don't have to worry about it BUT I do love the taste of grilled foods so if I had one, I wuould probably still be using it but with the precautions noted.... although I am well done with meat & such, I would try to do the best I could under the circumstances. So many things that can harm us these days... all we can do is do our best but still live life!
Categories: Health Issues
Tags: food food illness health cancer prevention BBQ holiday eating grilling
I once used my gills for everything -- even pan fried omelets. Just something so cool about cooking outside. I now use them for meats and veggies and do so most days. I use my gas grill most, but cook over my fire pit also. Once in a blue moon I will go charcoal.
I know there are a lot of things to consider when grilling, but there are just as many to consider when not grilling; microwaves, Teflon, radiation from electric burners, etc.
This post a is a great reminder that cooking foods ups the risk -- no matter how we cook our foods. That said, all raw and no grill makes Roy a grumpy, crazy, irritable, not-much-fun-to-be-around guy
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Very valid points Roy and the rest of you!
Not having a grill, I don't have to worry about it BUT I do love the taste of grilled foods so if I had one, I wuould probably still be using it but with the precautions noted.... although I am well done with meat & such, I would try to do the best I could under the circumstances. So many things that can harm us these days... all we can do is do our best but still live life!
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I ama grilling & bbq'ing fanatic. There is a difference between the two. My understanding is that grilling is where the greatest risk for cancer is. Grilling is fast cooking over high heat. BBQ is cooked slow over a low heat. The rule I learned was to minimize the risk avoid the charred sections of meat as they are carry the higher risk for cancer agents. Now, this is what I recall from years ago. I cannot say for certain this is true, or if since the thought on this rule has changed any.
Have a good time this weekend whatever you eat.
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Great post and comments. We also grill quite a bit. Always clean the grill each use and coat with olive oil. Since we read about the dangers of charring the food, we've been avoiding doing that, for sure. However, I must have been exposed to too much of it already since I have the side effects: "free radical formation in your body and since free radicals are linked with premature aging, disease, and tissue damage". Happy long weekend!
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I had heard about this before and it is one of the thinks I am just sticking my head in the sand about. Hoping we don't grill enough to make it an issue.
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I'll grill on my George Foreman to avoid these problems
Barbecue is delicious. Thanks for the tips!
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We don't have a grill, so I am no expert. But I do enjoy grilled vegetables when someone else does them!
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Food just tastes so much better on the grill. Thanks so much for the tips!
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I totally feel ya on the grillin' cancer connection. but now I'm thinking... what about the cavemen when they grilled the dino meat in the homemade fire pit? Did they get cancer from overcooking? What is it about today's grilling methods that cause cancer when this wasn't an issue back in the day. And is there anything we can do different to change that?
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Josie, really interesting point you have made... lots to think about!
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People didn't live as long back then. They were vulnerable to other things.
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Jody, this is something I have often thought about, especially since I love my grilled and smoked food so much. I am not prepared to give it up, that is for sure, so I need to incorporate more of these tips to make it as healthy as possible.
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(The above comment was directed at Josie's and Jody's wonderings about if cavemen and fire-pit cooking... I thought it would align under their comments).
Anyways, great info, Jody! We have a gas-line grill, and I love cooking on it. It's a pleasure to prepare veggies and lean meats and fish because the result is wonderful flavor. Then DH slaps some greasy hamburger patties on it. It is such a mess to clean up afterward. Yuck. Imagine how messy it is inside of a body that has eaten it.
I'm going to share this info with my family. I didn't know much about it myself. When I was a kid, I loved my hotdogs charred as well as my marshmallows. Dang. Must do better for my kids.
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