Yesterday we spent time outdoors, about 80 km out of Toronto, to enjoy our free time with friends and good food. While we grilled organic local chickens and veggies our friends asked me about the safety of this type of cooking. So I thought that would be a perfect topic to my blog.
This makes it more difficult for the food to be absorbed and function at a cellular level. When nutrients cannot function in your cells, the cells can become deficient or even toxic, which leads to deficiency of your whole body, making your body less able to function optimally.
Furthermore, overcooking meat is much harder to digest. The higher the temperature that food is cooked, the longer it stays in your intestines, the more difficult is to digest it.
This makes it more difficult for the food to be absorbed and function at a cellular level. When nutrients cannot function in your cells, the cells can become deficient or even toxic, which leads to deficiency of your whole body, making your body less able to function optimally.
It is obvious that everyone loves a backyard barbeque, but increasing evidence reveals a negative side to popular barbeque, grilling, frying or broiling. My intention is not to scare you, I want you to be aware what may happens if you are not careful with this type of cooking.
The high temperature of 4000+ F reacts with the protein in meat to activate heterocyclic amines (HCAs).These amines increase production of cytokines, inflammatory and nasty chemicals, linked to joint pain, headache, fatigue, brain fog or even cancer!
During barbequing when fat drips onto the heat source, causing excess smoke that surrounds your food it can transfer cancer-causing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to the meat you intend to eat.
Next evidence reveals that when food is cooked at high temperature (including pasteurization or sterilization) it increases the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in your food. AGEs build up in your body over time causing inflammation and an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease.
Here are the simple strategies to make barbequing healthier
Choose iced tea
Black or green teas are rich in polyphenols, antioxidants that reduce the ability of HCAs to enter the body’s cells. In fact tea inhibits damaging HCAs activity by 90%, according to researchers at Oregon University in Corvallis. Choose hot or iced tea brewed from bags or lose leaves. Do not drink instant or bottled brands that have 100 times less polyphenols.
Marinate meat before cooking
Marinate steak in red wine or beer for 6 hours before grilling. This method may cut levels of two types of HCAs by up to 90%. Beer was also efficient at reducing a third type of HCAs, cutting levels significantly in just 4 hours.
A red wine marinade has a similar effect on HCAs level in grilled chicken.
A sauce made of olive oil, lemon juice and garlic can also lower HCAs level in grilled chicken by about 90%.
An acidic marinade that contains lemon juice or vinegar can reduce the amount of AGEs in your food.
Trim the fat
You can reduce the amount of PAHs when you grill by not cooking fatty meats, and by trimming the fat off before you grill.
Use indirect heat
Cook your food with indirect heat, such as on a rack rather than directly on the coals. Cooking on a cedar plank is also helpful.
Discard the black parts of meat
Always avoid charring your meat and don't eat the black or brown parts.
Flip often
Flip your burgers, steak or chicken often as this will cut down on HCAs formation.
Cook partially
Cook meat partially before putting it on the grill, or cook smaller pieces of meat, which takes less time to cook, and therefore give HCAs less time to form.
Eat coleslaw and crudités
Eat frequently cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage, broccoli, kale, cauliflower or Brussels sprouts. These vegetables contain protective compounds called indoles and glucosinolates that lower the body’s HCA’s absorption by up to 45%, according to British researchers.
Dilute thick sauces
Thick commercial barbeque sauces used for grilling cause charring that triples HCAs formation.
Rather thin sauces with equal amounts of water. This method will lower HCAs by 50-70% according to scientists at the Cancer Research Centre of Hawaii.
If you liked today's article, please forward this email on to any of your friends, family or co-workers that would enjoy it.
Maria Pawlicka, BAA, M.Sc., CNP
Certified and Registered Nutritionist
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