It is well established that barbequing can cause cancer. Consider these tips to prepare your BBQ safely avoiding HCA ( heterocyclic amines).
1. Marinate your meat but not with BBQ sauce - Teriyaki sauce or a glaze of turmeric and garlic can reduce HCA by as much as 60%. The standard BBQ sauce which is actually primarily sugar and tomato sauce in many cases increases HCA. If you truly love BBQ sauce, slather the meat in BBQ sauce after it is off the grill.
2. Include fruits or spices -Adding fruits to your marinade serves as an anti-oxidant and decreases the chemical producing HCAs. Garlis can other spices can protect the meat more than when it is grilled just plain. One study showed that a marinade of 2 parts garlic, 2 parts onion, and one part lemon juice was the most effective for eliminating cancer causing agents.
3. Remove the fat and skins - Reducing the fat from your steak and the skin from your poultry will curb the cholesterol risk to your heart and also lower charring of meat which causes another type of cance. Scraping off the charring will reduce exposure to one type of cancer, but not another which goes deeper into the meat. Cooking at a lower temperature reduces HCA.
4. Do not overcook the meat - The more you cook the meat, the higher the carcinogens. There is a correlation between eating well done meat and stomach cancer. It is more healthful to eat your meat medium or medium rare.
We are lucky to live ina time where there has been so much knowledge to protect us and our bodies from unnecessary exposure to carcinogens.
LORI BOWERS
http://www.desertareahousingmarket.com
The Lori Bowers Group
A boutique Real Estate Office, with a full service team to serve all your Real Estate Needs
La Quinta, Palm Desert, Indio, Rancho Mirage, Coachella , Indian Wells and the surrounding Palm Springs Area.
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La Quinta, CA 92253
Phone: (760)777-8788 • Fax: (760)771-5355
Great ideas.. On our local news they showed that under the BBQ grill cover a beehive had made a home there.l It had grown so much that it was the size of the grill and stuck to the grill and the cover. By the time the owner discovered it there were thousands of bees. So now I lift the cover very slowly off our grill.
Not advice I expected to find on ActiveRain, but very much appreciated!! Also Chris' and Patty's warning of possible intruding bees!
I'm a gourmet on the grill. These are some common sense guides to healthier grilling. Great stuff!
Hi Lori, I'll never look at a slab of ribs the same way again ! LOL
Thanks for all the sharing. I had never heard of bees taking over the BBQ. I wonder how long it had gone without being used?