What’s on your grilled meat?
Reduce cancer-causing compounds in your grilled meat this season
July 4th, the Independence Day is just around the corner. This means celebrations centering on barbecuing and grilling will have the focus, among other traditions. Among your friends and family, uninvited guests known as Heterocyclic Amines (HCA), and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) will also come by to celebrate as well.
HCAs and PAHs are the toxic compounds that are formed during grilling animal protein foods.
HCA's are known cancer-causing (carcinogenic) compounds that are easily formed during high heat grilling, broiling, and barbecuing due to the reaction between amino acids (building block of protein) and creatine (a chemical present in muscle) at high temperature.
PAH's, a group of over 100 chemical compounds, are naturally found in coals, and crude oils. They are released when these sources are burned. While grilling meat, the fat drips from your meat onto the burned coals and helps to release PAHs into the smoke. This results in meat with accumulation of PAHs from the smoke.
All of us like to see our grilled meat having some char marks on it. In order to get those char marks on your meat, you are cooking the meat at high temperatures for a long time and letting these toxic compounds to form on the meat. Numerous research reports demonstrate that the HCAs are the singled out factor associated with cancers of stomach, prostate, breast, bladder, colon, pancreas, and the esophagus. Although most of the studies were done on animal models, there is no doubt about the carcinogenic properties of these compounds. Therefore, taking precautions against formation of HCAs and PAHs is advisable.
So how can you reduce these cancer-causing compounds from your plate this summer? Consider the following tips while having cookout parties during this season:
1. Precook meat: Precook your meat under pressure or in an oven until half done before marinating it or before you rub your spice mixture on the meat. This will cook your meat quickly on the grill with quick developing grill marks.
Bonus point: Due to quick grilling, your meat will remain moist with the entire flavor inside.
2. Spices reduce HCA Formation: Researchers from Kansas State University reported that using spices with high antioxidant activity such as turmeric, rosemary and finger root on meat (especially beef) before grilling, can cut back the formation of HCAs by approximately 40%.
Spices are naturally rich in cancer fighting antioxidants and these capacities are determined by a parameter called Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC). The US department of Agricultural Research Services has published a list of these spices with their ORAC values. Click here to view the list-----.
Although the amount of the spices we include in our daily diet is very small to have a significant effect, including these healthy spices on a regular basis will definitely add health benefits to your diet.
Bonus point: Spices add loads of flavor into your foods. Therefore, you can cut back excess salt in your meals.
3. Always grill meat with skin, when possible: Remove the charred or burnt skin (or, meat) before eating. By doing this, you will reduce a significant amount of HCAs and PAHs from your meat.
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