Welcome to #FACTUAL FRIDAY everyone! Today, I’ve got a tip to make your BBQ not only tasty, but a bit healthier as well!
Remember our earlier discussions about the problems of cooking meats at high temperatures? Grilling, broiling and frying are all methods we use commonly to cook our dinners. But, all require high temperatures. And, when meat is cooked at these high temperatures — above 375 degrees — a chemical reaction takes place.
You see, meats contain an amino acid known as creatinine. Now, when we place a burger or a steak on a very hot grill, for example, this creatinine breaks down — and forms chemicals called heterocyclic amines, or HCAs. While the impact of HCAs on human health has been studied for years, researchers now believe there is a definite link between these toxins and colon, stomach, lung, pancreatic, breast and prostate cancers.
BUT — remember we also said that when these meats are marinated before cooking, the formation of HCAs can drop dramatically. And now, thanks to researchers at Kansas State University we may have an easy recipe for such a marinade!
It appears that certain spices are the key! And, in this case, we’re talking about rosemary and a combination of turmeric, finger root and galangal, otherwise known as Thai Spice. All of these spices contain powerful antioxidants that block the formation of HCAs.
So, when we use a dry rub of rosemary on our beef before grilling it, we will cut the HCAs by 61 to 70 percent! And, when we use a Thai Spice combo as a dry rub, we’ll be cutting the HCAs by 40 to 42 percent! This is really great news — for not only are we protecting our health — but, we’re adding a lot of flavor to boot!
According to our friends at KSU it is important, however, to avoid using overly sweet marinades with high amounts of sugar. These, while being very tasty, can actually double or triple the HCA levels in our burger or steak.
So, this summer why not try dry-rubbing your BBQ before cooking it? It’s a method that works for fish and poultry as well. And, if you lower the heat just a bit and avoid eating the crunchy black parts of your dinner, you’ll go a long way in protecting your health while enjoying time with friends and family around the summer BBQ!
Thanks for joining me everyone! And, until next time,
TAKE THE COURSE AND TAKE CHARGE!
Image courtesy of zole4 at Freedigitalphotos.net
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