June 23, 2008
Get that grill going!
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Summer is here and that means plenty of picnics and parties that center around a backyard barbecue. The aroma may be enticing, but beware — that tasty food may not be all you're cooking up. (Name of Reporter) tells us grilling is great — but how you do it could be hazardous to your health.
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(NATS grilling)
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Meat sizzling on the grill
(NATS people at bar-b-q/beach/party)
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The sound of an outdoor gathering
(More NATS grilling)
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The enticing aroma of food on the barbecue. It can really tempt your taste buds. But all that grilling could cook up chemicals that may raise your risk of cancer — especially breast, stomach, prostate, and colon cancer.
How does it happen? Two ways — first, the high heat of grilling reacts with proteins in red meat, poultry and fish to create chemicals called heterocyclic amines (heter-o-sigh-click A-meens) or, H-C-As. Second — all that smoke from the grill contains cancer-causing agents, called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (pol-EE-sigh-click air-o-ma-tic high-dro-carbons), P-A-H's. They deposit on the surface of the meat.
But Stephanie Meyers, a nutritionist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, says that doesn't mean you have to give up one of America's favorite food pastime. You just need to know the do's and don't's of safe grilling. She offers some advice:
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(Stephanie Meyers, Dana-Farber Nutritionist)
MP3 "Pre-cook your meats"
"Pre-cook your meats in the microwave for 90 seconds on high. This cuts down the amount of juices that drip down the grill surface."
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And in turn, cuts down on the smoke.
Meyers also recommends trimming excess fat and avoiding thick sugary marinades that drip into the grill and char the meat.
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(Stephanie Meyers, Dana-Farber Nutritionist)
MP3 "Choosing a marinade"
"When choosing a marinade, look for one that contains vinegar or lemon. Lemon and vinegar decrease the chances of smoke sticking to the surface of the meat."
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Meyers also recommends flipping burgers every minute, choosing smaller cuts, like kabobs, which take less time to cook, and grilling up some vegetables.
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(Stephanie Meyers, Dana-Farber Nutritionist)
MP3 "Vegetables"
"Since vegetables don't contain any protein they don't form any of the harmful chemicals in the grilling process."
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Meyers stresses that grilling can be fun...and safe...if you follow these guidelines, and remember to round out your plate with vegetables.
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(Stephanie Meyers, Dana-Farber Nutritionist)
MP3 "Best protection"
"A diet rich in colorful plant foods is one of your best protections against cancer."
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For more tips on safe grilling log onto www.dana-farber.org.
