Healthy
Grilling
You can have your barbecue and eat it too.
The American Cancer Society believes a varied diet-important for lowering
cancer risk-can include occasional cookouts.
These tips will help you minimize the risk and maximize the benefits from
barbecued or grilled foods.
v
Leave
meats on the grill for as little time as possible to cook through and as far
away from the heat sources as you can. Charring
can create carcinogens (cancer-causing substances).
v
Use
foil or a drop pan. When fat from
the meat falls into the coals, chips, heating element, or flames, the smoke
causes carcinogens, which can land on food.
v
Choose
low-fat cuts of meat for your cookout. Trim
away as much of the fat and skin as possible.
v
Buy
charcoal made from hardwood. Soft
woods burn at higher temperatures.
v
Think
of barbecuing/grilling as a way to finish the cooking and add special flavor,
but not as a complete cooking method. Baking,
boiling, or microwaving the meat first will mean less time on the grill while
eliminating some of the fat.
v
Precook,
chicken or other meats in a Louisiana-style crab pot to add flavor and reduce
time on the grill. If you don’t
precook meats, make sure they’re completely thawed first to reduce cooking
time and prevent charring.
v
Marinate
your meats in mixtures without oil or fat, or reduce fat and oil in your
recipes. This prevents fat from
dripping into the heat source and lowers your total calories.
Tomatoes, vinegar, and lemon or limejuice make good marinade bases.
v
Try
fresh garlic or ginger on meats and fresh dill on fish. Fresh or fried herbs and spices add lots of flavor without
adding fat.
v
Skewer
your meat—you’ll use smaller pieces to reduce cooking time and fat intake.
Alternated vegetable chunks (tomatoes, bell peppers, summer squash,
onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn) with the meat.
v
Serve
grilled vegetables as the main dish. Toss them with pasta, herbs, and a sprinkle
of lemon juice.
v
Try
grilling a pizza.
v
Turn
your cookout into a salad bar. Put
out as many salad ingredients as possible and cut up grilled meats to serve on
top of your salad.
With proper cooking techniques, careful menu choices, and a
variety of foods, your friends and family can enjoy the delicious tradition of
the summer cookout.