from the National Women's Health Resource Center's e-newsletter, HealthyWomen Take 10

Meat grilled over a hot fire may seem like a holdover from our primitive past, but there's no doubt that grilling is a popular modern cooking technique. Devoted fans tote little grills to tailgate parties, install sofa-sized grills in backyards and use portable and built-in grills in their home kitchens.

Yet grilled beef, pork, chicken and fish share more than just a common cooking method. Numerous studies have shown that these meats, when cooked at high temperatures, produce cancer-causing chemicals (carcinogens) that don't exist in the raw meats. The key factor is temperature, so the same process occurs when muscle meats are fried or pan-broiled at high heat. Grill flare-ups caused by dripping fat also deposit cancer-producing compounds on food.

Of course, you could just stick to grilled vegetables, fruit or tofu, which don't create the same problems (see all those vegetarians out there smiling?). Yet, if you enjoy grilled meat and fish, there are ways to reduce your exposure to the chemicals caused by high-heat cooking:

• Food scientists have found that marinating meats with herbs and spices high in antioxidants, before grilling, appears to significantly lower the amount of carcinogens produced. Marinades made from a store-bought mix containing rosemary and thyme had the greatest effect; others made with oregano, basil and parsley also were effective.
• Cut the fat to reduce dripping. Pick lean cuts and take the skin off poultry.
• Don't eat any sections of meat that are blackened or burned.
• Microwave meats for two minutes, then grill immediately. Discard any liquid that collects during microwaving. This can remove as much as 90 percent of carcinogens.
• Don't pierce meat while grilling. Use tongs instead of a fork.

References

National Cancer Institute. "Heterocyclic Amines in Cooked Meats." http://www.cancer.gov. Accessed April 15, 2008.

Purdue University Animal Sciences. "Meat Quality and Safety: Grilling Meat." http://ag.ansc.purdue.edu.

University of Arkansas, Food Safety Consortium. "Brush on the Marinade, Hold Off the Cancerous Compounds." Science Daily, 2007. http://www.sciencedaily.com. Accessed April 15, 2008.

American Cancer Society. "Harmful Chemicals in Grilled Meats." http://www.cancer.org. Accessed April 15, 2008.

© 2008 National Women's Health Resource Center, Inc. (NWHRC) All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission from the NWHRC. 1-877-986-9472 (tollfree). On the Web at: www.healthywomen.org.