Healthy Barbequing Tips:

From "Idea Health and Fitness Magazine"

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HEALTHY BARBEQUING TIPS

From Idea Health and Fitness Magazine

The American Institute for Cancer Research offers these tips for healthier grilling. While everyone loves to barbeque, it does pose some carcinogenic risk. You can reduce the risk in several ways:

- Marinate both red and white meats. Marinades add flavor to food, can be used to tenderize meat and may even reduce the formation of carcinogenic substances by as much as 92%. See Marvelous Marinade.

- Choose lean meats and trim away excess fat to avoid flare-ups when grilling. Remove skin from poultry, and avoid high-fat meats such as ribs and sausages.

- Use small pieces of meat so they cook more quickly, requiring less time on grill.

- Turn food frequently, and avoid letting juices drip into the flames, as this causes smoke and flare-ups. To turn foods, use tongs or a spatula instead of a meat fork, which pierces the food, releasing nutrient-packed juices. You can also reduce excessive smoke by covering the grill with punctured aluminum foil.

- Precook meats before putting them on the grill. This is especially great for chicken as this reduces the amount of exposure to carcinogens.

- Remove any charred or burnt pieces of food before serving.

- Avoid inhaling barbequed smoke or using charcoal lighter fluid; both put additional residue of toxic chemicals in food.

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Marvelous Marinade

Marinades can not only add great flavor to food but also tenderize tougher cuts of meat The following marinade works well when grilling or broiling vegetables, meats and even tofu. Slice veggies – such as zucchini, eggplant, summer squash, bell peppers, mushrooms, red onion in fairly large slices.

½ cup of rice or white wine vinegar (You could use balsamic as well)

1 Tablespoon canola oil

¼ chopped fine onion

1 small bay leaf

2 sprigs fresh (or ½ teaspoon dried) rosemary, thyme, or oregano

2 cloves of garlic, finely minced

½ teaspoon, fresh ground pepper.

In a bowl, combine marinade ingredients until well blended. (Use a non-metal container to prevent off flavors from forming.) You’ll need about a ½ cup of marinade for each pound of food. Add the food and turn several times until all sides are coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, occasionally turning food so that marinade is distributed evenly.

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We hope you enjoyed this article and use these healthy barbequing tips (plus, the great marinade) for your next family gathering. Enjoy!

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