Simple Food ~ Sane Life

As I write this, it is Memorial Day weekend, a time dedicated to honoring those who served our country in the military and dedicated their lives for our freedom and happiness. How appropriate that we honor them with a weekend of parades, and cookouts with family and friends!

Is this weekend the start of cookout season for you? Cookouts typically include a chef cooking over a hot appliance, well known as the grill.

Many colleagues and friends feel a sense of relief at this time of year when it comes to dinnertime and weekend events. We can throw something on the grill for dinner. Sounds simple! And it is. Except for when it isn’t.

Alas, grilling food can be a challenge to those of us who are concerned with healthy preparation and eating. I am someone who is aware of the carcinogens, specifically HCA’s, that develop from charred (burned) meats, poultry and fish. This was a personal venture for me, as I pondered my decisions about outdoor cooking.

Does this mean we should all throw out our grills and never enjoy cooking outside again? You decide what is best for you! (I’ll even tell you a food secret: mostly, attitude about healthy and not healthy foods makes them healthy and not healthy for us! But that’s another post entirely.)

Interestingly, The American Heritage Dictionary defines grilling as: To question relentlessly; cross-examine.

How does your body feel when you are being “grilled” about an issue? Can you feel the stress and changes in your muscles, your entire body structure, your digestive system? Do you feel burned out?

Anatomically our muscles are structural and life-sustaining, so it is no surprise that our muscle foods, meats, poultry and fish, develop carcinogens from brutality of grilling.

Since we are calling the event a cookout, let’s change the energy and health of the meal to Outdoor Cooking. Much more peaceful and healthy

How can we enhance the health of our cooked-outside meats?

Enter: Herbs!

One way to infuse the benefits of herbs into our diets is through oils and tinctures. Oils make a great marinade base for meat, poultry and fish. It makes sense to marinate these foods with herbs, but which ones? The herbs with the highest known antioxidants are in the mint family. My favorites for marinating grill delicacies are savory, rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, and sage.

Further research on this topic turned up a study at Kansas State University by professor J. Scott Smith.

“Cooking meats with natural antioxidants decreases or eliminates HCAs on meat,” Smith said

Prof Smith’s most recent studies on this subject include a variety of spices, including Thai spices and cinnamon.

Is a healthy carnivorous burger what you are craving? If you know this is what you enjoy on occasion, make your own ahead of time with the herbs listed, and try some Thai spices!

Here are 4 easy ways to reduce the carcinogens in your outdoor cooked meats and fish:

1. Marinate before cooking! This will reduce formation of the carcinogens and add flavor
   
2. Choose leaner cuts of meat, fish, or poultry instead of hot dogs, high fat burgers and sausages.
   
3. Trim off any extra fat. This will reduce incidence of flame-ups that burn the meat.
4. Pre-cook the meat or fish to almost done, and finish cooking on the grill.

I invite you consider your grilling techniques in both your outdoor cooking and your conversation. Be gentle with your food and your body.

Peace,

Karyn

http://www.uark.edu/depts/fsc/news-htm/news.spring07.htm#brush