Tips for a Healthy Summer Cookout
Summer brings a season of outdoor cooking. But traditional barbecue fare—hamburgers, hot dogs, and ribs—isn’t healthy. Plus, grilled food is subject to health risks from heat and smoke. Before you fire up the barbecue, take proper precautions for safe and delicious summer meals that are good for you, too.
Foods to Avoid
Take hot dogs and hamburgers off the list. Red and processed meats are linked to increased risk of cancer. Also red meat is rich in saturated fat, which increases your risk for “bad” LDL cholesterol—a contributor to heart disease and stroke.
Ditch condiments like ketchup or ranch dip, which are loaded with sugar, calories, and sodium, and side dishes high in fat, sugar, and calories, such as potato salad and coleslaw.
What to Eat
Instead, go with healthy proteins like poultry (chicken, turkey), fish (salmon, flounder, tuna), and other seafood (shrimp, scallops).
EAT FEWER CARCINOGENS BY:
- Marinating your food before grilling
- Trimming additional fat before grilling
- Partially microwaving or boiling food first to cut down on grilling time
- Grilling small portions, which cook faster
- Lining the grill with perforated foil (or wrapping your food in foil) to reduce exposure to flames
- Avoiding charring by flipping food often
And don’t forget vegetables and fruit. They’re packed with vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals (rich in antioxidants) that keep you healthy and help fight chronic illness. Corn on the cob, whole carrots, half a head of cabbage, and asparagus work well because they are larger and won’t fall through the grill. This also is true for large slices of yellow squash, zucchini, and eggplant.
But don’t let vegetable size limit your options. Use a metal grilling basket or metal or wood skewers to grill everything from broccoli, mushrooms, and beets to kale leaves, green beans, and edamame.
The same is true for fruit. Try grilling peaches, nectarines, mangoes, cherries, pineapple, pears, and even citrus (like half a grapefruit).
Dangerous Chemicals
Scorching temperatures on the grill can cause amino acids in proteins (such as fish or poultry) to turn into potential cancer-causing agents (carcinogens) called heterocyclic amines (HCAs). The higher the heat and longer foods are grilled (charring is a warning sign), the bigger the risk for HCAs. Marinating your meat prior to putting it on the grill has been shown to reduce some cancer risk.
Another grilling risk: carcinogens called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These can form when fish or poultry drip juice and fat onto the flames below. The smoke contains PAHs, which stick to the surface of your food.
A Word About Marinades
Marinating makes food tender and flavorful. For example, lightly brushing vegetables with garlic powder and olive oil—a healthy, unsaturated fat—helps improve flavor; it also helps corn plump up and become sweeter.
And while marinades help protect against the formation of carcinogens, be careful basting food while grilling, which can cause flame flare-ups.
Using a spice rub made of any combination of flavors you like—such as chili pepper, oregano, and garlic or onion powder—also can help provide a protective coating.
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