Herbs and spices
We’ve had half a day of sunshine, so it must be time to drag the barbecue out of the shed, dust off the cobwebs and get sizzling. However, as healthy cooking goes, barbecuing meat does come with a warning.
We’ve known for some time that grilling meat, fish and chicken produces unwelcome by-products. Chemicals called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) are produced as a direct result of grilling. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are created when fat drips from grilled meat onto the hot coal beneath it. The smoke and hot flames from the coals that blacken barbecued food then send the PAHs upwards to land on the meat you’ll be eating.
Both groups of chemicals increase our risk of developing cancer, especially if you eat them often and over a long time. Eating HCAs in meat increases your risk for colorectal, stomach, lung, pancreatic, breast and prostate cancers.
The temperature at which you cook your meat is the main factor in creating HCAs. Barbecuing, frying and grilling create the most HCAs because they all involve very high temperatures. Studies have shown that meat cooked at under 352 degrees Fahrenheit for under four minutes had no, or very low levels of HCAs.
So should you give up a favourite summertime eating experience or become a barbie vegetarian? Maybe not. J.Scott Smith, a food chemistry professor from Kansas State University has been carrying out research supported by the Food Safety Consortium on how to reduce HCAs. Professor Smith has discovered that applying certain spices to beef patties (burgers) during cooking can reduce the levels of HCA by 40 per cent.
"Cooked beef tends to develop more HCAs than other kinds of cooked meats, such as pork and chicken," said Professor Smith. "Cooked beef patties appear to be the cooked meat with the highest mutagenic activity and may be the most important source of HCAs in the human diet."
Professor Smith’s team studied six spices, cumin, coriander seeds, galangal, fingerroot (also known as Chinese ginger or Chinese key), rosemary and turmeric. Fingerroot, rosemary and turmeric were the most effective, with rosemary in the lead.
Using rosemary to prepare your meat before barbecuing should help to reduce the risk. The British Dietetic Association (BDA) also suggest marinading meats before you cook them as this can reduce HCA levels by 95 per cent. The ingredients often used in marinades, such as citrus juices, herbs, spices and olive oil are rich in cancer-fighting anti-oxidants. Other healthy barbecuing tips from the BDA include serving meat from the barbie with yogurt, as the bacteria help to protect your digestive tract, and cutting off the most burnt bits before you tuck in.
Useful websites
British Dietetic Association - www.bda.uk.com
Eat well - www.eatwell.gov.uk