Ensuing
my Return to Zion
‘tis
the season to be covered in smoke. And by smoke, I mean barbeques. My arrival
to Israel
And
now, with summer well and truly here (maybe not technically, but certainly
weather-wise) I do not doubt the constant aroma of grilled meat and other
assorted goods wafting through the streets on a balmy summers night.
On
that note, we have arrived at our usual question –
Are
barbeques nutritionally good or notoriously unhealthy?
And
as always:
There
are two sides of the coin, or should I say, two sides of the burger bun? (don’t
worry, I'll avoid including anymore corny-ness in this blog entry)
To
start off on a positive note barbeques definitely have the potential to be a
really healthy meal. The method of cooking on a barbeque doesn’t require much
added oil, and if you go for meats like chicken breast, lean pieces of steak,
fresh fish and homemade burgers you will be eating minimal amounts of fat. Add
in vegetable skewers, fresh salads, corn on the cob, baked sweet potato and
fruit salad for dessert, you'll become the perfect picture of health. To top it
off, eating a meal outside in the sunshine with good company is also great for
your mental health. How’s this for a relaxed atmosphere? Picture a picnic
blanket filled with colourful food and happy people laughing and eating
together. Perhaps a casual game of Frisbee/footy/madkot (depending what country
you are from) going on in the background – what could be better?
Unfortunately,
it’s not all fun and games. There are a few health risks that come along with
BBQs. Cooking meat at extremely high temperatures won’t only ruin the taste and
texture of the meat, it can also produce chemicals that have cancer-causing properties.
To get a little technical, when the meat is cooked at high temperatures, the
amino acids (proteins in the meat) react with something called creatine.
This reaction forms a dodgy substance called heterocyclic amines (HCAs)
that have been thought to increase cancer risk, particularly stomach and colon
cancer. The longer the meat is cooked for, means more of these heterocylic
amines are produced. The smoke produced from the burning coals also exposes
the meat to cancer-causing chemicals.
Then
there is the potential of undercooking the chicken on the barbie, which can
result in uncomfortable situations. Ever had a really bad stomach ache after a
BBQ, with the irrefutable knowledge that the meat was cooked wayyy too quickly?
It is also really common to use cheap, unhealthy cuts of meat such as sausages,
pre prepared burgers, chicken wings and lamb chops, paired with bread and a couple of beers or cans of coke (no salads included, except
for maybe a mayonnaise-laden coleslaw). Top that off with sitting out in the
sun for hours, exposing your skin to UV rays and cancer risk – remind me of the
original scenario I painted?
So
maybe that was two extreme (or not so extreme) examples of BBQs. The point is,
they have the potential to go either way, you might just have to put in a
little more effort to make them healthier (as usual).
Also, here are some ways to reduce the
formation of HCAs:
- Clean the grill
- Trim excess fats from foods
- Avoid flare ups from the grill, as they
increase HCA formation
- Try to avoid overcooking the food, the black,
charred bits are the largest source of HCAs
- Use marinades that contain olive oil and lemon
juice, as well as fresh herbs like oregano, sage, thyme and rosemary – as these
can also reduce the formation of HCAs
So here is to an upcoming summer of beaches, barbeques and breakthrough moments. And for everyone else in the Southern Hemisphere - apologies, you'll have to wait 6 months..
I’m
not sure how this song quite fits into the theme but just roll with it…
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