As soon as the good weather is here, out comes the barbecue (BBQ). But cooking outdoors comes with its own set of health risks. Here are some tips to help minimise any risks of barbecued foods and to maximise benefits.
Grilling meat, poultry and fish produces chemicals in the food that are known to cause health risks. Also, when the fat from barbecued food drops onto hot coals more of these chemicals are produced. They are then passed back to the food in the smoke and flames. Here are some tips to reduce risks:
- Choose cuts of meat that are lower in fat. Un-processed meat such as steak or chicken pieces have less fat than processed meat such as sausages or beef burgers.
- Start off the cooking process in the oven to reduce the time that the meat is on the barbecue.
- Use tongs or a spatula to turn food instead of a fork as piercing meat allows fat and juices to drip onto the coals.#Grill foods in foil to keep the fat in the foil and the smoke off the food.
- Marinade meats before cooking. This reduces the levels of cancer causing chemicals by over 95%.
- Remove badly burnt bits before eating.
