A Backyard Chef's Guide to
Healthy Grilling

Getting your family and friends together for a barbeque is one of the perks of the season, but backyard chefs should beware: some research suggests that cooking meats at very high temperatures creates chemicals (heterocyclic amines, or HAs) that might increase cancer risk.

To limit your exposure, try these healthy barbequing tips:

• Choose lean cuts of meat and trim any excess fat. Fat dripping onto hot coals causes smoke that contains potential carcinogens. Less fat means less smoke.
• Line the grill with foil and poke small holes in it so the fat can still drip off, but the amount of smoke coming back onto the meat is lower.
• Avoid charring meat or eating parts that are especially burned and black – they have the highest concentrations of HAs.
• Add colorful vegetables and fruit to the grill. Many of the chemicals that are created when meat is grilled are not formed during the grilling of vegetables or fruits, so you can enjoy grilled flavor worry-free. Red, yellow, and green peppers, yellow squash, mushrooms, red onions, pineapple – all of these veggies grill well and make healthy additions to your plate.

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