by Dasa Suciu

Created on: June 09, 2009

Some researchers say grilling is dangerous to your health, but you can avoid this by some grilling tips. Their statements are based on the findings that meat cooked at high temperatures to the point of burning and charring may increase your risk of certain forms of cancer. Cooking meats by frying, grilling or barbecuing can form some dangerous substances:

- Heterocyclic Amines (HCAs): These form when meat is cooked at high temperatures by grilling or broiling. You should always avoid charring your meat, and never eat blackened sections.

- Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs): These form when fat from the meat drips onto heat source, causing excess smoke. They're then deposited on the food by the flame-ups and rising smoke transferring cancer-causing PAHs to the meat.

- Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs): When food is cooked at high temperatures (including when it is pasteurized or sterilized!), the formation of AGEs in your food is increased. AGEs build up in your body over time leading to oxidative stress, inflammation and an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease.

Apart from these, overcooking meat will make it much harder for your digestive system. The higher the temperature that food is cooked, the longer it stays in your gut. This makes food absorption more difficult and the function of food at a cellular level is bad, leading to deficiency and toxicity of the body.

Despite this alarming information, it's healthier to cook their own meals at home, even if it is on a grill, than going out for fast food or eating processed convenience foods. It is also healthier to choose grilled meat instead of fried meat. On the other hand, you can compensate less healthy habits by including in your diet antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables in the same meal, which will annihilate the toxins. The good news is that PAHs and HCAs don't form on grilled fruits and vegetables. Besides, there are several grilling tips to make it healthier or to minimize the dangerous effects.

1. Cut the fat. By this grilling tip you can reduce the amount of PAHs when you grill limiting the amount of fat that drips. This can be done by not cooking fatty meats, and by trimming the fat and skin off before grilling. You can also place a tray under the grilling meat to collect any remained fat if your grill has none. You will prevent dripping fat onto heat source.

2. Use marinade. This grilling tip helps you to reduce the amount of AGEs in your food by using an acidic marinade

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