From HealthNewsDigest.com

Food and Nutrition
Grills Gone Wise
By
Jun 30, 2015 - 10:23:04 AM

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - Cooking food on an outdoor grill is nearly as much a part of the Fourth of July weekend as fireworks. It's even better when the cook pays as much attention to nutrition and food safety as to the heat of the grill.

"It's important to take some basic precautions when preparing food outdoors, and to make sure that you're eating a well-rounded meal, not just gorging on bratwursts," says Amy Gelfand, MS, RD, LDN, a senior clinical dietitian at Rush (who loves bratwurst). She and a colleague provide suggestions for making cookouts this weekend - and anytime - safe, nutritious and even more delicious.

Beware of darkness

Darkness is a great background for fireworks, but it may be harmful when it comes to the color of barbecued meat. If cooked at high heat for a long amount of time, grilled meat creates an unhealthy compound called heterocyclic amine that may increase the risk of cancer.

One way around this problem simply is to cut off any blackened parts of the meat on your plate. Though some heterocyclic amines will remain, at least you're not eating the pieces that contain the highest concentration of them.

In addition, "marinating your meats will decrease the amount of heterocyclic amines that meat will produce," Gelfand says. "Use whatever kind of marinade you want. It will be healthier, and more tender and better-tasting, too."

Less is more healthy

As a general rule, it's a good idea not to eat a lot of meat, even if it doesn't come from a grill. Studies show that too much red meat - which refers to beef, pork and lamb - may cause colon cancer.

"In general, people tend to eat too much meat," says Heather Rasmussen, PhD, a dietitian at the Rush Nutrition and Wellness Center. "The American Institute of Cancer Research suggests people eat no more than 18 ounces of red meat per week. A serving size is 3 ounces per serving, or the size of a deck of cards. If people stick to that amount, it will help them avoid any harmful effects."

Add some color

Rasmussen suggests grilling more vegetables, which don't have the same chemical reaction to high heat that meat does. For protein, tofu is an excellent alternative to meat.

Gelfand is enthusiastic about a relatively new trend: grilled fruit. "It started coming up in food and nutrition blogs in the last year and a half. You'll see a lot of grilled pineapple, a lot of grilled peaches," she says. "They're really delicious. The grilling makes them a little sweeter, makes it softer, and it does provide the nice grill marks. It's a great way to add color to your barbecue."

In fact, a healthy balance of food would be at least 50 percent fruits and vegetables. "My plate method is half them, a quarter meats, and a quarter carbs," Gelfand says.

For maximum yumminess, she recommends shopping for produce at your local farmer's market right before your cookout. "Food tastes so much better when it's harvested when it's supposed to be and you're eating it two or three days later," she observes. Plus, you can support local farmers, talk to them to find out if the food is organic or not, and lessen the environmental impact of eating food shipped from a distance.

Just make sure you grill all your fruits and vegetables before throwing meat on the grill, or at least keep them in carefully separated sides of the grill throughout the cookout. Since meat cooks longer, the extended heat probably will kill any potentially harmful bacteria on it. If the microbes rub off on vegetables first, though, they still could be there when the food comes off the flame.

For the same reason, use separate tongs or flippers for the meat and fruits/vegetables. Keeping your utensils separate is something I goof up once and a while," Gelfand admits.

Keep hydrated - deliciously

To protect against dehydration and possibly even heatstroke while spending a lot of time outdoors in hot weather, Gelfand advocates drinking ten glasses of water a day, even more than the eight glasses generally recommended. "You should always have a water bottle with you, preferably a reusable bottle, so it reminds you to drink," she says.

To avoid water weariness without resorting to sugary drinks (or even worse, diet soda), add natural flavors. "I love making fruit water, for example, crushing up some watermelon and leaving it in your water in the fridge, so you get a watermelon infused drink," Gelfand says. She adds that using fresh mint leaves, the sweet herb stevia, or basil and cucumber also make for refreshing summer drinks.

"The nice thing about all these grilling ideas is they give you more flavors and more nutrition while still letting you have a good old-fashioned cookout," Gelfand says. "It's a great way to celebrate the holiday."

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