Eating For Health

Who doesn’t love foods cooked on the grill?   Steaks, hamburgers, vegetables, fruit, all taste better when grilled.   Years ago, I directed a research lab at a university.   Almost every day smells of grilled steak and hamburger came from the research lab next door.   I had to ask them what they were researching.   They said they were studying the effect of grilling on cancer risk.   What is this risk and how can you reduce this risk and still enjoy all those wonderful grilled foods? What is the risk of grilling and cancer? Apparently, grilling meat   at high temperatures can burn the fat in the meat and generate 2 cancer causing substances, called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).   Extended exposure to these substances can alter DNA and lead to an increase risk of cancer. How big of a problem is this? According to UCLA Health , isn’t a problem for occasional grilling but grilling every weekend for y...

Picnics.   Who doesn’t enjoy a summer picnic?   Good eating and fun times with friends.   Send your friends and family home with good treats but not with food poisoning.   I tell my students the story of my daughter going to a friend’s house for a cookout.   Everyone had a great time with their friends.   But the next day my daughter felt sick.   She talked to some friends who had gone to the cook out and they were sick too.   The cook out resulted in food poisoning for all those who attended.   What went wrong?   Why did people who went to the cook out get sick?   Surely the hostesses didn’t’ intend to make everyone sick.   So what food safety precautions can you take to make sure your friends and family enjoy the cookout without getting sick once they get home?   Eat Right, the website of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, has a great article, Keep Your Picnic Safe .   USDA also has clear guidance and fou...