Grilling And Cancer How To Grill Meat If You Re Concerned About Cancer

  references
  
      National Cancer Institute: "Chemicals in Meat Cooked at High Temperatures and Cancer Risk"
    
      Nutrition and Cancer: "Well-done Meat Intake, Heterocyclic Amine Exposure, and Cancer Risk"
    
      Mutation Research: "Meat intake and cooking techniques: associations with pancreatic cancer"
    
      American Institute for Cancer Research: "Cancer Experts Issue Warning on Grilling Safety"
    
      Nutrition Reviews: "Formation and Human Risk of Carcinogenic Heterocyclic Amines Formed from Natural Precursors in Meat"
    
      Cedars-Sinai: Healthy Grilling: "Reducing the Risk of Cancer"
    
      International Agency for Research on Cancer: "IARC Monographs evaluate consumption of red meat and processed meat"
    
      American Cancer Society: "What’s Wrong with Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, and Bacon?"
    
      International Journal of Epidemiology: "Diet and colorectal cancer in UK Biobank: a prospective study"
    
      World Cancer Research Fund International: "Limit red and processed meat"
    
      Zagazig Veterinary Journal: "Effect of Heat Treatments on Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Formation in Meat"
    




Firing up the grill may be a staple part of your summer, but it can lead to the formation of harmful compounds linked to cancer.

Image Credit: Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision/GettyImages

If your meat does get scorched, you can still salvage it. “Cut off at least the tips or the portions that are highly charred,” says Waldron. “The more char there is, the more harmful compounds there are. However, a little browning in moderation should be OK.”

“Cut off at least the tips or the portions that are highly charred,” says Waldron. “The more char there is, the more harmful compounds there are. However, a little browning in moderation should be OK.”

Load up on vegetables, which you can wrap in foil on the grill to avoid exposure to smoke from meat. It’s the protein and fat that become problematic when exposed to high temperatures, so grilling vegetables is a lower-risk way to enjoy barbecued food, per Cedars-Sinai. “Vegetables and fruits have much less protein and fat than meat, plus they’re delicious and fill out the plate,” Ayoob says. “This way, you can eat a right-sized portion of meat or fish but still fill up.”

“Vegetables and fruits have much less protein and fat than meat, plus they’re delicious and fill out the plate,” Ayoob says. “This way, you can eat a right-sized portion of meat or fish but still fill up.”

      National Cancer Institute: "Chemicals in Meat Cooked at High Temperatures and Cancer Risk"
    
      Nutrition and Cancer: "Well-done Meat Intake, Heterocyclic Amine Exposure, and Cancer Risk"
    
      Mutation Research: "Meat intake and cooking techniques: associations with pancreatic cancer"
    
      American Institute for Cancer Research: "Cancer Experts Issue Warning on Grilling Safety"
    
      Nutrition Reviews: "Formation and Human Risk of Carcinogenic Heterocyclic Amines Formed from Natural Precursors in Meat"
    
      Cedars-Sinai: Healthy Grilling: "Reducing the Risk of Cancer"
    
      International Agency for Research on Cancer: "IARC Monographs evaluate consumption of red meat and processed meat"
    
      American Cancer Society: "What’s Wrong with Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, and Bacon?"
    
      International Journal of Epidemiology: "Diet and colorectal cancer in UK Biobank: a prospective study"
    
      World Cancer Research Fund International: "Limit red and processed meat"
    
      Zagazig Veterinary Journal: "Effect of Heat Treatments on Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Formation in Meat"