Few  things are as delicious to me as something cooked on the grill. I’m a grill fanatic and summer time features fish, meat, veggies including carrots and sweet potatoes and if you haven’t tried those yet you are missing out on a the yumm factor girls.

A number of years ago though I read some disturbing news about the health risks associated with charred foods–not only from grilling but our love of things with bits of burned skin or bone is one sure fire way to put ourselves in the danger zone. 
You have probably heard warnings about grilled foods before but as it’s summer here in the US, and many people grill all year round regardless of weather–or because they are blessed enough to not have inclement weather–I thought it was important enough to mention.

I’m not going to bore you with the long scientific names of the chemical compounds that are produced. Instead I’m going to give you some tips for grilling safely and for ways to prevent the stuff you have to worry about. One thing I must make you aware of is, the dangers of consuming too much heavily grilled or blackened or fried foods , is that they increase risk of certain cancers substantially.

Here are some tips for healthy Q

Þ   Serve less red meat or cuts with a lower fat content. The less fat that drips into an open flame the less chance there is of carcinogenic smoke wafting up to coat your food.

Þ   Sear the meat on the hot grill on both sides but finish cooking it in the oven

Þ   Start chicken pieces on the bone, in the oven-cook about half way through. You’ll need less smoke and chemicals to cook it through and give it flavor but not sacrifice that delicious flavor

Þ   Grill fish and chicken with the skin on. Remove it and enjoy the smoky flavored food below.

Þ   Be sure to cook lots of vegetables and fish which require less cooking time. And vegetables contain antioxidants and this is just the kind of time to make sure your body has plenty on board.

Þ   Use marinade. Marinating meats before grilling or broiling them can reduce HCAs (according to some experts by 90 percent or more). Especially those with an acidic component like lemon juice or vinegar.

Grilling peppers? So sweet once they are grilled and charred on the outside but just as delicious if you char them then remove the skin before eating. Here’s a yumm recipe speaking of peppers.

Char two bell peppers red or yellow. Peel, drop into a blender and add some lemon juice or white balsamic. Garlic or none, grilled onions if you like. Pulse til not quite a puree, season with salt and pepper. Use on grilled fish or chicken. 

Happy fire fest!

Oh and don’t spare the ice cold rose or light red wine, you can never have too many antioxidants at the party.