Healthy Grilling Techniques

Summer is well known for swimming, fresh fruits and vegetables, and our favorite way to cook: grilling. However, if you’re not careful with your grilled food, you could turn delicious and healthy food into dangerous time bombs.

You can grill some of the healthiest foods you can eat. I think this is because you can’t roast grains and have to stick to the healthiest whole cuts of meat and vegetables. And there’s just something about grilling that makes food taste delicious.

But while grilling food has many health benefits, it also has some downsides. That black, charred part contains some of the most potent carcinogens in the world. When meat is cooked at high temperatures, the amino acids react with creatine to form heterocyclic amines, which are believed to cause cancer.

The good news is that there are ways around that. One of the best ways is also our favorite: gherkins. Marinating meat does not allow it to burn and create heterocyclic amines. Two other great ways to keep meat healthier are to cook it at lower temperatures for longer and to eat vegetables with your grilled meat. The last suggestion that often comes up, which very few do, is to microwave the meat before cooking.

Here are some of my favorite grilling ideas:

A whole chicken breast smothered in orange juice and finished with a dash of pepper

Marinated skewers made of cubed beef, mushrooms, peppers, onions and tomatoes

Vegetables Only – All vegetables work great on the grill and bring out the best flavors.

You might try bell peppers, onions, eggplant, zucchini, halved plum tomatoes, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, potatoes (thinly sliced), corn on the cob, garlic, artichokes, squash and hot peppers, apples, firm peaches, and nectarines and pineapple make great grilled desserts.

You also have to worry about cooking meats well. Although vegetables can be eaten raw, most meat must be cooked. The final internal temperature, in the very center of the meat, should be measured with a thermometer.

Cook whole cuts of beef to at least 120 (uncommon)

Cook ground beef to at least 160

Cook whole cuts of chicken to at least 160

Cook whole cuts of pork to at least 160

Cook any processed food to at least 160

Cook whole cuts of fish to at least 140 (tuna and ‘fillet’ fish can be done to 120)

Clams, muscles, shrimp, and scallops should be cooked until opaque.