Here's to Happy & Healthy Grilling - Big Y® World Class Market®

Written by Carrie Taylor, RD, LDN

Grilling: There's no other word that beckons the spirit of summer. Do you know the steps for making this favorite pastime as healthy as can be? A few tweaks to your grilling technique may be all you need for a summer of healthy alfresco dining.

Overall, grilling is a healthy way to prepare food. It allows excess fat to simply drip away. The high heat used for grilling requires you to be cautious, though, as improper grilling practices can lead to the formation of carcinogens or cancer-causing compounds. This doesn't mean you should stop grilling. Rather, start adding these safe and healthy steps into your grilling repertoire.

Don't let fat flame or smoke. Having fat from meat drip away when cooking may be great for reducing fat, but it can produce smoke and carcinogens. To reduce the production of smoke:

Trim excess fat from steaks, poultry and fish.
Choose lean cuts of meat and ground beef.
Cook in aluminum foil pouches when applicable.
Use a drip pan to catch fats before they reach charcoals.
Reduce fat completely and go vegetarian. Rotate portobello mushroom burgers, veggie kabobs, fruit and grilled pizzas into your menu of selections.

Never overcook. Cooking meat until it is charred is a health no-no. Charred areas contain carcinogens. To prevent overcooking:

Use thin cuts of meat. Ask your Big Y butcher to cut thinner steaks and fish fillets, prepare thinner hamburgers and butterfly chicken breasts.
Use lower cooking temperatures.
Only cook meat to medium well (verified with a thermometer at 165‹F and fish to 145‹.
Flash cook. Grilling shouldn t be a long process. To prevent having to overcook meats, partially bake or parboil items beforehand so all you have to do is finish cooking them on the grill.

Protect foods from flames. The high temperatures of cooking directly over, or in, flames can lead to charring on the outside and uncooked meat on the inside. Keep flames at bay by:

Misting charcoals that get too hot. Using a water bottle to tame flames can help maintain greater space on grilling racks.
Rotating selections (always keeping chicken away from the rest of your selections).
Moving charcoals away from the meat (i.e., keeping them to the sides of the grill).
Cleaning remnants of food off from racks after each grilling.
Wrapping racks with aluminum foil and puncturing
for ventilation.
Cooking fish, veggies and fruits in aluminum pouches.

Serve plenty of fruits and vegetables. Load your grilled dinners with colors of the rainbow. Vitamins, antioxidants and fiber found in dark leafy greens, red tomatoes, yellow corn, orange citrus fruits and brown whole grains will help minimize the effect of carcinogens like those from high heat and smoke.

Grilling truly is a healthy alternative to other forms of cooking, so don t shy away from it. Just ensure you re doing your part to emphasize the healthfulness of what grilling has to offer!

Have a question? Feel free to ask me, your personal nutrition expert at:

Ask Carrie
2145 Roosevelt Avenue
PO Box 7840
Springfield, MA 01102
askcarrie@bigy.com