Marinate Meat for Healthy Grilling

It’s enough to make your mouth water .The smell of a sizzling steak on the grill on a summer evening, as friends gather around the barbecue.

Then a pesky thought buzzes your brain. Can grilled meat cause chemicals to form?

That substance that forms on meats cooked a high temperatures (such as from grilling, frying, or broiling meat) includes compounds that researchers say are “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen. “ The compounds are known as HCAs, or heterocyclic amines. Some research has shown that eating more HCAs increases your risk for several cancers, including colorectal, stomach, lung, pancreas, breast and prostate cancers.

But researchers at Kansas State University and (the food Science institute) believe marinades may hold the key to healthier grilled meats.


Here's how their study was carried out:

Researchers marinated round steaks for an hour in a specific marinade. The meal was coated on all sides and turned several times. Steaks were then grilled for five minutes on each side.

They also tested f steaks with no marinade and those with marinade made only with lemon vinegar and olive oil.
When the meat was tested for total HCAs , the marinated steaks had a 72% reduction in the bad compounds.

Add herbs and spices which are rich in antioxidants to increase the results and reduce the chemicals even more.
Add thyme, rosemary, chives, paprika, red pepper, oregano, black pepper, garlic and onion.