How to grill safely

July 4, 7:13 AMHouston Holistic Health ExaminerMira Dessy

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Happy Fourth of July! A day set aside to celebrate our Independence as a country, a day for friends and family to gather together, a day of picnics, potlucks and grilling.

Grilling meat creates a carcinogen called acrylamide. Acrylamides are created when food (especially meat and baked goods) is cooked at temperatures above 120ºF. Health hazards of acrylamides include damage to the male reproductive glands, cancer, damage to the nervous system, and they may possibly be implicated as a cause of Alzheimer's. Another result of grilling is Advanced Glycation End (AGE) products which are formed when sugars are cooked with proteins. AGE's are now being linked to Type II Diabetes, cardiac disease, Alzheimer's, cancer, and even blindness.

So here's how to have the healthiest possible grilling experience:

1. Always marinate your meat before you cook it
2. Use an olive oil based marinade*
3. Add rosemary to the marinade, it reduces acrylamides
4. Use only lean meats and try to cut off all fat so it does not drip on the grill
5. Do not eat blackened or charred meat (roasted or blackened vegetables are fine)
6. Cook meats slowly and fully at a lower temperature
7. Eat lots of veggies with your grilled meat

Here's a great meat marinade recipe.  And while you're outside working the grill don't forget the sunscreen and your sunglasses.

Have a safe, happy, healthy Fourth of July!

*According to a study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, Virgin Olive Oil was effective in reducing acrylamide production in deep-fried foods. It seems reasonable to assume that this would also apply to other high-heat cooking methods such as grilling.