The barbecue season is coming, please keep this "healthy barbecue" guide

This is the 4396th article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

During this May Day holiday, the most popular thing was not any famous tourist attraction, but Zibo barbecue. Many people came from all over the country to "catch barbecue in Zibo", and long queues formed in the barbecue restaurants in the streets and alleys, just to have a barbecue meal.

The blazing flames lit up, and all kinds of freshly grilled delicacies such as steak, chicken wings, seafood, etc., sizzled with the dripping fat, and roasted out the tempting meat aroma. Seeing this, I couldn't help but swallow my saliva.

Many friends said that if they didn’t eat skewers in the hot summer, they would feel out of touch with reality, but they didn’t know that behind this tempting delicacy, there are huge health risks.

Food that has been grilled at high temperatures not only loses more nutrients, but also produces harmful substances such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heterocyclic amines, and glycosylated proteins, and even has the risk of causing cancer. In addition, in order to ensure the taste of the food, barbecue often adds a lot of seasonings, which may lead to excessive salt intake.

The love of barbecue is a human instinct, and it is impossible for you to not eat it. Please keep this "healthy barbecue" guide!

Grilled meat with vegetables

Grilling skewers is a great way to increase your vegetable intake. Try threading colorful bell peppers and onions with small pieces of lean meat or chicken; smaller pieces of meat take less time to cook on the grill. You can also add fruits like pineapple, papaya, and mango to the skewers.

Limit the time you grill food

Frozen meat should be thawed first, not grilled directly, to reduce grilling time. Before grilling, heat the meat in a microwave oven on medium-high heat for 60 to 90 seconds, then pour out the gravy. This can reduce the amount of gravy dripping onto the heat source of the grill, thereby reducing the production of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. When ensuring that the meat is cooked through, shorten the cooking time as much as possible to reduce the food from coming into contact with chemicals formed during the grilling process.

Meat must be grilled

Regardless of whether it is a large, medium or small barbecue restaurant, barbecue ingredients are contaminated to varying degrees by salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, and E. coli. If the barbecue time is short, these microorganisms may not be killed, causing diarrhea, vomiting and other symptoms after eating. When we grill meat, we must grill it thoroughly. If you bite into the meat and find blood in the middle, continue grilling for a while or don't eat it.

Electric grilling is healthier than charcoal grilling

When grilling over charcoal, the food comes into direct contact with the fire, which produces more carcinogens. If conditions permit, you may choose low-temperature electric grilling, which contains far less carcinogens than charcoal grilling. When grilling over electric grilling, use a baking tray and special oil-absorbing paper to grill food, which can reduce the generation of carcinogens.

Remove the burnt parts

The content of carcinogens in charred food is higher. For example, a study found that the content of 3,4-benzopyrene in charred fish skin can be as high as 53.6~70 micrograms/kg, which is far higher than the national limit of 3,4-benzopyrene in meat products (5 micrograms/kg). Therefore, it is recommended to remove the charred part when eating barbecue. In addition, the bamboo skewers are often smoked with ash, so they should be wiped with napkins before eating.

Don’t put too much seasoning

When eating barbecue, many people have a strong taste. In order to make the taste better, they will choose to put a lot of seasonings on the barbecue ingredients. Taking too much seasoning will bring a great burden to the body. It is recommended that you put less seasoning when eating barbecue~!

Drink in moderation

People tend to drink a lot when eating barbecue. Ingesting a large amount of indigestible barbecue food and alcohol in a short period of time can also cause the pancreas to be overwhelmed and "collapse". It is recommended to drink a little, don't overdo it!

In recent years, young people often say to comfort each other: "There is nothing difficult that can't be solved by a barbecue meal. If that doesn't work, just have two meals!" In fact, eating less is the most important advice. If you only eat barbecue occasionally, even if you don't do the above 7 points, don't worry too much!

Author: Shanghai Tongji Hospital

Gao Yun and Wu Ping