“Anything with more sugars and
starches will increase the acrylamides,
so probably the worst thing to
barbecue or fry would be a chicken
schnitzel as you’re browning the
breadcrumbs,” Tuck says.
If you’ve already bought sausages
or schnitzel, don’t despair. There
are ways to keep your snags from
attracting all the harmful acronyms
from AGEs to HCAs. The Foods
Standard Agency UK has released a
campaign encouraging people to ‘go
for gold’ in their attempt to reduce
acrylamide consumption and Tuck
concurs with the sentiment.
“When cooking your meats, make
sure you’re not burning them or
charring them and try to have them
just cooked so they’re a light, golden
colour,” she says.
Tuck also suggests trying her
go-to barbecue protein: a fillet of
salmon wrapped in foil and steamed
on the barbecue, which reduces the
glycation process.
Size does matter
When it comes to barbecuing, Tuck
believes bigger is better. The bigger
your cut of meat, the less exposure to
toxic smoke from the barbecue and the
formation of acrylamides.
“If you’re going to barbecue a
whole chicken rather than sliced
chicken, you won’t get every bite
with browned sections, it’ll just be
on the outside on the skin,” Tuck
says. “With bigger cuts of meat, the
middle won’t be brown. It’s the same
with a piece of steak – thin pieces
are going to be brown on each side
and increase your exposure to toxic
chemicals. If you have a rotisserie on
your barbecue, do a whole chicken
or a large bit of beef or lamb rather
than steaks and slices so you’re not
exposing yourself as much to the
browning reaction.”
Get your vegies on defence
Increasing your antioxidant game is one
of the best ways to combat the effects
of consuming any barbecue toxins. Dr
Stanton balances all of her barbecues
with a wide selection of vegetables to
complement the protein on offer.
“Definitely don’t forget the vegies.
As well as accompanying salads,
barbecued vegetables are delicious
and help balance the meal,” says Dr
Stanton. “Skewers with mushrooms,
zucchini chunks, capsicum, onion and
eggplant all marinated with herbs,
some wine and a little extra virgin
olive oil are good, and add chunks
of haloumi for vegetarians. I also
like sweet corn, which is excellent
when barbecued. Leave the base of
the green outer layer intact, peel the
outer layer before removing the silk
and then replace the outer layer before
barbecuing. Potatoes wrapped in foil arealso good on the barbecue; just parboil
them first to reduce cooking time.”
Tuck says the longer you cook
vegetables, the more nutrients they
lose, so ideally keep them mostly
crunchy to get maximum goodness
from them.
“Try not to overcook your vegies;
even with things like broccoli it’s
best to keep a bit of crunch so you
don’t lose the folate and vitamin C,”
Tuck says. “I really like a big salad
with loads of colours like your leafy
greens, pumpkin, beetroot, purple
cabbage and then add legumes or
lentils for extra protein and folate.
Nuts and seeds are great too. I
love adding sesame seeds for a
nice crunch and f lavour. Pop some
lemon juice and olive oil on for
your dressing and it’s really high in
antioxidants. Or you could make up
a tahini-based one with some garlic,
a pinch of salt and a dash of extra
virgin olive oil.”THE LONGER YOU COOK
VEGETABLES, THE MORE
NUTRIENTS THEY LOSE, SO
IDEALLY KEEP THEM MOSTLY
CRUNCHY TO GET MAXIMUM
GOODNESS FROM THEM.