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Throwing another snag on the barbie
this summer? It’s an Aussie tradition
enjoyed by the masses, but recent
research suggests there are concerns
over how much damage the humble
snag and his barbecue buddies are
doing. We investigate the health
implications for various aspects of the
barbecue and how some simple tweaks
can help avoid any nasties and up the
nutrient levels.Mind your meat
The alluring waft of meat
sizzling on the barbecue is one
of the quintessential smells of
summer, teasing noses across the
neighbourhood with its potent
deliciousness. However, the World
Health Organization suggests that
cooking meat on the barbecue, or
any surface where the food is in
direct contact with a f lame, creates
heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs), both carcinogenic chemicals.
While red meat has been targeted for
its cancer risks when consumed in high
amounts or in processed form, HCAs
and PAHs are produced by cooking
not only red meat, but poultry and fish
as well.HCAs form when amino acids,
sugars and creatine react at high
temperatures, and PAHs is a
poisonous gas created when fat and
juices drip from the meat onto the
hot embers, emitting smoke. You can
reduce your consumption of these
chemicals by scraping the charred bits
off, or even better, cooking the meat
less so it’s not blackened at all.
Nutritionist Dr Rosemary Stanton
also suggests marinating your meat,
a widely acknowledged method to
reduce HCAs.
“Keep red meat portions small and
marinate the meat first, anythingfrom 15 minutes to 24 hours in the
fridge,” Dr Stanton suggests. “Use a
marinade that includes some alcohol,
such as beer or wine, plus herbs and
some onion or garlic, which will
reduce the production of the harmful
heterocyclic amines.”The caramel effect
Nutritional medicine practitioner
Fiona Tuck (fionatuck.com) says the
other concerning aspect of high heat
is the toxic compound of acrylamide,
which occurs when any substance
has browned.
“Acrylamide is thought to be
carcinogenic and occurs in the
browning process, so if anything
is heated to the point where it goes
brown and crispy, the process called
glycation occurs and produces toxic
chemicals,” Tuck says. “Acrylamide
is what we call an advanced glycation
end product, so it’s a toxic compound
produced when we get a sugar and
protein combination that happens
when they’re heated at prolonged high
temperatures – whether it’s barbecued,
grilled or deep fried.”
Glycation occurs naturally in the
body and is a part of the ageing process,
but researchers from the American
Dietetic Association have shown that
ingesting these advanced glycation
end products (also known as AGEs)
increases oxidant stress, inf lammation
and links AGEs to the epidemics of
diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Highly processed, starchy foods and
high fat, high protein animal-derived
products are the foods highest in AGEs
and most likely to form more AGEs
in the cooking process, so it’s worth
bearing this in mind when selecting
what to throw on the barbie. According
to Dr Stanton, it’s particularly worth
analysing the usual suspect – the
unassuming snag.
“If using sausages, choose those
made from fresh ingredients, as
preserved sausages count as processed
meats,” says Dr Stanton. “They cost
more, but that can help keep portion
sizes down too.”
Tuck advises to avoid anything
starchy on the outside, such
as breadcrumbs.NUTRITIONIST DR
ROSEMARY STANTON
SUGGESTS MARINATING
YOUR MEAT, A WIDELY
ACKNOWLEDGED METHOD
TO REDUCE HCAS.