Cooking and dining outdoors may be enjoyable when the weather is warm. But before you fire up the grill at a backyard barbecue or a game-day tailgate and reach for steaks, burgers, or chicken, there’s something you should know. Research has shown that turning up the heat on meat can cause cancer-causing substances to form. Here’s what that means and how to have a more healthful cookout.
1. Grilled meat is too dangerous – avoid it completely.
Meats contain several harmful elements, including animal protein, carnitine, arachidonic acid, and heme iron.1-4 Several large, long-term studies have linked high-animal protein diets to a greater risk of premature death.3,5,6 However, when you barbecue meat, you take it to a new level of danger.
Related: Eat Plant Protein to Live Longer
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Carcinogenic compounds are formed when meat is grilled or cooked at high temperatures.
Carcinogens in meats include:
- Heterocyclic amines (HCAs) – formed in hamburger, steak, chicken, and fish during the cooking process. Higher temperatures and longer cooking times increase HCA production.
