Ah! There is nothing that reminds me of summer more than the smell of meat on a barbeque. I love the smell. It evokes such wonderful memories and it gets my taste buds salivating! So many of our outdoor gatherings are based around the foods cooked over the grill. But have you ever wondered what really makes up those dark colored lumps of coal? Are you ready to find out? Ready or not, this is what you may be exposing yourself, family, friends and even your neighbors to: sawdust, coal dust, starch, sodium nitrate, limestone and/or borax. Unless you read the ingredient label, you don’t know what you are heating up. This is why in Canada; bags of charcoal must have a warning label because it is considered a potential hazard.
Rice University in Houston Texas studied this very topic and they discovered that when you are using charcoal in your barbeque, microscopic bits of polyunsaturated fatty acids are released in the air. Why is that important? Well, the “art” of barbequing produces hydrocarbins and soot particles too. All of those cause possible heart and lung aggravation in addition to contributing to increasing air pollution. When meat is grilled 2 things are created. No, I am not referring to the increase in saliva or your increased appetite! I am talking about polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH’s) and heterocylcic amines (HCA’s). PAH’s form when fat drips onto coals. Smoke rises and gets deposited on the food. The hotter the temperature and the longer the food is cooked the higher amount of HCA’s which you gobble down! The National Cancer Institute has identified 17 different HCA’s from grilled meat. These HCA’s “may pose human cancer risk”. Cancers such as colorectal, pancreatic, and breast….all from well-done meat!
For those of you who are “gluten free” you may want to pay particular attention to the starch that is often used. Yes, that starch could contain gluten. Other starches that may be used are rice, corn, potato and wheat. I know! A simple BBQ meal could now be a hazard to your health!
On to the good news! It is possible to find “sustainable” charcoal. What this means is that the wood used is from trees dead of natural causes of from sustainably managed forests. This is something which may be certified by the Rainforest Alliance’s Smart Wood Program. This certification program began in 1989. Stores such as Trader Joes and Whole Foods often carry sustainable charcoal during the grilling season. But if you still tend to overcook your meat, you are still producing those nasty PAH’s and HCA’s so keep that in mind. Using gas as a fuel may be a safer option on multiple levels!
I know that the tradition of outdoor grilling will not go away. But for those of us who have a sluggish detox factory, eating those yummy grilled meats and veggies may be adding to our already overloaded toxic exposure. If you are prone to lung problems, be up wind of the grill. This may explain why you get headaches or start to cough during these outdoor festivities. Either way, you are getting a double toxic exposure from the food and the air. I won’t even mention the adult alcoholic beverages that are also commonly consumed. (Yes, your body must detox alcohol too!) So when you are out with the family grilling to your heart’s content, you may want to consider having your favorite detox support supplement as a “side dish” to assist your body in escorting those toxins out!
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