If meat is a regular inclusion in your lunch and dinner, then you and your family derive most of your nutrients such as protein, iron, zinc and the other essential amino acids from your non-vegetarian diet. Unfortunately, your meat can also be a source of pancreatic cancer and various forms of food poisoning or gastrointestinal infections if not cooked properly.
When you are grilling or roasting your meat there is a great chance of it getting burned or charred, and, in fact, it is such a common occurrence that many people actually prefer to eat their meat slightly burned. This approach is not advised.
Recent studies have linked charred-meat-consumption with increased incidents of pancreatic cancer – folks who eat burned or charred meat have 60% more chance of suffering from pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, with approximately 32,000 deaths per year. Charred meat contains several known carcinogenic chemicals, including heterocyclic amines. Your meat should be well-cooked, but it should be cooked over a low heat for a long period of time.
Other human studies have demonstrated that eating a lot of grilled meats increases the risk of certain types of cancer. But The National Cancer Institute admits that it is unable to establish how much charred meat ingestion will lead to an increased cancer risk.
You don’t need to stop grilling or cooking meats altogether, but here are some things to consider if you’d rather be safe than sorry:
When you grill your meat outside:
* Do not burn or char the meat
* Do not place meat directly over burning coals in order to avoid flare-ups when fat drips down
* Place your meat on the grill only after the coals have cooled to embers. If using a gas grill, make sure you adjust the gas flow and rack distance
* Scrape off, or cut any charred and blackened meat.
* Precook your meat by boiling it, and then cook it over the coals just enough to capture flavor.
When cooking meat inside:
* Try roasting or stewing your meat for longer periods of time at lower temperatures.
* Avoid cooking meat for a long time and stay away from high heat.
