Whether it's a small Weber or a gourmet barbecue island, grilling is one of the best parts of summer. It's also one of the more healthy ways of preparing foods...if you know the secrets. However, you need to exercise some caution so that what you eat doesn't adversely affect your health.
Food Safety
Cook Until It's Done: Our family likes to grill a lot of food and freeze it for later enjoyment. If you like to do this as well, bear in mind that you should cook it until it's done. The reason for this is the time it spends between hot enough to kill germs and cold enough to prevent them from affecting your future dinner. As the food will go through this experience more than once, it is more vulnerable.
I like my beef medium rare, and I am aware that this can be problematic when it comes to the problem above. Unless the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees f, you are at an increased risk for food poisoning.
How Long is too Long: The answer to this question depends on weather and what the food is. I've seen ham go bad in less than twenty minutes, but it was hot and humid at the time. I've also seen food stay good for up to an hour, though usually not meat, dairy or eggs. Your best bet is to keep the food chilled as much as possible. If you suspect it has one bad, don't taste test it, toss it.
Mayo: Real mayo is made from raw egg yolks. When left out of the fridge for very long, it can go bad. It doesn't matter whether or not it's being used as a condiment or the dressing in your potato salad, keep the mayo chilled from your own protection.
Waist Line Safety
Grilling, as mentioned above, is one of the best ways of preparing foods. The fat has the ability to drip out of the food, making it easier on the calorie and fat budget. However, the foods chosen are not all equally healthy. Some are better than others.
Meat: Fish and poultry are often considered the best foods to grill because they are naturally lower in fat and cholesterol...or are they? The fish yes, but not necessarily so with the poultry. What you do with it before cooking makes a difference, as does the cut.
Poultry should be boneless/skinless before grilling, though that can make them dry out fairly quickly. The breast is the low fat low cholesterol cut, the rest can have the same amount of these problem constituents as 85% lean beef. You should also hand trim the visible fat off the cuts, to remove even more fat.
You may think that you have to give up beef and pork, but that's not necessarily the case. Lean cuts of beef and pork, usually found in the loin, are very low in fat and cholesterol. In fact, they can be lower than chicken breasts. 94% lean ground beef even carries the AHA seal of approval. If you want the healthiest form of beef, go for grass fed beef. It has the same amount of Omega-3 fatty acids as a piece of salmon.
The Great Bun Debate: Low carb diets encourage diners to use lettuce leaves rather than buns. If you are more interested in traditional burgers and hot dogs, you can have your bun and eat it too. Just get a whole grain bun. They even make white whole grain if having the darker colored buns is a little much for you.
Condiments: Your choice of condiment can add a hundred calories to your burger. Read the ingredients labels to help you decide which to choose. Smart mayo has ten calories, as does most mustards, and they are just as tasty as the real deal mayo. If you really want the mayo, mix it with mustard to dilute the calorie count and add some flavor.
With these helpful tips, you can enjoy your barbecue in safety and lack of worry. Let the summer fun begin!
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