Healthy Grilling 101

The arrival of spring and warm weather unofficially marks the start of grilling season. Are you up to speed on healthy, flavorful grilling? We’re here to help.

A simple search on tlsSlim.com will offer plenty of options for healthy grilling recipes. Plus, we’ve put together some simple tips that will help turn your grilling experience into a healthier one.

Spices
Some spices—sage, thyme, and garlic, to name a few— offer tons of antioxidants that help remove HCAs while grilling.
One study’s findings: adding spices may reduce the total amount of HCAs by around 60%.

Marinade
Instead of your usual marinade, substitute red wine! One study shows that marinating beef in red wine for six hours before grilling reduced the amount of carcinogens by 40% (compared to beef that wasn’t marinated).

Precooking
Studies have shown that utilizing a microwave to precook meat (for one to two minutes, medium heat) decreased HCAs by 90%. Make sure you throw out the juice, as that’s where the HCAs will be.

Cook Time
If you want to cut down on carcinogens, throw the term “well done” out the window. Allow your meat to cook below 325 degrees F, as that is the temperature where HCAs begin to form.

What’s your favorite healthy grilling tip? Add them to the comments below.