Grill foods with health in mind

At home, we YOU Docs roll our grills into storage before Halloween. But last week, when we were in Chicago, we looked up toward one of those apartments in the sky and saw a guy grilling dinner. Seeing someone barbecuing in a hat and parka made us wonder, "Why not?"

Turns out the Chicagoan has plenty of company. About 40 percent of folks in the Midwest fire up their grills in winter. So do about a third of the people in the Northeast.

There's only one drawback to that: Grilling meat (beef, pork, veal, lamb, chicken, turkey and, to a much lesser extent, fish) is hot work, and high-temp cooking creates heterocyclic amines (HAs), which may increase the risk of several cancers. True, broiling or pan frying can raise the cooking temperature above the danger point of 350, but grilling makes it far too easy to reach HA-creating heights.

But grilling doesn't have to jeopardize your life.

The first thing you need to do is discover your current grilling savvy. Answer the first six questions and give yourself 1 point for each yes and 0 for each no.

1. Do you eat meat more than once a week? (Meat includes luncheon meats, veal and pork, as well as red meat.)

2. Do you eat meat more than twice a week?

3. Do you usually grill meat until it has grill marks or charcoal on it?

4. Do you like your meat medium well or well done?

5. Do you like your meat very well done?

6. Do you ever eat meat cooked so well that it's dried out?

Total Tally for Nos. 1-6: ___.

Now, answer the questions below and subtract as directed from your tally:

7. Do you invariably marinate meat in some combination of olive oil, sesame oil, vinegar, garlic or mustard? If yes, subtract 3 points from your score above.

8. Do you always keep meat moist and cook it under 350? If yes, subtract 1 point.

9. Do you microwave meat for one and a half to two minutes before you cook it, and throw out the juices? If yes, subtract 1 point.

10. Do you turn meat every three to four minutes rather than letting it cook fully on one side? Subtract 1 point for that.

11. Do you always have 3 cups of cooked broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower or cabbage every time you have grilled meat? Take away 1 point for that.

Your score: If your total is a negative number, you've helped diminish the effects of the HAs. If your score is 2 or above (or even 0 or 1), it's essential for you to do all of the following things. Together, they can cut HA production by more than 98 percent:

Lose the fat. Drippings from fat create smoke, which surrounds the cooking meat in HAs. Cut holes in foil and line the grill, so drippings pass through, but the meat is protected from flare-ups that smoke it. Also, avoid charring meat.

Marinate. This protects the meat from high temperatures. Marinades that use olive oil, sesame oil, vinegar, seasoning or mustard both keep your meat moist and cut down on the PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and HAs. Even barbecue sauce, if it's made without syrups and added sugar, will do.

Microwave. You will eliminate 90 percent of the HAs by simply microwaving your meat or poultry on high for one and a half to two minutes and then throwing out the juices. They contain creatine and amino acids, which form HAs during high-heat cooking.

Flip what you're cooking every 3 minutes. This curtails HAs by keeping the surface temperature down.

Veggie up. Cruciferous vegetables, such as cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts, increase the metabolism of HAs. Heap your plate with these each time you eat grilled meat, and even when you don't.

The YOU Docs, Mike Roizen and Mehmet Oz, are authors of the best-selling "YOU: The Owner's Manual" and "YOU: On a Diet." To submit questions and find ways to grow younger and healthier, go to www.RealAge.com, the docs' online home.

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