[snowbunny]

I don't know if anyone's posted this yet, but I thought it was interesting and relevant to the way that TF are prepared.<br><br><div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">The methods used to produce or cook food may have as much impact on your health as the actual food, U.S. researchers report.<br><br>
Grilled, fried or broiled animal products such as meats and cheeses contain a class of toxins called "advanced glycation end products" (AGEs), which have been linked to inflammation, insulin resistance, diabetes, vascular and kidney disease, and Alzheimer's disease, say a team from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.<br><br><b><i>AGEs are also produced when food products are sterilized and pasteurized.</i></b><br><br>
....<br><br>
"So, consuming high amounts of grilled, broiled or fried food means consuming significant amounts of AGEs, and AGEs in excess are toxic. People should be given information about AGE intake and be advised to consider their intake in the same way they would think about their trans fats and salt intake. They should be warned about their AGE levels the way they are about their cholesterol levels or cigarette smoking," Vlassara said.</td>
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Click here for <a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_48344.html" target="_blank">full article</a>.

 

[Rachel J.]

Great, one more concern <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol">. I love grilled, fried and broiled foods, especially meat (bacon, burgers <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/yummy.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="yummy">). I think the most interesting aspect is that sterilizing or pasturizing can also cause the formation of AGEs. That means that if irradiation of meat and other foods becomes standardized this will become one more assault on the health of the general population and one more prevalant problem to try to avoid; yeah!

 

[tubulidentata2]

Please forgive me for my ignorance here, since I am still learning to cook. Doesn't this mean that meat is only safe if it is raw, baked, or boiled (yech)?<br><br>
By the way, it was great seeing you at the park on Wed., Rachel!<br><br>
~Carrie

 

[Rachel J.]

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>tubulidentata2</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/7974889"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">Please forgive me for my ignorance here, since I am still learning to cook. Doesn't this mean that meat is only safe if it is raw, baked, or boiled (yech)?<br><br>
By the way, it was great seeing you at the park on Wed., Rachel!<br><br>
~Carrie</div>
</td>
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From what I understand, any cooking at high temps and/or charring causes the formation of acrylamide, a possible carcinogen. It's probably best not to overcook or grill all your food but some isn't going to kill you (or maybe it will, who knows, ahhh!) Here are some interesting (depressing?) articles about the dangers of cooked food. Something to be aware of but personally I don't worry too much about it. I'm more concerned with cutting back on the number of hotdogs ds consumes (thanks dh) or store-bought chips; home made may have carcinogens in them but they're oh so yummy and at least they're home-grown carcinogens <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/duck.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Duck"><br><br>
It was good to see you too. (And my friend was really impressed with the Ergo and the wraps, we may have a convert <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol">)<br><br><a href="http://www.mercola.com/2002/may/8/cooking_cancer.htm" target="_blank">http://www.mercola.com/2002/may/8/cooking_cancer.htm</a><br><a href="http://www.mercola.com/2002/may/29/over_cooking.htm" target="_blank">http://www.mercola.com/2002/may/29/over_cooking.htm</a><br><a href="http://www.mercola.com/2006/apr/22/barbecuing_meat_elevates_your_prostate_cancer_risks.htm" target="_blank">http://www.mercola.com/2006/apr/22/b...ncer_risks.htm</a>

 

[tboroson]

Acrylamide is only formed in high temperature cooking of starchy foods, like frying potatoes, baking bread, etc. Meats are not an acrylamide concern.

 

[Rachel J.]

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>tboroson</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/7975673"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">Acrylamide is only formed in high temperature cooking of starchy foods, like frying potatoes, baking bread, etc. Meats are not an acrylamide concern.</div>
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True, but there are other possible carcinogens such as heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and PhIP that can form in meats when overcooked or charred (mentioned in articles linked in pp). I feel like soometimes you just have to pick your poison but that's how I keep sane.

 

[tboroson]

Rachel, that's true. Now, it is possible of course to cook meat without charring it. But... truth is, it's tough sometimes - it is easy to accidentally char your meat, especially on a grill. And, darn if that charred bit doesn't taste the absolute best...<br><br>
Is there any food item that we couldn't come up with some negative about? Broccoli and kale have goitrogens. Eggs have biotin and protein inhibitors. Spinach and beets have oxalates. Truly, nothing's "safe". Then again, every one of these things is also incredibly healthful. Clearly our bodies are designed to deal with a certain degree of imperfection in our foods. The difficulty comes when we overload it with a particular food item and it's particular bad influence. For instance, kale and broccoli are terribly healthful. But if we gorge on them, we're going to wind up with thyroid problems. Asparagus is absolutely wonderful for your body... unless you eat so much you wind up with gout. The list goes on.<br><br>
Ok, I know that charring my meat results in the development of carcinogens in far greater concentration than elsewhere in my cooked meat. So as much as it kills me to do it, I'll cut away that little bit with the grill mark. But I don't think that avoiding these meats altogether is a realistic answer. The healthful qualities far outweigh the unhealthful.

 

[cjarvis]

When I read in NT that you shouldn't grill, I was like what <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/dizzy.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Dizzy">:<br><br>
I mean isn't it how traditional people cooked their meat, over fire?

 

[Tcarwyn]

So from what I have heard though, you can negate the effects of the grilled meat and the fried starches by eating other things with them. I am not sure what those other things are ( antioxidants?) I just remember Robert Roundtree addressing that in a lecture and he said" Just make sure to eat some broccoli with your grilled hamburger and you'll be fine". I should look up my lecture notes. Anyway, I like and respect Robert Roundtree ( he's a alternative MD, does the herbal conference and alternative health curcuit and practices in Boulder, CO) so I have just been eating lots of veggies with my grilled meat and I keep on grilling <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"><br>
What could be more traditional then meat cooked over an open fire, right?<br>
I have also heard (hows that for a scientific reference!<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/redface.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Embarrassment"> )that people who have high ( or maybe just adequate) stomach acid dont have to worry too much either...Maybe it all comes down to healthy digestion...<br><br>
Tanya

 

[425lisamarie]

I would totally be going<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/dizzy.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Dizzy">: if I analyzed everything I ate to the point of cutting off little pieces of chared meat from the BBQ. I'm sure when people had to hunt their own food they would still be eatin the stuff that got a little dark