By Abby C. Sauer, MPH, RD, LD Grilling is a healthful way to cook exciting and tasty meals without the additional fat of indoor cooking. With more than half of Americans grilling year-round, we're serving up some tasty tips about turning summer meals into blazing sensations.
Lean Toward Trim Cuts
For meat, poultry, and fish, choose low-fat options such as skinless chicken breasts, pork tenderloin, fish, and shrimp. Every meat should always be cooked thoroughly to destroy harmful bacteria. Use a food thermometer to be sure the food has reached a safe minimum internal temperature.
Soak In the Flavor
From Asian zing to blazing Cajun, there's a world of marinades or rubs to make any grillout exotic. Rubs and marinades add flavor and help tenderize certain cuts of meat. Be sure to marinate food in the refrigerator and not on the kitchen counter. If the marinade is used as sauce on the side, reserve some marinade before adding it to the raw meat or fish. Never reuse marinade after it has been used to marinate raw meat or fish.
Avoid the Burn of Charring
Some studies suggest there may be a cancer risk related to eating food cooked by high-heat techniques such as grilling. Based on research findings, eating moderate amounts of grilled meats — without charring — cooked to a safe temperature doesn't pose a problem. However, it's important to prevent charring as much as you can. Minimize charring of meat by removing visible fat from meat before grilling, flipping the meat multiple times, or by scraping off any charred portions before eating. Also, try lowering the flame and grill at a lower temperature to reduce charring.
If you don't have an outdoor grill or if the weather is too cold, you can enjoy grilled foods indoors now, too. You can use a stovetop grill pan or an electric grill to enjoy grilled food all year long. So, get outside or stay inside and enjoy a variety of grilled foods today! And if you've got more questions about summer nutrition, use our instant messenger to chat live with a nutritionist!