Don’t risk your health with burnt BBQs

If you burn the meat on your holiday barbecues you could be putting your health at risk, according to the University of Canberra’s head of nutrition.

Dr Catherine Itsiopoulos is researching the health impacts of charred, burned or caramelised foods and is calling on Aussies to take care as they prepare their favourite festive foods.

Advanced glycated end-products’ or AGEs, which are linked to conditions including heart disease and diabetes and ageing, are created when food is dry-cooked at high temperatures and is burned or caramelised. This makes barbecuing, with its high temperatures, a potentially high risk way of preparing food.

The AGEs from foods cooked in this way are absorbed into the blood stream and can have long term detrimental effects on blood vessels and nerves and lead to chronic conditions such as diabetes.

“Everyone loves a barbecue, but the healthiest barbecue is one where the food isn’t burned or blackened,” Dr Itsiopoulos said.

“Chefs recommend you don’t overcook steaks, but as well as being the tastiest way to have them it’s also the healthiest option.

“At Christmas it’s particularly easy to get distracted and burn your meat, but if you concentrate and make sure it doesn’t burn, it will taste better and be better for you.”

Dr Itsiopoulos recommends a Christmas menu including big salads and fresh fruit platters and the traditional Aussie favourite: prawns on the barbie.

“Seafood favourites like prawns and bugs are great because even if the shells get a bit burned you don’t eat the parts that have AGEs on them.”

According to Dr Itsiopoulos the good news is even if you do burn your meat or overindulge on Christmas Day, some healthy eating between Christmas and the new year should help put things right.

“Research shows that a healthy diet with lots of fresh vegetables and leafy greens can help protect the body from the damage burned food or other unhealthy foods can do. Everything in moderation is a good lesson,” she said.

Dr Itsiopoulos’s tips for a yummy Yuletide barbecue:

• Don’t burn your meat
• Cook the meat last (after the salads are made and the table is laid)
• If you barbecue fish, wrap it in foil so it doesn’t burn and there is no damage to the skin, which is a great source of Omega 3
• Eat plenty of salad and fresh fruit
• Don’t drink too much alcohol
• Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables on Boxing Day to help your body look after itself.