Is Barbecued Food Bad for You?

by Lynn Grieger, CE, CDE, RD

Fire up the grill and let's get cooking

Grilling meat for dinner is an American tradition, yet lately we've been hearing reports that suggest grilling our food may not be the most healthy cooking method. Let's look at the pros and cons:

The positive side of barbecued foods
- Grilling food is a low-fat cooking method, good for folks who are trying to eat less fat.
- The grill is often a quick method to prepare a delicious meal for the family.
- The entire meal can be cooked on the grill, cutting down on dishes to be washed.

The negatives associated with barbecued foods
-Recent research indicates that more potential carcinogens (substances that can cause cancer) are present in grilled foods.
-Fat that drips onto the flames creates smoke that contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons -- chemicals in smoke that are potential carcinogens.
-The blackened parts of meat may also contains carcinogens.

How to grill your food and maintain your health

Just because a food contains substances that may cause cancer doesn't mean that everyone who has ever eaten grilled foods will develop cancer as a direct result of that meal. However, it is prudent to reduce exposure to carcinogens as much as possible. If you love to grill, follow these steps for delicious meals that won't hurt your health:

- Microwave your foods first to reduce grilling time.
- Use low or medium heat on the grill, and try to avoid flames that shoot up to char the meat.
- Use lean cuts of meat so less fat drips onto the coals.
- Don't eat the blackened parts of meat.
- Add glazes, sauces or marinades only during the last few minutes on the grill; the sugar in the sauce causes more flare-ups and increased smoke.
- Finally, make sure all your grilled food is thoroughly cooked to avoid any risk of food poisoning.

source: http://ivillage.com

Bananas

Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!!

This is interesting. After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again.
Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the USFood and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boo st their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist
learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to
be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 th ey contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes: According to research in "The New EnglandJournal of Medicine, "eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"
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I have not validated the claims above. Just an article that might interest you.

Vitamin A

Alternate Names : Retinol, Retinal, Retinoic Acid, Carotenoids Including Beta-Carotene

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin which means it can be dissolved in fat. Vitamin A is carried through the body by fat. The body can store this type of vitamin in fat tissue. Getting too much can be harmful.

Information

Vitamin A is usually measured in retinol equivalents, also called RE. The Recommended Dietary Allowance, called RDA, for vitamin A for adult men, from age 11 on, is 1,000 RE per day. Women, from age 11 on, should get 800 RE per day. There is no increase of vitamin A requirements during pregnancy but lactating women need about 500 RE or more per day.

Vitamin A can be stored in the fat tissues of the body. This can pose a problem for people taking extra doses of vitamin A. High doses can be toxic and cause symptoms such as the following:
headaches
dry and scaly skin
liver damage
bone and joint pain
vomiting or lack of appetite
abnormal bone growth
nerve damage
birth defects

In most cases, only levels 10 times the RDA (far more than a person could get through diet alone) have been linked with these symptoms. Vitamin A cannot reach toxic levels unless a person is taking extra doses. Carotenoids are not converted to vitamin A fast enough to increase the amount of vitamin A stored in the body. Beta-carotene is NOT toxic to the body.
Getting too little vitamin A can cause side effects too.
Symptoms of significant deficiency include:
lowered resistance to infections
problems with getting pregnant
poor growth
improper tooth formation
rough, dry, and pimply skin
digestive problems
night blindness
eye disease, including xerophthalmia (zear-off-thal-me-ah), a condition in which the clear covering of the eye known as the cornea becomes dry and dull

Vitamin A is an important fat-soluble vitamin. Eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and fortified dairy products to ensure optimal intake of vitamin A. Read food labels to help choose foods with vitamin A content.
Source
http://www.healthopedia.com/vitamin-a/