Grilling vegetables and fruits instead of red meats can reduce the risk of chronic diseases. When vegetables are grilled, they do not form cancer-causing compounds like meats do. Colorful vegetables like corn, zucchini, and bell peppers as well as fruits make for healthy grilling options. To prevent the formation of cancer-causing PAHs and HCAs when grilling meats, one should use techniques like pre-cooking meats, avoiding excess fat and charring, frequent flipping, and marinating meats in herbs and spices.

1. How to turn grilling healthy Pennington Biomedical
for the whole family! Research Center
When grilling, include more
vegetables and fruits to your
diet and you can reduce your
risk for chronic diseases such
as hypertension, heart
disease, diabetes and cancer.
When vegetables are grilled,
they don't form dangerous
compounds that can lead to
cancer. If anything, they have
cancer fighting
phytochemicals.
Include colorful fruits and
Eat Smart
vegetables such as corn, When Grilling
zucchini, bell peppers, egg-
plant and fruits such as
peaches, pineapples, mangoes
and you'll be on your way to
healthy grilling!
LSU AgCenter
Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Pennington Nutrition Series
Pub No 90
8/10 Tips and Ideas for Healthy Grilling!
Pennington Biomedical Research Center
6400 Perkins Road
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808
Phone: 225-763-2500

2. Grill healthy by To Prevent PAH’s and HCA’s:
avoiding dangerous
To cut back the amount of smoke that Trimming excess fat from meat
chemicals comes back onto the meat, line your grill or poultry before cooking can
with foil to collect fat drippings. minimize the risk of PAHs from
Pre - cook meats ahead of time in the fat drippings while grilling.
microwave or in the oven so that the
Raise the grilling surface to
meat does not have to sit on the grill for
reduce charring and the
a long time to cook. This will enable you
carcinogens that can form on
to still get the great taste out of the food
meat.
but still cut down on the cancer causing
Cook more vegetables for a healthy and well
rounded meal. carcinogens that can form in proteins Use onion, garlic and plenty of
when cooking at high temperatures. herbs such as mint, thyme,
Cook meat thoroughly without oregano, sage or rosemary to
marinate the meat. They can
overcooking it. A consumption of well-
With grilling, cancer-causing reduce the amount of harmful
done meat is linked with two-to-five
compounds are formed in meat. chemicals and changes that can
times more colon cancer and two-to-
These include Polycyclic happen in the fatty part of the
three times more breast cancer than
Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) meat. This can reduce your risk
meat that is cooked until just done.
and Heterocyclic Amines for heart disease and cancer.
Marinate the meat before grilling. This
(HCAs). PAHs are formed when
can protect the meat from charring and Seafood form less HCAs than
the fat drips onto the hot coals
can reduce the formations of HCAs by red meat, pork, and poultry
or the grill elements. They are
as much 92% to 99%. because of shorter grilling times.
deposited on the food by flame-
ups and rising smoke. Flip food frequently to prevent charring
HCAs are produced when red and the formations of HCAs.
meat, poultry, and fish are
cooked at high heat, like grilling
or broiling.