Easy Ways to Prevent Cancer

At home, we YOU Docs roll our grills into storage before Halloween. But last week, when we were in Chicago, we looked up toward one of those apartments in the sky and saw a guy grilling dinner. Seeing someone barbecuing in a hat and parka made us wonder, "Why not?" Turns out the Chicagoan has plenty of company. About 40% of folks in the Midwest fire up their grills in winter. So do about a third of people in the Northeast.

There's only one drawback to that: Grilling meat (beef, pork, veal, lamb, chicken, turkey, and, to a much lesser extent, fish) is hot work, and high-temp cooking creates heterocyclic amines (HAs), which may increase the risk of several cancers. True, broiling or pan frying can raise the cooking temperature above the danger point of 350 degrees Fahrenheit, but grilling makes it far too easy to reach HA-creating heights.

Still, grilling doesn't have to jeopardize your life any more than driving has to make you run over your neighbor's dog. (You do avoid that mutt, don't you?)

The first thing you need to do is discover your current grilling savvy. Answer the questions below, and give yourself 1 point for each yes and 0 for each no:

Y N 1. Do you eat meat more than once a week? (Meat includes luncheon meats, veal, pork, and red meat.)

Y N 2. Do you eat meat more than twice a week?

Y N 3. Do you usually grill meat until it has grill marks or charcoal on it?

Y N 4. Do you like your meat medium-well or well-done?

Y N 5. Do you like your meat very well-done?

Y N 6. Do you ever eat meat cooked so well that it's dried out?

Total tally for numbers 1 through 6:_____________

Now, answer the questions below, and subtract as directed from your tally:

7. Do you typically marinate meat in some combination of olive oil, sesame oil, vinegar, garlic, or mustard? If yes, subtract 3 points from your score above.

8. Do you always keep meat moist and cook it under 350 degrees Fahrenheit ? If yes, subtract 1 point.

9. Do you microwave meat for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes before you cook it, and then throw out the juices? If yes, subtract 1 point.

10. Do you turn meat every 3 to 4 minutes rather than letting it cook fully on one side? Subtract 1 point for that.

11. Do you always have 3 cups of cooked broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, or cabbage every time you have grilled meat? Take away 1 point for that.

Your score: If your total is a negative number, you've helped diminish the effects of the HAs. If your score is 2 or above (or even 0 or 1), it's essential for you to do all of the following things. Together, they can cut HA production by more than 98 percent:

1. Lose the fat. Drippings from fat create smoke, which surrounds the cooking meat in HAs. Cut holes in foil and line the grill, so drippings pass through but meat is protected from flare-ups that smoke it. Also, avoid charring meat.

2. Marinate. This protects the meat from high temperatures. Marinades that use olive oil, sesame oil, vinegar, seasoning, or mustard keep your meat moist and cut down on the HAs. Even barbecue sauce -- if it's made without syrups and added sugar -- will do.

3. Microwave. You will eliminate 90% of the HAs by simply microwaving your meat or poultry for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes and then throwing out the juices. They contain creatine and amino acids, which form HAs during high-heat cooking.

4. Flip what you're cooking every 3 minutes. This curtails HAs by keeping the surface temperature down.

5. Veggie up. Cruciferous vegetables, such as cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, and brussels sprouts, increase the metabolism of HAs. Heap your plate with these each time you eat grilled meat -- and even when you don't.