With more and more Americans spending time outdoors, it is no surprise that food safety and grilling are becoming more front-and-center in the news. Recent studies have revealed that if grilling is not done correctly, the food you grill and serve to your family could contain toxins, which can be dangerous to health.

Incorrect culinary preparation, particularly during barbecuing, could advance intake of toxins linked to many health problems such as heart and kidney disease, diabetes, vascular, and Alzheimer’s diseases. In fact, a recent study performed at Mount Sinai School of Medicine showed that levels of AGEs, a toxin called advanced glycation end products, are drawn into the blood stream by eating large quantities of food that is cooked by grilling, frying or broiling at temperatures that are considered too high. In otherwise healthy people, higher levels of AGEs were documented and linked to the consumption of foods prepared improperly.

What Causes Toxins in Food?

The study revealed that food preparation as well as the temperature by which the food is cooked has a direct correlation to the level of AGE toxins in food. In addition to the preparation methods of food, the study showed a significant relationship between the amount of AGEs in the diet and the level of AGEs in one’s blood. The amount of sugar, fat or calories consumed did not affect the AGE levels in the bloodstream as did the specific quantities of foods consumed which contain dangerous AGEs.

Along with the host of health problems listed, inflammation and stress have been documented to be related to high levels of AGEs in the bloodstream. Inflammation and stress are more prevalent in older individuals, therefore the purpose of the study was to determine whether AGEs played a considerable role in age-associated inflammation and stress by charting the AGE blood levels in young as well as elderly individuals.

The consequences of the study found that AGE levels could be extremely high in both the young participants of the study as well as the elderly participants. Indeed, high documented levels of AGE levels were found in some healthy adults in this research, which were on target with the AGE levels recognized in diabetic patients. The truth that hearty adults had levels resembling those seen in diabetic patients may insinuate that early and lasting exposure to AGE toxins in the diet could expedite the brunt of these diseases.

The presence of AGEs in food are very disingenuous because they give food an appealing smell and taste, according to Helen Vlassara, MD, Professor of Medicine and Geriatrics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and senior study author, Director of the Division of Experimental Diabetes and Aging. Dr. Vlassara refereed to the availability and intake of food with high levels of AGE with increasing documented cases of diabetes and heart disease.

How to Minimize AGE Intake When Cooking, Grilling and Eating

New barbecue grills on the market today should include a combination of ways to decrease the cooking duration and temperature, while at the same time increasing water retention.

Recommendations to reduce AGE levels in food include selecting lean foods like fish chicken or vegetables, instead of fatty meats like hamburgers or beef steaks.

Susan Goodman, a dietitian at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, recommends cooking fish, seafood or vegetables in aluminum pouches that are sealed. She says by preparing food in this manner the food is steamed, even if cooked on the grill. Foods which are excellent candidates for grilling in an aluminum pouch include vegetables such as potatoes and fresh fish with herbs which can be incorporated in the pouches for a healthy and tasty meal.

More recommendations from professionals who have studied the effects of grilling safety concur this. Tara Miller, Registered Dietitian and Program Manager for the Center for Corporate Wellness at NYU Medical Center recommends that grills be kept clean. It is imperative grills are cleaned prior to cooking because a charred grill increases food’s acclamation to dangerous toxins. Instead of marinating food with a bottled marinate or home-made rub, it is recommended that barbecue fans use vinegar, lime or lemon juice on the food prior to cooking. These items cause the food to cook faster, which in-turn allows the chef to reduce the temperature on the grill. Also, Miller makes it clear that acids from items such as vinegar, lime or lemon juice dwarf the transfer process of toxic AGEs into food.

Shopping Tips for Food Safety

Foods like meat and poultry should be added to the shopping cart immediately before checkout. This way, they have a higher tendency to remain cold. And be sure to sort raw meat and poultry separately so that they do not contaminate the other food in the shopping cart. To protect against cross-contamination which can occur when poultry and raw meat juices splash or leak on other foods, it is best to put the poultry and raw meat into plastic bags. For those that are worried about the effects of plastic bags on the environment, plastic bins with a tightly-sealed top can be brought from home to the store. The bins should be washed out with hot water and soap after removal of the meat so that the bins are safe to use again to the next grocery-store shopping excursion.

Thawing Meat

By completely thawing the meat and poultry prior to cooking, the food cooks more evenly which as an added benefit, cooks more quickly. Again, the goal is to lower the temperature on the grill so as to reduce introduction of AGE toxins. The best way to thaw meat is in the refrigerator so that the food is thawed slowly and safely. Another safe thawing alternative is to thaw food in sealed packages within cold water. If in a pinch, a microwave on defrost setting can be used to safely thaw meat as long as it is immediately cooked after thawing.

Skip the Grill

Grilling is a luxury, such as eating ice cream and cake. We are not recommending that you should skip grilling altogether, but grilling safety should be taken into consideration when planning the weekly menu. Health alternatives to grilling include boiling, steaming or stewing food.

A safe alternative to grilling is smoking food. In a professional food smoker, the cooking process is slow so that less tender meats benefit and the natural smoke flavor penetrates the food. The temperature of the smoker can be kept within a safe range of 250 to 300 degrees F.

Conclusion

Some studies indicate there may be a cancer risk associated with consuming foods that are prepared using very high-heat such as grilling, frying or broiling. However, based on recent studies, it has been found that eating moderate amount of foods such as fish, lean meat and poultry cooked at a safe temperature, without chairing, does not cause a risk.

Consult a Professional about Grilling Safety

If you have concerns about grilling safety and food safety, it is recommended that you consult a license dietitian or health care provider.

American people have elected Barack Obama as their President with a great hope. He has triumphed over John McCain with an overwhelming majority. Common Americans think him as charismatic. They are seeing a savior within him. Now they want to see his charisma in bailing them out from the present economic crisis.

Economic crisis in America has hit like a hurricane. Consumer confidence is in a hopeless condition. Retail sales have shown a negative growth in the third quarter of the year. US housing is in its worst in recent years. Dow Jones, NASDAQ and S & P are in a plunge. Banks and financial institutions are collapsing. $ 700 B bailout plan of Bush administration could not improve the situation. Everything seems to have been demolished. Economists, fund managers, politicians and statesmen, CEOs of business houses and people at large are stunned. Even the administration, be it local, provincial or federal does not find a way to come out of the terrible situation.

Current American economic crisis also effected the global economical situation badly. Economy all over the world is now in a downtrend. Nikkei, KOSPI, Hangseng, Sanghai, FTSE, CAC, BSE and Nifty, each and every stock market is following the downtrend of US market. Obama mania is seen globally. He has an image of a global personality. Hence, the rest of the world is also looking at him.

President Obama is in the driving seat of the global economy. His decisions will not only effect the American economy but also the world.

He has declared his priorities at his first press conference. It is the economy as expected. He rightly mentioned his intention to fight the recession. Job loss in US is also in alarming state (6.5%, most since 1994) and throws a big challenge to the President elect. He knows the challenge well. He will take it as top priority when in office. Many people in America believe that outsourcing is a major cause of unemployment and job loss in America. Obama campaigned for a policy against outsourcing during the election. He likely has to come out with some regulations for the corporations to discourage outsourcing. He may provide tax benefits and subsidies to encourage generating local employment.

Obama has announced future tax cuts for corporates and common Americans. He is honestly talking of net tax cut. He has also indicated special benefits to the American middle class.

Obama, the President elect, however, has not gone into details how he will deal with the problems of economic crisis, recession and job loss. He, of course, has given some indications. He is working with his team to come out with a strategy.

He has also intended to take actions in the fields of environment, energy, clean energy, finance and healthcare. Policy change in these sectors will surely effect the economic system overall.

Possible strategies and suggestions:

The foremost task of the new administration is to provide jobs to common Americans. The country has to create new jobs as well as retain the old ones. How can Obama achieve it? This is the million dollar question.

It is very difficult to create new jobs when every thing in the economy and market is in downward trend. And For that one has to be very creative and innovative. Ban on outsourcing may prove counterproductive. European Union, Japan or some other developed nations may continue with out sourcing. This measure can help them in cutting cost in some sectors. It will improve their competitiveness against the US in the global market. It can further accelerate recession and job loss in America.

It is worthwhile if Obama and his economic advisors concentrate on some core sectors. Agriculture, largely neglected, is one of them. There is large agricultural land in the US unutilized or underutilized. Agriculture contributes negligible amount in the GDP of US. Therefore, economists and corporations ignore it but it has a tremendous potential of employing people. Large number of people can be engaged and employed in this core sector. Agriculture is not an efficient way of generating money but of employment. Those will be low paid jobs comparatively, but will keep wheels of economy moving.

Similarly, they can mobilize resources in mining sector. The US requires a lot of minerals and ores to feed its industries. Now it can concentrate on its huge underutilized mineral reserves. It is a good way for the Obama administration to motivate business houses to work in this sector paying subsidy, tax holydays or some other benefits.

Control Calories and Make the Best Nutrition Choices

Many people get confused as they are reading food labels. There are many tricky terms that can confuse someone who is trying to control calories, carbohydrates, protein, fiber or fat intake. If you are one of these people, don’t worry. These facts will help you make better nutrition choices.

Understanding Food Terms

Here are the meanings of everyday terms used by food manufacturers. It is important to know what they mean so that you can choose your foods wisely.

FDA – FDA is an abbreviation for the Food and Drug Administration. As part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services the Food and Drug Administration is responsible for food safety regulations. They also regulate drugs, vaccines and medical products. Usually, food labels are regulated through the FDA.

Low Calorie – The FDA defines low calorie as a food that is more than two tablespoons and does not provide more than 40 calories. Check those labels, though! Many low calorie foods are high in fat by percentage.

Reduced Calorie and Light – The FDA considers a food reduced calorie or light if the calories have been reduced by one-third over the original. Once again, these products can be high in fat.

Calorie Free – The FDA says that a product can be labeled calorie free as long as it has less than five calories per serving. If you don’t consume a lot of these products it’s a way to control calories.

Low Fat – The FDA considers a food low fat if it has three grams or less of fat. Watch out, though, these foods can be very high in calories and sugar.

Fat Free – Think fat free means fat free? Think again. The FDA says that if there are fewer than 0.5 grams of total fat per serving a product can be called fat free. So, that fat free product may still contain fat.

Reduced Fat – Reduced fat is regulated as a product that contains 50 percent or less fat of the original food version. It may sound good, but make sure to check the label. Even 50% less can still be more fat than you are willing to ingest.

Fiber – For a healthy diet a person needs about 25 grams of fiber per day. If you haven’t been getting that much be sure to increase your daily intake gradually so your body gets used to it otherwise you may suffer from bloating and gas.

Sodium – I hate food with lots of sodium. Why? It tastes bad to me, it’s probably over processed, it makes me thirsty then when I weigh myself the next day I’ve gained about two pounds of water weight; totally de-motivating. The only time a high sodium snack makes any sense is if I am doing a very long and strenuous workout and I need to keep the electrolytes in balance. Gatorade works as well.

How to Choose

Maybe you just want to eat something really tasty like some chocolate Milano’s. In this case disregard all the label info and just go for the tastiest treat you can find but don’t do this on a regular basis. Maybe limit this behavior to once per month or less.

Look at your goals for eating. Fat and calories are not the only things to consider. You need protein and fiber in your diet too. Also, check the quality of the fat in the product. Unsaturated is better than saturated. And remember that your diet should contain about 25% of the calories from fat. If you don’t eat enough fat you will feel hungry and want to eat more.

Carbohydrates come in different forms too. Some are pure sugar or sugar derivatives such as high fructose corn syrup which I tend to avoid. Choose more complex carbohydrates if possible.

When comparing foods I usually pick the ones with highest fiber, high protein, low sodium and good quality fats and carbohydrates in that order. This usually results in a balanced food choice. If I just need a blast of energy in the middle of a long bike ride, then a high sucrose product or a diluted sports drink works fine.

One comment about serving size, the information printed on the label almost always refers to a single serving size. When I look at the package of nuts I think, gee, only 100 calories, nearly all from fat. However, there are eight servings in the bag. What are the chances I’m only going to eat one serving? Probably zero percent. So that means I’ll probably eat at least half the bag, 400 calories from fat. Get it. Think about how much of the food you are going to eat at one time then decide.

What to Do with the Facts

As you can see, just because a food has a snappy food label on it doesn’t mean that it is 100% great for your diet. Always, always check the Nutrition Facts label with an eye towards finding out the true amount of calories, carbohydrates, protein, fat, fiber and the serving size. Think about what you want out of the food you choose. You have a lot of nutritional choices within product types. Reading food labels to control calories is one way to look at it but there is much more information provided to help you make the best food choice for your current needs.