91ÌÒÉ«

As Prof. Bożena Bukowska emphasises:

an occasional grilling alone doesn't pose a significant health problem.

This is good news for anyone who can't imagine a long weekend without feasting around the grill. The problem begins when grilling ceases to be a celebration and becomes a habit – especially if the food you grill is primarily fatty, processed and overcooked.

The grill itself isn't the problem

In fact, it's not the method of preparing food, but what we grill, how often and how. These three elements determine whether the long May weekend meal remains an innocent pleasure or turns into something your body accepts with much less enthusiasm.

Grilled cold meats, processed meats and heavily burnt and charred products are the least beneficial

– says Prof. Bukowska.

This is an important distinction. The problem doesn't begin the moment we put something on the grill. Processed meats already undergo various stages of preservation and conservation, and high temperatures can only exacerbate these unfavourable processes.

What happens to food cooked over a fire?

Grilling may seem simple. However, chemically speaking, it's a rather violent process. Temperatures on the grate surface can reach locally as high as 250–300°C! This means that the natural components of the food begin to undergo intense changes. In the case of meat, the changes include amino acids, sugars and creatine found in muscle tissue.

Then there's smoke, the same smoke that, for some, is the essence of grilled flavour and, for biologists, a warning sign. When fat and juices from the meat drip onto embers, flames or a very hot surface, compounds are created, which, along with the smoke, are then deposited on the food.

The longer the cooking time, the higher the temperature and the deeper the browning, the greater the risk of developing biologically unfavourable compounds

– underlines the expert.

This is precisely why grilled food loses its neutrality when it begins to resemble charcoal more than dinner.

Burnt food is the most problematic

Grilled meat can include compounds that raise concerns among toxicologists. Heterocyclic aromatic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are the most common. Although the names sound like textbook excerpts, their mechanism is quite simple. The more fat, smoke, high temperature and charring, the greater the likelihood of these compounds being present. 

Their quantity increases especially when the product is fatty, grilled for a long time, heavily browned and intensely exposed to smoke

- says Prof. Bukowska.

This sentence should be memorised more than a marinade recipe. The biggest problem isn't the grilling itself but the flames roaring from under the grate, the fat hissing over the embers and the meat.

Vegetables have an easier time on the grill

Fortunately, not everything that goes on the grill carries the same risks. Vegetables usually fare much better than fatty meats or cold cuts. This doesn't mean they can be charred with impunity, but in practice, they're simply a safer choice. The risks associated with grilling vegetables are usually lower, especially if you avoid excessive burning.

This is not only a health benefit but also a culinary one. Well-grilled zucchini, peppers or eggplant can become a fully-fledged part of a dish – and one that your body will accept with much greater gratitude.

Taste and nutritional value don't always go hand in hand

When grilling, it's easy to fall into the illusion that the harder the better. However, too high a temperature and too long a cooking time not only increase the risk of harmful compounds forming but also compromise the quality of the product itself. This means that the preparation method affects not only the food's safety but also its nutritional value.

The same food can have completely different health benefits depending on whether it's merely well-done or heavily charred

- emphasises the researcher. 

How to grill more sensibly?

The good news is that the most important rules are neither complicated nor particularly revolutionary. In practice, it's primarily about limiting food's contact with flame and smoke, preventing charring and shortening cooking time at very high temperatures. We shoukd also turn food more often and remove burnt areas.

The choice of food itself is equally important. As the expert reminds:

Fresh fish, leaner, unprocessed meats and vegetables are better choices.

These should be on the grill more often if we want grilling to be a pleasure, not a health compromise.

Which grill is the least risky?

While for many people, the only true grill is a charcoal-fired one, science takes a serious look at the matter. The greatest risk occurs where food comes into contact with smoke, flames and grease dripping onto the embers. Therefore, from a safety perspective, an electric grill is the best option, as it most effectively reduces these factors. A gas grill is also usually more cost-effective than a traditional charcoal grill.

Don't give it up, just don't overdo it

The punch line to this story is surprising. Grilling doesn't have to be dangerous and there's no reason to treat every long May weekend picnic as an attack on your health. However, we should remember that grilling doesn't eliminate the need for thought. What we eat, how often we eat it and how it ends up on our plate are more important issues than the mere fact of eating outdoors.

As Prof. Bożena Bukowska concludes:

Grilling itself doesn't have to be dangerous but its safety depends on what we grill, how often we do it and how we grill it.

And maybe this is the best advice for the long May weekend – don't put out the grill, just turn down the heat a bit ;)!

Source: Prof. Bożena Bukowska, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, 91ÌÒÉ«
Edit: Kacper Szczepaniak, Centre for Brand Communications, 91ÌÒÉ«