Why spicing it up and the low and slow is the healthiest way to cook!

[werdwolf]

Came across two pieces of information that might be interesting to those who are interested. This is why it is good for us to eat some Q! (sorry, pulled pork excluded

)

First that spices reduce the risk of Coronary disease and cancer causing effects of cooked meats:

"The conventional nutritional dogma in the United States says you should limit the amount of meat you eat, especially red meat, because of its potential to harm your health.
Well, one of the reasons why eating meat is linked to heart disease and cancer often has little to do with the meat itself, and everything to do with how it’s cooked.
Any time you cook meat at high temperatures, whether you’re grilling, frying, broiling, etc., some pretty nasty chemicals are created:

• Heterocyclic Amines (HCAs): These form when food is cooked at high temperatures, and they’re linked to cancer. In terms of HCA, the worst part of the meat is the blackened section, which is why you should always avoid charring your meat, and never eat blackened sections.
• Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs): When fat drips onto the heat source, causing excess smoke, and the smoke surrounds your food, it can transfer cancer-causing PAHs to the meat.
• Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs): When food is cooked at high temperatures (including when it is pasteurized or sterilized), it increases the formation of AGEs in your food. When you eat the food, it transfers the AGEs into your body. AGEs build up in your body over time leading to oxidative stress, inflammation and an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease.

It’s a given that eating meat, or any food, that contains these chemicals is not healthy. But what researchers are now uncovering is that adding spices and marinades to your meat before cooking can drastically cut down on the level of harmful substances created.

Get out your arsenal of spices and mix up a blend to use on beef, one for chicken and another for lamb or any other type of meat you cook on a regular basis.
In the latest study, adding a spice blend to burgers reduced the level of malondialdehyde, a chemical marker for oxidation, in the meat by 71 percent and levels in participants’ urine by 49 percent.
This benefit likely comes from spices’ potent antioxidant content. On a per gram fresh weight basis, oregano and other herbs rank even higher in antioxidant activity than fruits and vegetables, which are known to be high in antioxidants too.
You can experiment with a range of spices, as each will have a unique set of health benefits to offer, but even the popular stand-bys will help to boost the medicinal value of your meal. For instance, for the above study researchers used a blend of:

• Cloves
• Cinnamon
• Oregano
• Rosemary
• Ginger
• Black pepper
• Paprika
• Garlic powder

You can use the spices as a dry rub or mix them up into a healthy marinade. Choose those that appeal most to you flavor-wise, or alternatively you can choose them according to their health benefits too."

Second is how to keep the meat healthy for you:

"I believe that most of the negative health associations of eating meat is related to the fact that the meat is cooked. Just as cooked vegetables are not as healthy as uncooked ones, meat undergoes damage when heated. Even if it isn’t heated over a barbecue, when you heat it over 170 degrees you will cause damage to the proteins similar to that occurs when milk is pasteurized.

So the first level would be to add homemade spice rubs, herb-enhanced marinades or even fresh blueberries to your meat prior to cooking it. This will impart some health benefits and also cut down on the harmful substances formed.
The next level, then, would be to use the same spice rubs and marinades, but eat the meat only lightly cooked or raw. Cooking reduces spices’ antioxidant levels by 45-70 percent, so not only will this result in higher levels of antioxidants, but also lower levels of toxins.
Meat products from animals raised outside in the sun are also rich in biophotons, which contain bio-information that controls complex vital processes in your body. The biophotons have the power to elevate your physical body to a higher oscillation or order, and this is manifested as a feeling of vitality and well-being. Cooking your food destroys these important biophotons, while creating toxic substances."


I found these at Mercola.com.


The link to the actual study for those of you inclined:
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/rapidpdf/ajcn.2009.28526v2

 

[Bearcarver]

Thanks Doc.

Bearcarver

 

[gofish]

Hmm .... Guess I'm gonna be a gonner soon! (Not to mention I love burnt ends)

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Well, whataya know........

Very interesting reading in the study. Looks like I could expand my dry rubs to include a few more from this list...hmm...gonna have to do some more experimenting.

Thanks for the info!

Eric

 

[cliffcarter]

N= 10, very small sample. Two rules to live by-Everything in moderation and If it tastes good it is good. 'Nuff said.

 

[pit 4 brains]

cause tape worms, brain worms, trichinella worms and e-coli don't cause cancer.
Were all gonna die, ask a mortician. Might as well die with a belly full of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons. Hmmm, i wonder if my diesel will run on them??

 

[biggeorge50]

If this is the healthiest way to cook, why do my pants keep shrinking?

 

[ismoke]

LOL!!! My coworker's think I'm a crazy guy right now I was laughing so hard!

Anyways, I think I missed the part where low and slow is better than cooking over high heat, as long as you're taking the meat to the same temp. For instance, a brisket cooked to 190* low and slow would have the same damage as one cooked on a high heat to 190*, right? I'm probably missing something here, just trying to clarify.