The Fourth of July festivities call for some celebration, fireworks, and a nice open barbeque for people to gorge on. But if not taken care of, a good old grill might open the doors for carcinogens in one’s meats. Therefore, Arnold Schwarzenegger took up the responsibility to issue a step-by-step guideline to ensure safe cooking and celebrating.
High heat combined with animal protein causes the formation of certain chemicals that increase the risk of cancer. Cooking red meat in particular on a traditional grill with an open flame often leads to the formation of HCAs. Since they’re carcinogenic, they carry the danger of hampering the food.
The first step is to ensure that the meat being grilled is flipped fast on low heat, thus reducing the chances of having a char on it. HCAs form due to the charred layer on the outside, which in turn happens due to the meats being exposed to high heat for a long time. Cutting down on both factors ensures food safety.
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Secondly, Schwarzenegger introduced the outrageous-sounding idea of prepping the meat with alcohol before grilling. Highlighting a study on wine-based marination, he wrote how a red wine marinate could make the meat safer to consume.
“The researchers also found that the red wine marinade changed the chemical structure and enhanced the taste of beef.”
Apart from this, a good practice is to skewer the meats to reduce the surface area for charring. And as mentioned earlier, less heat and charring leads to less production of HCAs. And finally, Schwarzenegger ended the list with his final tip – to opt for more protein choices.
“Grilling other protein options, such as fish or poultry, generates fewer HCAs than red meat.”
It is important to note that the frequency of grilling matters when facing the risk of exposure to carcinogenic substances. Schwarzenegger revealed that if individuals rarely participated in grilling food or its consumption, they weren’t susceptible to harm. However, he once voiced his concerns about another food practice that carried the risk of cardiovascular problems.
Arnold Schwarzenegger once warned his village of microplastics
In today’s day and age, where plastic can be found everywhere and in every object, it is tough to avoid the existence of microscopic fragments of them getting in everything. From the soil to one’s food and water, it is upsetting to find out how frequently microplastics can end up in one’s body.
Schwarzenegger wasn’t keen on this occurrence and once talked about how one can and must avoid this. Highlighting a study that talked about how people with increased levels of microplastics in the bloodstream could have an elevated risk of cardiovascular diseases, he provided a way out. Avoiding plastic containers, cutting boards, bottles, and microwaving plastic utensils could be a good practice to implement.
It deserves to be noted that, what we do and choose to consume in the course of our daily life greatly affects not only our health but also the health of the environment that encompasses us. With each discovery that explains the possible impact that can be caused by microplastic in the environment, society is challenged to face this problem and work on finding a solution to replace plastic materials.
