10 ways to make Atkins Diet (beef &
chicken) cancer free
It
is well known that Atkins diet puts you in an increased risk of cancer
due to its high meat content. This happens due to compounds
that form during cooking of red meats.
In this Science
News Online article, Janet Ralof brings to our attention to
the official inclusion of Heterocyclic Amines (HCA) in the list of
materials known to cause cancer in people. This list prepared
by the National Toxicology program (NTP), a part of National Institute
of Health (U.S), contains materials that are reasonably anticipated to
cause cancer.
At very high temperatures as that reached in frying or grilling,
natural constituents of meat which include simple sugars, glucose the
amino acid creatine and additional free amino acids react to form
different types of HCA’s
HCAs are linked to increased risk of colorectal
cancer and also possibly “cancer
of the breast, stomach, pancreases, and urinary bladder”
according to Kerstin Skog
of the department of Applied Nutrition and Food Chemistry Lund
university Stockholm Sweden. This means that the more red
meat you include in your diet like it is likely with Atkins diet the
higher your risk of these kinds of cancers.
Short of eliminating red meat from your Atkins diet here are some tips
that can significantly reduce HCA consumption with your Atkins diets.
When
cooking frozen meat, microwave it to have it somewhat cooked before
cooking it normally whether by grilling, frying etc. Frozen
meat tends to brown on the outside long before it is well done in the
inside. This tends to keep the meat on the heated surface
long enough to allow huge amounts of HCA to form. Slightly cooking them
in the microwave allows the inside and the outside of the meat to heat
up and cook together reducing the time the meat is in contact with a
heated surface.
When
grilling your steak frequently turn the pieces. HCA form due to high
temperatures, turning your meat often will tend lower temperatures.
While this turning allows the meat to cook it does deny HCA the high
temperatures it needs to form. Frequently turning your meat
is even shown to completing deny HCA formation, making the meat
liberally cancer free.
Mix
your meat with potatoes starch before cooking it. This
article shows that potatoes starch reduces the toxin formation by as
much as 90%. It does this by interfering with the HCA
formation cycle during cooking.
Marinate
your meat. In an example given in this article, bathing
chicken overnight in a heavily sugared oil and vinegar sauce greatly
reduced toxin formation. This is inspite the fact that the
chicken is then cooked on a sizzling fire, good condition for HCA
formation. Other marinades that work very well are a exanderd
teriyaki sauce and a tumeric–garlic marinade.
Avoid
the use of barbecue sauce. In the study in the above article
marinating meat in barbecue sauce resulted to an increased of HCA by as
much as three to four times. Infact you may need to avoid any
tomato based marinates and sauces when cooking the meat. Ofcourse you
can serve the cooked meat with the sauces.
Do
not use the juices left in the pan after frying meat or grilling it in
an oven. It’s a common instruction in many recipes
to use those juices to make a sauce or cook the potatoes.
Unfortunately this juice is heavily laced with HCA most of the times.
Add
cherry to cooking meat. According to J. Ian say of Michigan
State University in East lansing Cherry constitute “ the most
effective antioxidant (for meats)” Adding ground cherries
into your cooking reduces HCA formation by as much as 90% Be very
generous with the cherries for most effect.
Add
vitamin E to your meat. In the same study by say above it
indicated that vitamin E had a similar effect to cherries.
Break 40 miligram capsule and mix it with one pound of meat.
Vitamin E is a known powerful antioxidant.
Drink
green tea with your meat. According to Cathy wing of
alternative medicines in about.com polyphenols found in green tea helps
to excrete carcinogenic compounds. Both drinking green tea
regularly and particularly with your meaty meals can reduce the amount
of HCA toxins that your body absorbs.
Also
seasoning with garlic rosemary and sage and cooking with olive oil
reduce HCA formation. This seasoning has antioxidant
properties that prevent HCA formation. Obviously the
seasoning should be added before cooking to have effect.
This
content is reviewed periodically and is subject to
change as new information on weight loss becomes
available. The information is intended for
educational purposes only. Please
consult your healthcare provider before beginning
any kind of weight loss program
