Four Principles and Common Sense for Healthy Barbecue
Barbecue's Impact on Male Fertility
According to reports, Professor Leda from the Advanced Biomedical Sciences College of Chieti, Italy, has pointed out that greasy foods such as grilled meat, roast goose, sausages, and cured meats can affect men's reproductive ability and make it harder for them to become aroused. Therefore, experts have collaborated to create a fertility-enhancing menu, which is primarily vegetable-based. As for Saturdays and Sundays, since men usually spend time with their partners, in addition to eating foods from the weekday menu, they can also indulge in high-energy and stress-relieving foods such as chocolate and bananas.
Barbecue: Divided into two types, direct-fire grilling and indirect-fire grilling. The characteristic of barbecue foods is that they are generally heated at high temperatures above 100 degrees Celsius, and the grilled food must have a unique charred and fragrant aroma. Barbecue foods are categorized into direct-fire grilling and indirect-fire grilling. There are many types of direct-fire grilling, with five or six of them.
Beer and Barbecue: A No-Go
Beer, refreshing and delicious, contains various essential amino acids and rich vitamins, making it popular with people. However, some precautions for consumption often go unnoticed. For example, drinking beer while eating grilled skewers is not advisable. Smoked foods contain organic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, benzopyrene, and amino acid derivatives produced during cooking. When excessive drinking raises blood lead levels, these substances can combine with it, inducing digestive diseases and even tumors.
Four Principles for Healthy Barbecue
Choose Low-Fat Foods
To eat barbecue healthily, the first step is, of course, to know how to choose food. Many people's favorite barbecue item is chicken wings, but a whole chicken wing has 150 calories. At a single barbecue, eating four or five of them already amounts to 600 calories, equivalent to two large bowls of rice. To enjoy the flavor of grilled chicken, choosing chicken breast or tenderloin can be a better alternative.
As for the "appetizer" for barbecue, everyone naturally thinks of quick and convenient sausages. But don't underestimate this little guy; a regular chicken sausage has 90 calories, and a small cheese sausage, which has been more popular in recent years, has as many as 115 calories. The reason sausages are so high in calories is due to the fat and内脏 (offal) in them, and they are also full of artificial colors. Truly, a little goes a long way. To enjoy a quick and "lightweight" appetizer, you might as well choose meatballs. Although meatballs are relatively high in salt, they are healthier than sausages. When buying, unfried fish balls or beef balls are better choices. Avoid cuttlefish balls or fish balls, as the former ten have only 100 calories, while the latter have 150.
Chicken wings are very high in calories; it's better to replace them with chicken breast or tenderloin.
One tablespoon of honey has 65 calories.
Principle 2
Beware of the Sweet Trap
When barbecuing, to add flavor to food, many people love to brush honey on it, sometimes not even using two bottles is enough. Because some people love the sweet taste, they add honey again and again, but they don't realize that one tablespoon of honey already has 65 calories, greatly increasing the calorie intake! In fact, if you want to add flavor to your food and be healthier, nutritionists recommend that one coat of honey is enough. Afterwards, you can use natural seasonings like black pepper or mustard to enhance the flavor of the food.
Principle 3
Make Good Use of a "Protective Cover"
Ultimately, grilling food is not very healthy. When meat is burned directly at high temperatures, the decomposed fat drips onto the charcoal and combines with the protein in the meat, producing a carcinogen called benzopyrene, which can adhere to the food. Therefore, it is recommended to only grill some of the food, and for the rest, try an "unconventional" method: wrap the food in aluminum foil before heating, which can greatly reduce the chance of carcinogens.
In addition, knives, forks, and scissors are also important "assistants" for BBQ. When barbecuing, a few friends chat while grilling. If you're not careful, half a sausage might get burnt. The burnt part contains carcinogens and cannot be eaten, but you don't want to waste it. You can use scissors to cut off the burnt part. At the same time, scissors can also be used to cut the fat off the food, killing two birds with one stone.
Wrapping vegetables in aluminum foil to heat them is healthy and reduces the production of carcinogens.
Sweet potatoes are rich in fiber and filling, making them a healthy choice for barbecue.
Principle 4
Diversify Your Food
Barbecue doesn't have to be meat-centric. Grains and vegetables can be just as tasty. The healthiest barbecue choice from the grains category is, of course, grilled corn, which is not only golden and delicious but also filling. In addition, sweet potatoes are also a good choice, rich in fiber and beneficial for the intestines. Hot and crispy baked buns are easy to eat, but avoid adding a lot of honey!
As for ready-made barbecue kits, the meat in them often contains a large amount of marinade, so it's best to prepare your own with natural seasonings like fresh onions, garlic, and chili for a healthy and delicious flavor. When choosing meat, you might as well eat more seafood, including crab, shrimp, scallops, and fish. The cooking method can be to put the seafood in aluminum foil, and after it's cooked, add a little soy sauce for a delicious taste. As for vegetables that can be grilled, there are many choices. The first choice is bell peppers, followed by broccoli, tomatoes, and enoki mushrooms. Wrap any sliced vegetables in aluminum foil and put them in the oven for 3-5 minutes, and they are ready to eat.
Calorie Count for Barbecue Foods
Sausage 1 piece: 90 calories
Fish balls 10 pieces: 100 calories
Cuttlefish balls 10 pieces: 150 calories
Whole chicken wing 1 piece: 150 calories
Sweet potato 1 piece: 160 calories
Beef steak 1 piece (palm-sized): 250 calories