Nutritionist's special reminder! Zibo barbecue is delicious, but you need to follow these 8 points to eat it healthily!

As the weather warms up, the barbecue industry has gradually become hot, and foodies can sit on the street and enjoy the BBQ. During this period, Zibo barbecue has become very popular, and the popularity has not diminished. There have been many good stories about the two-way rush between Zibo barbecue and tourists.

What is so special about the popular Zibo barbecue? How can we enjoy it and reduce the harm to our body? Let's talk about it today.

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01

Zibo BBQ

What are the characteristics?

The reason why Zibo barbecue has become so popular is indeed due to its unique features.

1. 1 small charcoal stove per table

After the stove is heated up, the waiter will bring the skewers of meat that are 60% to 70% cooked. Diners can grill the skewers themselves, which not only gives them a sense of accomplishment, but also the fun of DIY, and they can control the tenderness and char of the skewers themselves. However, you must pay attention to safety and do not grill indoors or in a confined space to avoid fire or carbon monoxide poisoning.

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2. Serve with soul cookies and green onions

Barbecue in most areas is just a simple skewers, but Zibo barbecue is different. It is served with small round cakes, and the meat skewers, green onions, sweet noodle sauce, etc. are rolled in them. The small cakes are full of wheat aroma, the meat skewers are rich in caramel aroma, and the green onions are spicy and stimulating. This is the complete Zibo barbecue, and the taste is extraordinary.

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3. Rich dipping sauce

In addition to the seasonings for marinating the skewers themselves, there are also sweet noodle sauce, crushed peanuts, garlic chili sauce, chili noodles, cumin, etc. A barbecue meal can enjoy a variety of flavors.

This kind of barbecue really makes people drool across the screen~

02

Why does barbecue smell so good?

Barbecue has a very early origin, dating back to the time of our primate ancestors. The love for barbecue can be said to be deep in the soul. Few people can control their desire for the aroma of barbecue food. The aroma of barbecue wafting in the streets and alleys is so tempting, not to mention the lively atmosphere of barbecue throughout the city!

So why does barbecue smell so good?

The most common barbecue is charcoal barbecue, which can give food a unique aroma mainly due to two reasons.

1. Maillard reaction

During the grilling process, the amino acids produced after the decomposition of protein will undergo the Maillard reaction with the reducing sugars in the food or marinade, giving the food a unique aroma and attractive color.

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2. Flavor Drops

Flavor droplets are the key to the flavor of grilled food. When the food drippings burn, they emit many aromatic compounds that cover the food.

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For example, the drippings of fruit juice contain sugars, proteins and oils, and the drippings of meat contain a lot of fat. These ingredients will be burnt under the high temperature of charcoal and stimulated into aromatic molecules that return to the smoke, giving the food an aromatic taste.

The combination of these two aromas makes people salivate over barbecue and can't stop.

03

Why do I advise you to eat less barbecue?

Barbecue is delicious, but you shouldn’t eat it too often. In order to persuade you to eat less barbecue, I have compiled a lot of reasons.

1. You will get fat

The grilled skewers with fat and lean parts are particularly popular, such as pork belly, soy sauce tendons, fat and lean parts, and even cooked tendons, pork skin, and pig intestines... They may be rubbed with oil over and over again during the grilling process. The reason why these meat skewers are delicious is because they are high in fat, so they taste good , and the calories are naturally not low. Eating them often will inevitably make you gain weight, increase the risk of obesity, and thus be detrimental to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health .

2. Not conducive to blood pressure control

The salt content in marinated meat skewers and the dipping sauces they come in is quite high, and eating them often is not conducive to controlling blood pressure .

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3. Not conducive to controlling blood uric acid

Barbecue, especially that in coastal areas, contains a lot of meat and seafood, and is often consumed with beer. These will cause us to ingest more purine, which may lead to elevated blood uric acid levels. Patients with hyperuricemia and gout should especially pay attention to eating in moderation .

4. Contains carcinogens

Barbecue is a high-temperature cooking method, with the highest temperature reaching 370°C. At such high temperatures, meat will produce heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons , both of which are carcinogens . The carcinogen content will gradually increase with the increase of temperature and time .

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The well-known 3,4-benzopyrene is a Class 1 carcinogen, which is clearly carcinogenic to humans. It is a type of PAH, with the highest toxicity and the largest proportion among PAHs. Therefore, it is the most representative strong carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compound among PAHs. Among the ways of ingesting PAHs through diet, frying and grilling foods account for 88% to 98%. [1]

In addition, foods with high carbohydrate content, such as steamed buns, bread, potato chips, etc., will produce acrylamide when grilled. This is a Class 2A carcinogen that has been proven to cause cancer in animals, but there is limited evidence that it causes cancer in humans.

5. Air pollution

The burning and incomplete combustion of charcoal used for barbecue will produce carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide . The former is a type of greenhouse gas, and the latter is a toxic gas. The thick smoke produced by barbecue contains toxic and harmful substances such as dioxins, nitrosamines, and heterocyclic amines. Dioxins are not only carcinogenic, but also have reproductive and genetic toxicity. The smoke contains particulate matter such as PM2.5 and PM10, and the concentration is off the charts! Relevant tests organized by environmental NGOs show that the PM2.5 concentration in barbecue-intensive areas at 1 meter, 10 meters, and 100 meters away from the grill is far higher than that in non-barbecue areas. PM10 can also cause smog weather, which seriously endangers the health of the respiratory system . [2]

04

How to reduce the damage?

Since there are health risks when eating barbecue, how can people who like to eat barbecue eat it relatively healthily? In order to let everyone enjoy the food happily, it is best to arrange the following 8 points.

1. Don’t burn it

The higher the grilling temperature and the longer the grilling time, the higher the carcinogen content. It is best to remove the burnt parts and not eat them , because the more burnt the parts are, the higher the carcinogen content is. After grilling, you should wipe the head of the grill skewer before eating.

It is more reasonable to have a small stove on each table like in Zibo barbecue. You can completely control how well the meat is roasted. It is recommended to eat the meat when it is fully cooked, and don't wait until it is roasted dry or burnt.

2. Choose more lean meat

Lean meat has a low fat content, which helps control weight. In addition, high fat content will further promote the production of carcinogens, and fat is most likely to produce polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons under high temperatures. Lean meat may have lower carcinogen content than fat-lean grilled skewers , and can also reduce the intake of saturated fatty acids.

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3. Don’t just eat meat

Many people eat skewers of meat all over the table, which leads to excessive meat intake, which is not good for cardiovascular health. If you often eat a lot of meat like this, it will also increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, colorectal cancer, obesity and other diseases. [3] Therefore, it is best to pair it with some staple foods, vegetables, and soy products to help increase satiety and control the amount of meat you eat .

Zibo barbecue is very good in this regard. The wraps are the staple food, and green onions are also vegetables, but they taste spicy.

4. Pair with fresh fruits and vegetables

Fresh fruits and vegetables are rich in dietary fiber and antioxidants , such as lycopene, carotene, anthocyanins, etc. Tomatoes, Chinese cabbage, cherry tomatoes, leeks, lettuce, bell peppers, colored peppers, etc., when eaten with barbecue, can reduce the damage of carcinogens in barbecue to the body.

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5. Microwave first and then bake

Microwave pretreatment can significantly reduce the production of heterocyclic amines in meat . This is because microwaves can reduce the moisture content in food, preventing the "raw materials" that form carcinogens from seeping out with the moisture to the surface of the meat to participate in the reaction, thereby significantly reducing the production of heterocyclic amines.

The study found that the total amount of heterocyclic amines in microwave-pretreated half-cooked chicken and beef was reduced by 24% and 21%, respectively, compared with samples directly grilled. The total amount of heterocyclic amines in fully cooked samples was reduced by 35% and 42%, respectively. [1]

In addition, microwave pretreatment can significantly reduce the generation of PAHs in grilled meat products, which may be due to shortening the grilling time.

So, if you are grilling food at home, you can microwave the meat until it is 60% to 70% done or well-done before grilling it.

6. Use more spices for marinating

Pre-treating food with spices can significantly inhibit the formation of harmful substances such as heterocyclic amines, acrylamide, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in food. This may be because spices generally have strong free radical scavenging ability and can significantly inhibit free radical reactions in meat products during high-temperature processing . [1]

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The meat can be marinated with garlic juice, onion, red pepper, chili powder, ginger, black pepper, thirteen spices, etc. before grilling.

7. Use less or no soy sauce

Soy sauce promotes the formation of heterocyclic amines, so it is best to put less or no soy sauce.

8. Grilling method

Compared with charcoal grilling, electric grilling is more recommended , as the amount of harmful substances generated by electric grilling is lower. Studies have found that the PAH content of sausages grilled with electric grilling is 24 μg/kg. When grilled with charcoal, the PAH content increases to 51 μg/kg, nearly 2 times higher than that of electric grilling. [4]

In addition, gas grilling and stone grilling can also effectively reduce the content of carcinogens in grilled meat products.

05

Summarize

Let's be realistic, barbecue no matter where it comes from is not considered a healthy food. I still have to remind everyone that it's okay to satisfy your cravings occasionally. Maybe an occasional barbecue tour is just right. When eating barbecue, remember to drink less alcohol and sweet drinks (sorry to the barbecue restaurant owners...).

References:

[1] Liu Dongmei, Zhou Ruoya, Wang Yong, Chen Dongpo, Liu Ruonan, Wang Fengli, Zhou Peng. Research progress on the formation and control of hazards in fried and baked foods[J]. Science and Technology of Food Industry, 2021, 42(17): 405-412

[2] Gao Song. Air pollution caused by open-air barbecue and its prevention[J]. Resource Conservation and Environmental Protection, 2016, 0(12): 39-40

[3] Chinese Nutrition Society. Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents[M]. People's Medical Publishing House. 2022

[4] Xue Guizhong, Qiao Mingwu, Huang Xianqing, Song Lianjun, Wang Fei, Meng Shaohua, Ma Xiangjie. Research progress on the formation pathways and prevention and control methods of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic amines in the processing of barbecue meat products[J]. Food and Fermentation Industries, 2022, 48(2): 293-301

Author: Xue Qingxin, member of Chinese Nutrition Society, registered dietitian, health manager, public nutritionist

Reviewer: Chen Ran, Associate Research Librarian (Science Communication) / Senior Engineer, COFCO Nutrition and Health Research Institute

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