Key TakeawaysWhile it’s not inherently dangerous, grilling does pose a few health risks, largely associated with meat.With the right steps, you can enjoy grilling season healthfully without compromising on taste.

Key Takeaways

While it’s not inherently dangerous, grilling does pose a few health risks, largely associated with meat.With the right steps, you can enjoy grilling season healthfully without compromising on taste.

As the weather gets warmer and the days get longer, more people fire up the grill to enjoy a juicy burger or charred hotdog. However, it is easy to forget that grilling comes with health risks—albeit risks that can be mitigated. While grilling does not require large quantities of added fat, certain popular practices may be linked to increased risk of cancer, poor heart health and the likelihood of foodborne illness.

There are many ways to continue enjoying grilled dishes while simultaneously sustaining a healthy lifestyle. By taking certain precautions and being mindful, it is possible to indulge in all sorts of grilled foods with a decreased risk of negative health impacts.

Take Steps to Reduce Potentially Harmful Chemical Formation

That satisfying sizzle of the grill comes with potential repercussions. When muscle meat (beef, pork, and fish) is cooked at a high temperature, a chemical called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can form.

In laboratory experiments, PAHs have been found to cause changes in DNA that may increase the risk of cancer.

To reduce the development of PAHs, take the following steps:

Will Marinating Meat Before Grilling Really Reduce Carcinogens?

What About Grilled Veggies?Grilling vegetables doesn’t come with any PAH risk. Only meats create these chemicals.

What About Grilled Veggies?

Grilling vegetables doesn’t come with any PAH risk. Only meats create these chemicals.

Prioritize Food Safety to Reduce Foodborne Illness Risk

Food poisoning rates increase during the summer months since bacteria can grow faster in the heat. That makes keeping food out of the “danger zone”—40 to 140 degrees—especially important. You’ll want to start cooking your meat shortly after it’s out of the freezer, fridge, or cooler.

Beef, pork, veal, and lamb should reach an internal temperature of 145. Hamburgers made of ground beef, pork, veal, and lamb should reach 160, and poultry dishes should reach a minimum of 165.

According to Liz Shaw, MS, RDN, CPT, registered dietitian and author of Air Fryer Cookbook for Dummies, using a meat thermometer is the only surefire way to ensure foods hit the proper internal temperature while cooking.

“Consuming food that does not reach a safe internal temperature may put you at risk of getting food poisoning, so when in doubt, just temp your meat,” she told Verywell.

Shaw added it’s important to keep any utensils that have come into contact with raw meat away from cooked food or serving utensils.

“Have a system in place to swap out the tongs and plates that touched raw meat to avoid contaminating cooked meat with bacteria found on the raw cuts,” she said. “This helps to prevent the spread of foodborne illness as well.”

How to Prevent Salmonella

Focus on Heart-Healthy Cuts of Meat

When it comes to meat selection, some choices are better than others for heart health. That’s because fattier meats with higher levels of saturated fat can contribute to raising LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels.

Some lean cuts of meat with less saturated fat include flank steak, top sirloin filet, and tri-tip steak.One study showed thatfollowing a Mediterranean-style dietincluding these types of lean beef resulted in lower LDL cholesterol levels when compared to eating a standard American diet.

Eating excessive amounts of ultra processed meats, like hot dogs and sausages, can also result in high sodium consumption. Too much sodium is linked to elevated blood pressure, and high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

Tip: Incorporate AvocadoShaw suggests adding avocado to hamburgers in order to bolster heart health.

Tip: Incorporate Avocado

Shaw suggests adding avocado to hamburgers in order to bolster heart health.

Ditch Your Grill Brush

It’s not just food that can pose health concerns while grilling. Grill utensils carry a bit of risk, too.

“If you’re still using a metal brush to clean your grill, toss it,” Shaw said. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a case report over a decade ago that showed emergency room visits related to a foreign object ingestion, like a grill brush bristle, were on the rise.”

Instead of using a metal grill brush, use half an onion.

“Place it face-down on the grill,” Shaw said. “Then, insert a large fork in the center and rub it over the hot grill until all the debris and charcoal goes away.”

Try Grilling Vegetables

Registered dietitian Sara Haas, RSN, LDN, recommends grilling vegetables along with meat to help offset a fattier indulgence.

What This Means For YouIf you plan do to a lot of drilling this summer, there are a number of ways to make it safer and healthier, from the cuts of meat you choose to the way you clean your grill.

What This Means For You

If you plan do to a lot of drilling this summer, there are a number of ways to make it safer and healthier, from the cuts of meat you choose to the way you clean your grill.

8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Cancer Institute.Chemicals in meat cooked at high temperatures and cancer risk.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Avoid food poisoning during summer picnics.USDA.Grilling and food safety.Maki KC, Dicklin MR, Kirkpatrick CF.Saturated fats and cardiovascular health: Current evidence and controversies.J Clin Lipidol. 2021;15(6):765-772. doi:10.1016/j.jacl.2021.09.049National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.Lean beef cuts.Fleming JA, Kris-Etherton PM, Petersen KS, Baer DJ.Effect of varying quantities of lean beef as part of a Mediterranean-style dietary pattern on lipids and lipoproteins: a randomized crossover controlled feeding trial.Am J Clin Nutr.2021;113(5):1126-1136. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqaa375Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Sodium.Grand DJ, Egglin TK, Mayo-Smith WW, Cronan JJ.Injuries from ingestion of wire bristles from grill-cleaning brushes—Providence, Rhode Island, March 2011–June 2012.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2012;61(26):490-492.

8 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Cancer Institute.Chemicals in meat cooked at high temperatures and cancer risk.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Avoid food poisoning during summer picnics.USDA.Grilling and food safety.Maki KC, Dicklin MR, Kirkpatrick CF.Saturated fats and cardiovascular health: Current evidence and controversies.J Clin Lipidol. 2021;15(6):765-772. doi:10.1016/j.jacl.2021.09.049National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.Lean beef cuts.Fleming JA, Kris-Etherton PM, Petersen KS, Baer DJ.Effect of varying quantities of lean beef as part of a Mediterranean-style dietary pattern on lipids and lipoproteins: a randomized crossover controlled feeding trial.Am J Clin Nutr.2021;113(5):1126-1136. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqaa375Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Sodium.Grand DJ, Egglin TK, Mayo-Smith WW, Cronan JJ.Injuries from ingestion of wire bristles from grill-cleaning brushes—Providence, Rhode Island, March 2011–June 2012.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2012;61(26):490-492.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

National Cancer Institute.Chemicals in meat cooked at high temperatures and cancer risk.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Avoid food poisoning during summer picnics.USDA.Grilling and food safety.Maki KC, Dicklin MR, Kirkpatrick CF.Saturated fats and cardiovascular health: Current evidence and controversies.J Clin Lipidol. 2021;15(6):765-772. doi:10.1016/j.jacl.2021.09.049National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.Lean beef cuts.Fleming JA, Kris-Etherton PM, Petersen KS, Baer DJ.Effect of varying quantities of lean beef as part of a Mediterranean-style dietary pattern on lipids and lipoproteins: a randomized crossover controlled feeding trial.Am J Clin Nutr.2021;113(5):1126-1136. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqaa375Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Sodium.Grand DJ, Egglin TK, Mayo-Smith WW, Cronan JJ.Injuries from ingestion of wire bristles from grill-cleaning brushes—Providence, Rhode Island, March 2011–June 2012.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2012;61(26):490-492.

National Cancer Institute.Chemicals in meat cooked at high temperatures and cancer risk.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Avoid food poisoning during summer picnics.

USDA.Grilling and food safety.

Maki KC, Dicklin MR, Kirkpatrick CF.Saturated fats and cardiovascular health: Current evidence and controversies.J Clin Lipidol. 2021;15(6):765-772. doi:10.1016/j.jacl.2021.09.049

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.Lean beef cuts.

Fleming JA, Kris-Etherton PM, Petersen KS, Baer DJ.Effect of varying quantities of lean beef as part of a Mediterranean-style dietary pattern on lipids and lipoproteins: a randomized crossover controlled feeding trial.Am J Clin Nutr.2021;113(5):1126-1136. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqaa375

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Sodium.

Grand DJ, Egglin TK, Mayo-Smith WW, Cronan JJ.Injuries from ingestion of wire bristles from grill-cleaning brushes—Providence, Rhode Island, March 2011–June 2012.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2012;61(26):490-492.

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