Summertime – Managing the Grill

June 21, 2011 in Cooking & Baking Hints, General, Mediterranean, Nutrition, Weight Management by Joyce Bunderson

Summer can be an ideal time to drop some unwanted pounds. First, our appetites are often diminished in hot weather, making a smaller volume of food perfectly satisfactory. Many of us have learned that heavy foods can contribute to feeling too warm. In addition, there is such a wonderful variety of low-calorie spring and summer vegetables available to replace higher calorie dishes. For example, vegetable-based salads used as the entire meal make a great replacement.

Having said the above, I want to remind us all to recall the protein section of the MyPlate graphic that replaced the Food Pyramid. I wrote about it last week in the article called An Improvement- Plate over Pyramid? In this blog I want to spend a little time focusing on why the protein section of MyPlate is smaller than the other sections, and how that relates to summer eating, weight-control/loss, health and nutrition. To begin, the MyPlate recommendation is that most adults need about 5 to 6 ounces of protein food per day. Or another way of looking at that recommendation is 2 ½ to 3 ounces twice a day; or if you want protein food three times per day it would be between 1.7 ounces to 2 ounces, three times per day. How often do we see a 1.7 to 2.5 ounce steak at a barbecue?

When you see the word protein on the MyPlate symbol, think about all the foods that are good sources of protein. Meat is not the only food included in the protein section; beans and peas, nuts, seeds, eggs, fish, and poultry are also sources of protein. So you see, the need for any kind of animal protein, let alone of a large portion of red meat, is not necessary to supply the daily amount.

Let me be clear; I am not suggesting that if you love steak, you can never have a steak again, if you want to be healthy. I am suggesting, however that you may want to consider, having some meatless meals to balance out the occasional steak. Or use meat sparingly, as I suggested in last week’s article. I alluded to meals that have animal meat as a secondary ingredient. Think of Chinese-style meals, in which the meat, poultry, or fish is a small nibble, here or there in a mostly vegetable stir-fry, for example.

NPR (National Public Radio) reported that the author of Planet Barbecue and host of PBS’ Primal Grill Steven Raichlen, says that Americans are not going to throw out their grills, as a result of MyPlate. But they might start thinking about using meat the way many other countries around the world do – as more of a flavorful condiment than “this belly-bludgeoning, plate-burying hunk of protein.”

There are real health reasons to move toward a more plant-based eating style, that we have so often called the Mediterranean-style of eating. In a new report from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) the resulting recommendations are to limit the consumption of red meat and completely avoid processed meats. Their studies ‘confirm’ that red and processed meats increase the risk of bowel cancer.

Dr. Alan Jackson of the University of Southampton, the chair of the WCRF said “Our review has found strong evidence that many cases of bowel cancer are not inevitable and that people can significantly reduce their risk by making changes to their diet and lifestyle.” The WCRF referred to the report (the full report is available for download) as “the most authoritative ever report on bowel cancer risk” and said the results “confirmed that there is convincing evidence that both red and processed meat increase bowel cancer risk.” They suggest that red meat should be limited to 500 grams per week (17.6 ounces). That brings us to 2.5 ounces per day; not per meal. That daily limit for red meat is less than half the 5-6 oz of all kinds of protein recommended by the USDA’s MyPlate.

Unfortunately, the Western Diet and modern culture has enshrined a large chunk of meat as the epitome of good living, enjoyment, and success in life. These cultural stereotypes have in no small measure been encouraged by the suggestions, both overt and subtle, in advertizing sponsored by the large and influential meat industry. Given the obesity epidemic, their advertisements increasingly try to emphasize health benefits of proteins from meats.  But health benefits can be found in general only when red meats are eaten in small portions, and less frequently. Since advertizing (and lower costs due to government subsidies) have led to increasingly large and increasingly frequent portions, advertizing has been a major force in getting us to where we are today: passionate meat lovers (and frequently belligerent about it), seeing our choice to eat and overeat it as a fundamental right, and the increasingly visible result of becoming overweight and disease-prone.

Having said the above, I must add: That a large serving of meat goes back for several generations – it’s now the norm. Americans have trumpeted protein (and I’m not talking nuts, beans, whole grains and vegetables) as almost a nutrition miracle nutrient. Socially it can be challenging for vegetarians. People often expect that you will enjoy having your plate covered with a ‘roast.’ Sharon Palmer R.D. recently wrote, “And don’t forget the old cliché that vegetarian eating is about as hip and tasty as munching on alfalfa sprouts and granola.” Vegetarianism my still hold that old stigma, but the numbers are growing and the population, in general, is learning the benefits of plant foods.

While Vic and I are not vegans, or even vegetarians, we do enjoy many meals without meat and some with no animal protein. Our most frequent animal proteins are fish, chicken, yogurt, milk, and eggs. These work very nicely for us; but when we have guests, or are guests; we accommodate our eating style to fit others. When we have guests, it’s fairly easy – there are always abundant fruit and vegetable offerings; and we will serve ourselves a fairly small meat or poultry portion, if meat is served. Often, when we are guests, there are vegetables that we can serve generously. But, we have, in all honesty, been at a dinner table where there was a serving bowl with only enough vegetables for each individual to have a 1/3 or ½ cup serving. That is difficult for us; but the fact is that a meal out of our norm, now and then, will probably not kill us – so we choose not to make it an issue.

In addition to its recommendations about greatly reducing meat intake, the review panel also found the protective role that fiber gives against bowel cancer to be “convincing;” by eating foods like whole grains, beans and peas, fruit and vegetables risk can be significantly reduced.

What can you do?

  • My suggestion is, if you presently consume red meat frequently and in sizable portions, that you contemplate where you are and start moving away from the diet high in red meat. What do you enjoy? Can you have poultry more frequently? Can you be satisfied with less red meat? Can you be satisfied with a menu with more vegetables? How about a meal of vegetables and whole grains from time to time? Maybe even a meatless day or two a week.
  • Consider a variety of grilled vegetables sprinkled with herbs and balsamic vinegar – you may be pleasantly surprised. Tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini and/or yellow squash, onions, peppers, parboiled carrots, mushrooms, and corn on the cob (really a grain, but a nice plant-based addition).
  • Avoid hot dogs, bratwursts, kielbasa and sausages on your grill. Even if they weren’t so strongly rejected by the WCRF, they’re loaded with sodium and fat. Maybe consider saving hot dogs and the like for the annual fair or a baseball game.
  • Most cuts of red meat -- pork (Note: forget that ‘white meat’ marketing scheme), beef, and lamb -- that can be put directly on the grill are from the fattiest part of the animal. It may take a little practice and some new recipes; but skinless chicken, lean ground beef, fish will deliver less fat and, of course, fewer calories.
  • Grilled fish, chicken, shrimp served on a big salad can be a delightful and refreshing meal.

Pulling away from an all-too-frequent grilled summer steak dinner may actually have a net gain – reduced risk of bowel cancer and some weight loss to boot. Good Health Can Be Yummy! Try something new today.