#AGEs #AdvancedGlycationEndproducts #BBQ #inflammation #cookingmethodsmatter #howtoenjoyahealthybbq #healthybbqtips #reduceinflammation #antiaging #agewell #wrinkles #agesmakeyoulookold #inflammatoryfoods
Barbecues are fun! It's a time to gather with friends and family, enjoy delicious food, and have a great time outdoors. But sometimes, the yummy BBQ foods can make our bodies feel not so great afterward. This is because of something called Advanced Glycation Endproducts (AGEs). Ok, the amount of alcohol you’ve had with a BBQ can definitely have an impact there, but AGEs may also play a role and funnily - yes they also make you AGE!
What Are AGEs? Imagine you’re making toast. When you heat the bread, it turns brown and crispy. That’s kind of what happens with AGEs in our food. AGEs form when proteins or fats combine with sugar in our food during cooking, especially when cooked at high temperatures like grilling, frying, or baking. This process is called the Maillard reaction, and it’s what makes food taste so good but can also be harmful if we eat too much of it.
How Do AGEs Affect Our Bodies? When we eat foods with a lot of AGEs, they can cause inflammation in our bodies. Inflammation is like our body’s way of saying it’s angry or hurt. It can make us feel tired, sore and cranky, and can even lead to more serious health problems if it happens a lot.
Foods and Cooking Methods High in AGEs
Some foods and cooking methods create more AGEs than others. Here’s a list of foods and cooking methods that make a lot of AGEs:
Grilled or BBQ meats: When you cook meat at high temperatures, it creates a lot of AGEs.
Fried foods: Deep-frying makes food crispy and delicious but also high in AGEs.
Baked goods: Cookies, cakes, and bread are often high in AGEs because they are baked at high temperatures.
Processed foods: Things like chips, crackers, and store-bought snacks often have high levels of AGEs because they are cooked at high heat and have added sugars.
How to Reduce AGEs in Your BBQ
Don’t worry, you can still enjoy a tasty BBQ without loading up on AGEs. I have prepared some tips for you:
Cook at lower temperatures: Try roasting or baking at lower temperatures instead of grilling on high heat. In fact, moist cooking methods like boiling, steaming, and poaching are better ways to cook because they don’t create as many AGEs.
Marinate your meat: Using acidic marinades (like lemon juice or vinegar) can reduce the formation of AGEs when grilling.
Add spices before grilling: Spices are particularly high in polyphenols. Add spices, especially allspice, star anise, cloves, cinnamon, and oregano to the food before heating to help offset the glycation products that can form with the heat.
Trim off the burnt pieces: The ends of food (crusts) tend to be most damaged, so don't eat the blackened pieces when you can avoid doing so.
Partner grilled foods with fresh foods: Researchers found that eating a hamburger resulted in inflammation afterwards, but adding 1/2 an avocado to that burger neutralized that inflammation! So, when you have browned foods, bring in some antioxidants and chlorophyll with avocado, tomatoes, leafy green salad, fresh parsley, blueberries… and definitely skip the mayo and ketchup!
How AGEs Affect Aging and Menopause
AGEs don’t just make us feel bad after a BBQ; they can also make us age faster. This is because AGEs damage our cells and make our skin less elastic, leading to wrinkles. They also make it harder for our bodies to repair themselves.
For women, AGEs can make perimenopause and menopause symptoms worse. AGEs can make symptoms like hot flashes, mood swings, and joint pain more severe because they increase inflammation and stress in the body.
By making these simple changes, you can enjoy all the fun of BBQs without the bad effects of AGEs on your body. Enjoy your summer BBQs and stay healthy!
For those who are motivated, check out the database overview of AGEs amounts in foods in general here!
You've already learnt that the cooking method matters, but it especially affects meats, poultry, eggs and certain fish as you can see in the tables.
Worst choices are full fat dairy products and butter, any McDonalds foods, Frankfurter, bacon, any processed foods or baked goods and some nuts especially pine nuts, cashew nuts, peanuts and almonds (even worse when grilled obviously) - these are highest in AGEs.
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