Summer Eating, Recipes, and Grilling Tips By Jessica Yoches, MNT What are the best foods to consume in the hot summer months? According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the body craves light, cooling, and refreshing foods in the summer, such as the abundance of fruits and vegetables in season. Plants go through the cycle of sprouting, leafing, flowering, and fruiting. Sprouts and leafy greens debut in the Spring, followed by the flowering or fruiting of the plant in the summer when we get to enjoy broccoli “flowers”and fruits like peaches and watermelon. Summer grilling is a popular way to cook both meat and vegetables as it is outside, out of the kitchen, and easy to cook for crowds or entertaining. Grilling is a healthy way to cook food if done correctly; a few tips for optimal grilling methods follow: Well done meat contains toxic compounds called heterocyclic amines, or HCAs, that are produced from the meat’s amino acids and sugars when exposed to high temperatures. Cut off the charred parts of the meat as they contain the highest HCA levels. Bacon and pork have the highest HCA levels, followed by beef, chicken, and fish. Grilled fruits and vegetables are non-toxic as they do not contain amino acids; they are fine cooked at high temperatures. Marinating meat, even just for a few minutes, significantly reduces HCAs. Use a vinegar-based but sugarless marinade; sugar from conventional barbeque sauces contain triple the HCA levels. Turmeric, garlic, spices, gluten-free soy sauce or coconut aminos, lemon or citrus, and fresh herbs are tasty and anti-carcinogenic marinade options. At The Healing Center Denver we help distinguish individual food allergies and sensitivities . Because many...
