With our first nice weather of the year, I picked up some rib eyes and we fired up the grill. I like keeping the grill temperature low not just for taste, but for health reasons too! Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhoto.net and artur84.

The Diet Doctor is on the case…again! This time around he tackles why red meat eaters get more colon cancer. Before freaking out and deciding to toss out that delicious cow meat, keep a couple of things in mind:

• The studies conducted are observational. Meaning that correlation does not equal causation. Most findings from observational studies are typically proven wrong, exaggerated or misleading.
• The associated risk is with processed meats. We’re not talking about prime cuts or ground meat. Think bagged pepperoni, ham and nitrate-loaded bacon.

The problem with these “findings” has more to do with researchers’ bias and bad reporting. We’ve been eating meat since man stood upright (and even before then). Yet now we’re seeing a slight increase in colon cancer. Hmmmm…something is afoot.

How Do You Cook Your Meat?
Turns out, how you cook meat is pretty important. Just like with cooking oils, meat cooked with excessively high heat can create new substances and some are not healthy. Many folks do like to turn the heat on high when cooking meat.

Your best bet: Don’t eat charred meat. While not proven, there is the chance that charred meat might be harmful if it’s in prolonged contact with mucus membranes (which are found in the colon and rectum).

You may also want to avoid cooking meat until well-done. This might be a tough one for some folks to swallow. Hey, I’m a late bloomer to enjoying meats cooked to medium. But I must say, I got over my fears and can’t see myself going back.

Check out the Diet Doctor’s take on this topic and learn which oils/fats are best for cooking meats.