New Year’s Grilled Food Consumption, Dangerous? Here’s What an IPB University Nutrition Expert Says
The tradition of consuming grilled foods, such as roasted corn and grilled meat, often becomes part of year-end celebrations. However, behind its popularity, many people are concerned about the potential health risks from the grilling process.
Responding to this, Dr Karina Rahmadia Ekawidyani, a lecturer from the Department of Community Nutrition at IPB University, explained that grilling does indeed affect the nutritional content of food, but its impact is not always negative.
Dr Karina explained, “Scientifically, grilling can reduce the content of certain nutrients. The process of grilling food can alter its nutritional value, including decreasing water-soluble vitamins such as vitamin C and vitamin B.”
In addition, high-temperature heating, especially for animal proteins like chicken and beef, can trigger the formation of carcinogenic compounds, namely polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs).
Not All Are Dangerous
Even so, she emphasized that not all grilled foods are automatically dangerous. Dr Karina explained that the formation of carcinogenic compounds generally occurs in animal protein sources that are grilled at very high temperatures, especially until they are charred.
In other words, the condition and type of food ingredients become the main determining factors for health risks. The grilling process for some types of foods can actually provide benefits.
“The types of foods that are relatively safer to grill are vegetables,” she explained. In certain vegetables, grilling can break down cell walls so that nutrients such as lycopene, beta-carotene, and other antioxidants become more easily absorbed by the body.
In fact, some minerals such as potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and manganese are reported to increase in grilled eggplant. Meanwhile, sodium levels increase in zucchini processed using a similar method.
To minimize risks and maintain nutritional quality, Dr Karina suggested several practical steps. She recommended that animal protein sources be marinated first using spices, herbs, and seasonings. In addition, food should not be grilled until charred and should not be placed directly over the fire. (dr) (IAAS/KMR)
