ClubWeightLoss.com

Have you heard the phrase “carmelized”? Carmelized simply means cooking meats or fish, and sometimes vegetables like onions or peppers, until they are burned and crispy on the edges. They turn brown or even black in places and taste slightly sweet even though you’ve added no sugars.

Endless recipes call for you to carmelize various meats or fish or chicken. And you’ll find an equal number of menus listing carmelized onions or vegetables. In some restaurants, you’ll see so-called “sizzling plates” like fajitas in Mexican cafes, or sizzling scallops in Chinese restaurants.

Wouldn’t you know it — scientists have found out that cooking foods at high temperatures until this sweetening or carmelization occurs is extremely bad for your health. High temperatures cause the proteins in foods to bond chemically to the sugars and carbohydrates, producing cancerogenic molecules called “glycenated proteins”. They act to increase the production of certain pro-inflammatory cytokines in the body, which raises your risk for insulin resistant diseases — heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and of course, cancer.

What should you do in stead of carmelizing your meats?

Cook quickly with a little water added to the olive oil or small amounts of coconut oil or even butter if you’re using butter these days.

Cook at lower temperatures. Adding a bit of water to the pan will help lower cooking temperatures and prevent carmelization.

Cook until medium rare or rare, never well done.

Add spices and sauces to give color so that people do not notice the lack of carmelization. Alternatives include low-salt soy sauce, wheat based coloring sauces, barley and other grain based sauces.

A little experimentation will produce the right mixture of creativity, healthy cooking and delicious flavors you and your family and guests will love. And, they’ll add years to their lives by eating your new creations!