Dear Health Conscious Friend,

I can picture it now... The aroma of the fire as the coals catch... The sizzle as the steak touches the grill... The tickle of the tastebuds. Hmmm, there really is nothing like a good old South African braai. It's tradition. It's a way of life.

But did you know that char-grilling your chicken could cause cancer?

Dr Spreen reveals more, keep reading...

In the name of good health,

Taryn Strugnell
Managing Editor of Nutrition & Healing

Slash your cancer risk by cooking your meat the right way
Dr Allan Spreen,
FSP Nutritionals
  
Braaiing is as South African as it gets. And who doesn't enjoy a nice juicy steak hot off the grill? But did you know that cooking your meat this way could increase your risk of colorectal, stomach, lung, pancreatic, breast and prostate cancers? That's because beef, chicken, fish and pork cooked at high temperatures (or until it's "well done") releases a type of carcinogen called HCA (heterocyclic amines).

According to the National Cancer Institute, "HCAs form when amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) and creatine (a chemical found in muscles) react at high cooking temperatures." And of all the meats, minced beef tends to release the most HCAs. That's one reason why it's a better choice to leave your steak and burgers a little pink on the inside. It will lower your HCA exposure.

Here's another way to lower HCA exposure, without having to give up the braai: Use herbs. A recent study found that adding certain herbs to your meat could lower HCAs by up to 40%!

The research team tried adding cumin, coriander seeds, galangal, fingerroot, rosemary and turmeric to beef patties. They found the herbs and spices blocked HCAs from forming, even when they cooked the meat at high temperatures. One of my favourite herbs - rosemary - lowered HCAs the most. Scientists believe these herbs and spices contain potent antioxidants that disable many of the HCAs before the cooking begins.

So next time you fire up the braai, add some chopped rosemary to your burgers. And if you're eating steak, chicken or fish, make a garlic-rosemary marinade. Just add chopped garlic, rosemary, olive oil, vinegar and soy sauce to a Ziploc bag with your meat and marinate for 6-8 hours. This will block nearly half of the HCAs in the meat from ever forming. And if you want to lower HCAs even more, pre-cook your meat on a low setting for a few minutes in the microwave before hitting the braai. According to the National Cancer Institute, this alone zaps almost 90% of HCAs!

The sure sign you should call a chiropractor

Q: The other day I found a sore spot at the bottom of my breastbone. Upon investigating, I found it was sore all around the spot. Should I be concerned?

JVW: While I can't say for certain, it sounds like a condition known as "costochondritis". Sometimes vitamin B6 helps, especially for women, but more often it's caused by a strain on this joint stemming from a misalignment in your back.

You can check to see if your back might be misaligned by using a finger to press firmly on each of the vertebral spines - the row of bony bumps down the middle of your back. If one or more of them hurt when you press them, you should make an appointment with a chiropractor to correct the misalignment. It'll likely take care of that and it may very well also eliminate the misalignment that could be the root cause of the pain you noticed around your breastbone.