Benefits and harms of kebab

According to the law of meanness, the tastier the food, the less useful it is. This law works in the case of kebabs. Really, how much do we think about the benefits and harms of kebabs? Let’s weigh the pros and cons.

The harms of kebabs:

• Carcinogens (cancer-causing substances). They are contained in the vapors formed when fat falls on hot coals. Volatile substances (namely benzopyrenes) rise up, get on the pieces of meat and settle on them. Unfortunately, the dark overcooked crust that many people love also contains carcinogenic elements.
• If you roast the meat poorly, it may still contain various infections, E. coli, causing dysbacteriosis.

Who and what kebabs are contraindicated:

• Heavy for digestion mutton is better not to try those who have problems with the stomach and intestines.
• People suffering from ulcer diseases and liver diseases should not eat shashlik with spicy seasonings, ketchup, lemon juice.
• Any meat soaked in kefir, with caution should be used by people with unstable acidity levels, because they can wait for heartburn and bloating of the stomach. In addition, such meat should not be washed down with wine: the meat can be more slowly broken down and digested, which again can lead to stomach upset.
• Doctors do not recommend eating kebabs often to people suffering from kidney disease and the elderly.

How to reduce the harm of kebabs:

• On the day of the picnic in the morning, do not pile on fast carbohydrates – after a while they will provoke a sharp feeling of hunger, and you can overdo it with shashlik(it is usually recommended to eat no more than 200 grams of shashlik in one meal).
• Marinate the meat well! A quality marinade, especially an acidic one, is partly a defense against carcinogens and against germs.
• It’s better to grill kebabs over wood rather than charcoal. In addition, cook on the fire should be 20-25 minutes after using the liquid for ignition, so that its vapors had time to burn out.
• If you cannot eat spicy foods, replace ketchups, spices and lemon juice with tomato sauce or pomegranate juice. The choice of sauces for kebabs is not limited to ketchup alone!
• Cut off the fried crust and (oh horror!) don’t eat it.
• Vodka paired with kebab has a devastating effect on the liver. However, for better breakdown of fats, you may well drink shashlik with vodka, but the dose, no more than 100 grams. From alcoholic drinks shashlik is better to drink dry red wine. Many people drink shashlik with plain water, it is better than carbonated water, but it dilutes the gastric juice, so the food is digested not so intensively.
• To reduce the harm of charcoal-cooked meat, eat with it any green vegetables and fresh herbs (cilantro, dill, parsley, ramson, leafy salads).
• Do not snack on tomatoes – they contain substances that can slow down the digestion of protein.
• Shashlyk should not be accompanied by the same “heavy” appetizers – sausage, slices, sprats, which in large quantities contain salt and fat.

A few words in defense of shashliks:

• A properly cooked kebab reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and arthritis.
• Meat properly cooked over charcoal retains more vitamins and trace elements beneficial to humans than regular fried meat.
• Meat cooked on coals has fewer calories than fried meat. By the way, a real kebab is a completely dietary dish, since it is baked, not fried.

Talking about the benefits of kebabs is quite difficult. However, if you follow the principles of their proper preparation and consumption, shashliks, at least, will not cause significant harm to health.