4 barbecue solutions

-- Cook Smart: You can reduce dangerous HCAs dramatically by microwaving, poaching, stewing or roasting meat, poultry and fish. Or by partially cooking it by those methods, then finishing it on the grill. Or by eating some cuts of meat on the rare side. There are not many HCAs in a piece of meat seared on the grill and eaten rare or medium rare, says James S. Felton, biochemist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. It's people who like their meat well-done who are most at risk. One large survey found that colon cancer patients were twice as apt to eat meat well-done. To kill dangerous E. coli bacteria, however, ground meat should be cooked at least until the juices turn from red to yellow.

-- Add Soy Protein to Burgers: Adding textured vegetable protein (also known as soybean protein or TVP) to ground meat blocks the formation of 95 percent of HCAs. John Weisburger at the American Health Foundation created a burger using 10 percent soy protein and 90 percent ground beef. When cooked, the burger contained only 5 percent of the normal HCAs. (See an adapted recipe below, the Anti-Cancer Hamburger.) You can mix the soybean protein into burgers made from any type of ground meat -- beef, pork, veal, lamb, turkey. And there is no noticeable difference in taste or texture. (Tip: Try the protein in casseroles as a non-fat, low-cost meal stretcher.)

-- Drink Tea and Eat Garlic: Studies show that chemicals in tea block the formation of HCAs as well as carcinogenic nitrosamines. Chemicals in garlic also inhibit the creation of HCAs. For it to work, you must consume the tea and garlic with the meat.

-- And to reduce another chemical hazard: Don't eat the black stuff. The char on barbecued meat contains cancer-causing chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. They get there by direct contact with flames and by condensate that forms on the surface of the meat from rising smoke and molecules of fat drippings. Scrape them off the surface. Do not eat the charred skin of barbecued meat, poultry or fish.

4 better choices for dedicated meat eaters

-- Eat less red meat: A six-year study of 90,000 women by Harvard's Walter Willett found those who ate a main dish of red meat daily (5 ounces of beef, pork or lamb) were 250 percent more likely to develop colon cancer than women who ate meat less than once a month. The more meat eaten, the greater the risk. Eating fish and skinless chicken cut the risk. In a Norwegian study, men who ate the most processed meat, notably sausage, had the highest rates of colon cancer.

-- Watch the Iron intake: Meat is high in heme-type iron. For men and post-menopausal women, excess iron stored in the body may promote heart disease, cancer and premature aging, studies suggest. A Harvard study found that men eating the most heme iron had a 43 percent higher heart attack risk than those eating the least. So cut down on the amount of meat you eat.

-- Restrict salted, smoked and cured meats: These contain a preservative, sodium nitrite, that in the stomach can combine with other chemicals to form nitrosamines, a potent family of carcinogens. Nitrosamines are linked in particular to stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer, brain cancer and leukemia. Restrict cured meats such as ham, hot dogs, cold cuts and salt pork. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables for antioxidants that block the formation of nitrosamines.

-- Trim fat and don't eat the poultry skin: Meat is often high in cholesterol and saturated fat, the type most apt to raise blood cholesterol and promote artery clogging, thus heart attacks and strokes. Animal fat also is linked to certain cancers, including prostate and breast cancer. Research shows that eating very lean meat does not raise cholesterol.

Good news about fast-food burgers

Burgers at McDonald's, Burger King and five other chains have nearly zero HCAs, a brand-new study reports. Why? The burgers are very thin and, although fried till well-done, apparently are not cooked long enough to create HCAs.

Note: Many burgers are still high in saturated fat.

A NEW GRILLING BASIC: YOUR MICROWAVE

-- To avoid cancer-causing HCAs, briefly microwave meat, poultry and fish, then pop the partially cooked food onto a grill for final searing.

-- Why? Juices produced during precooking contain much of the creatinine, which forms HCAs. Drain off juices and don't use them in gravy or sauce.

-- Hamburger precooked 2 minutes in the microwave and then grilled has about 90 percent fewer HCAs than a raw burger cooked on the grill until well-done.

-- Chicken and ribs: Microwave 5 to 15 minutes, depending on size, before grilling.

Recipes for safer grilling

Anti-Cancer, Anti-Aging Hamburger

From John Weisburger, as adapted from Jean Carper's new book, Stop Aging Now!

1 pound lean ground beef

¹/2 cup textured vegetable protein (a soy protein sold in health food stores and some supermarkets)

2 Tbs. cold water

Salt and pepper, to taste

Put all in a large bowl. Knead until combined. Form into four patties; grill, broil or fry. Serve on whole-grain buns with sliced onion for antioxidant protection. Serves 4.

Per patty: 241 calories, 24g protein, 2.5g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 14.9g fat (5.9g saturated), 63mg sodium.

Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, 8-10 ounces, cut in half

2 Tbs. honey

2 Tbs. Dijon mustard

2 peeled garlic cloves, put through press

1 tsp. fresh thyme

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Microwave the chicken, covered, for 2 ¹/2 minutes on high. Pat dry. Mix remaining ingredients and brush on both sides of chicken. Grill 5 minutes on each side or until done, brushing on more honey-mustard mixture if desired. Serves 2.

Per serving: 222 calories, 30.5g protein, 20g carbohydrates, 0.6g fiber, 2.4g fat (0.5g saturated), 280mg sodium.

Grilled Peppered Salmon

2 -- 6-ounce salmon steaks

1 tsp. cracked black pepper (do not substitute regular black pepper)

Olive oil or canola spray

Salt, to taste

Cover salmon and microwave on high for 1 minute. Pat steaks dry. Press ¹/4 tsp. pepper into each side of steaks and spray with olive oil. Grill 2 minutes on each side. Squeeze on lime juice. Serves 2.

Per steak: 254 calories, 33g protein, 7g carbohydrates, 0.3g fiber, 12g fat (1.8g saturated), 80mg sodium.