10 Health Benefits of Grilling Foods

If you’re craving for grilled meat, the temperature outside doesn’t matter — it’s always a great weather for grilling. From burgers to brats, there’s a ton of great options to sear and savor. And while grilling is a lot of fun, there are health benefits you can get from it, too.

1.Grilling adds a unique flavor to meat, vegetables, fish, and other foods

Any type of food you put on a griller is automatically imbued with a distinctive flavor that everybody knows you can’t get from other types of food preparation. How the food tastes highly depends on the heat source and the grill type, which is typically wood, electricity, gas or modern charcoal types, such as kamado style grills.

Each of these sources has its own unique and pleasant flavor to bring, and experimenting with different kinds of charcoal and wood can produce a variety of fine and delicious tastes.

2. You consume less fat

When grilling, you eat less fat since the excess drips off the grates. Imagine cooking a patty in a pan versus on the grill. In a pan, the fat pools around the meat because it has nowhere to go, and eventually finds its way back into the meat. On the grill, on the other hand, the fat is getting cooked off and any excess drips.

3. Grilled vegetables are healthier

A lot of people don’t know that vegetables retain more of their nutrients when they’re grilled, especially low water content veggies. You’ll also likely to use the freshest and in season vegetables when grilling in favor of canned ones. Simple place veggies on top of your grill or wrap them in tin foil. Cooking vegetables this way is more advantageous than frying or boiling in terms of nutrition.

4. Grilled meat retains nutrients

Tossing meat over the fire, like vegetables, is also healthier. This way of cooking preserves more thiamine and riboflavin — nutrients that are essential if you want to maintain a healthy diet. And as mentioned, your meat has less fat on it, too. That is also proved by a research article done by the American Meat Science Association.

5. Grilled meat is juicier

Because grills operate at high temperatures, the moisture in your meat cuts is locked in as you cook. The end result is a lump of juicy, tender meat, that is if you followed proper cooking practices. With the right temperature, the inside of the meat is cooked well without forcing the moisture out. With the moisture locked inside, the flavor of the food is more enhanced.

6. Less butter needed

When food is properly cooked in a grill, you’ll produce juicer cuts of meat and tastier vegetables. As said above, grilling preserves the moisture in food, so there’s no need to reach for the butter or other flavor enhancers to improve the taste of your food. With less butter, you get to avoid additional calories, which is a good thing if you’re aiming for a healthier diet.

7. You lower your sodium intake

High levels of sodium aren’t good for our health and when you prepare dinner at home, you have the ability to control the amount of sodium in your food. Fast foods and processed foods often have high sodium content in them, so cooking from scratch is your best bet if you want to avoid too much salt in your food.

8. Grilling is more convenient

Grilling allows for a shorter amount of time when preparing meals compared to other methods such as frying or baking. A grill can cook food in a fraction of the time, making the method both expedient and convenient. When grilling, you also get to enjoy the outdoors instead of being confined in a kitchen.

9. Versatility of styles and recipes

Depending on your health requirements and your taste preference, you can grill food in several methods. You can smoke it or go for rotisserie cooking, indirect heat roast, direct heat searing, or simply trow a burger on the grill. There are also a lot of recipes you can choose from. Pretty much every cuisine in the world has recipes that should be cooked on a grill, so you’ll never run out of options.

10. Grilling is a social activity

Grilling gets you outdoors, which as social beings, we clearly need. While grilling your favorite food outside, you can also spend time with friends and family. Eating outdoors encourages more activity, which is an important health bonus that’s best paired with a healthy and scrumptious dinner.

Grilling has nor rules, except for the fact that you need to be safe with all your cooking experiments. Don’t leave your griller unattended, and make sure not to bring an open flame inside the house. When working with charcoal or fire grills, never allow children to go near it.

Other than these rules, what’s left is to enjoy the activity and the food that comes along with it. Grilling is fun, but safety should be your first priority. Get to know more healthy recipes you can cook on a grill and experiment with flavors to get the best out of the whole experience.