There are many signs of summer: camping, mosquitoes, road trips, and of course the Labor Day BBQ. If you’re like most people you’ve already cooked more than a few meals on the grill this summer. While BBQing can be a very healthy way to eat, there have also been concerns about it contributing to health concerns like cancer. Here are the answers to the most common BBQ-related questions I’m asked:

One of the biggest concerns about BBQing is the possible link between BBQed food and cancer. Is there a real risk?
There is a link between BBQed foods and the risk of cancer. Basically, when foods like meat are heated over high temperatures or come in contact with flames, certain compounds can form. These compounds are called: Heterocyclic Amines (HCA) and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH). These compounds are known carcinogens. But, you don’t need to remember their names to lessen your risk of exposure to them.

How can we enjoy grilled food and still reduce our exposure to these cancer-causing agents?
Well, there are actually a few easy things that you can do to reduce your exposure to these compounds.

Choose foods that are low in fat like lean cuts of meat, poultry or fish. Heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are primarily formed when fats are heated to high temperatures or fall into the flames and create smoke. By choosing lean cuts of meat and of course vegetables which are naturally low in fat, you reduce the chance of these compounds forming at all.

You should also trim excess fat from meat prior to cooking it.

What about avoiding flare-ups as much as possible while you’re BBQing?
Paying attention while you’re BBQing helps to lessen the likelihood of flare-ups, intense smoking, and charring is helpful too, which can result in healthier meals.

What about marinating our foods prior to BBQing it? Does that have any impact?
Yes, definitely. Certain types of ingredients used in marinating foods can really impact the formation of carcinogens.

Marinate foods like meat in olive oil and lemon juice-based marinades. Research shows that these two items can reduce the formation of the cancer-causing compounds by up to 99 percent while cooking. Not to mention that they tenderize the meat, add great flavor, and help keep it moist during cooking.

Scientists at the Food Safety Consortium project at Kansas State University have discovered that herbs in a particular family used in marinades drastically reduce the formation of heterocyclic amines. These herbs include: basil, mint, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and sage. Simply use one or more of these herbs, preferably fresh, in a marinade prior to and during cooking. Fortunately, they add tremendous flavor so most people won’t even know you’re making they’re BBQed food healthier.

What about barbecued vegetables? Are they a healthy option?
Yes, as long as you avoid overcooking them. The longer they cook the more certain vitamins like vitamin C and B-complex vitamins break down. So don’t overcook them. Also, avoid eating any charred parts of the vegetables.

One of the easiest ways to make BBQing healthier is to add vegetables as much as possible. Making kebabs is a great way to do this. By alternating lean meat and vegetables, the veggies will not only add flavor, they’ll also help to keep the meat moist and add fiber and nutrients.

Does keeping your grill clean prior to cooking help as well?
Definitely. It’s important to keep your grill clean prior to every use. Not only is it more appetizing to eat food that’s been cooked on a clean grill, but you’ll be lessening the amount of char you consume. The charred parts of food can cause free radical formation in your body and since free radicals are linked with premature aging, disease, and tissue damage, it’s best to reduce your exposure as much as possible.

Do you have any final advice about healthy grilling?
Yes, I love BBQed food as much as the next person. So, I think it’s important to remember that you don’t have to give up BBQed food if you’re trying to eat healthy and follow a healthy lifestyle. You can have your grilled food and enjoy it too, along with your health by following the simple tips I mentioned like choosing lean meat (if you’re eating meat at all), marinating food in olive oil, lemon juice, and fresh herbs and adding more veggies to the grill.

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By Vasant Lad, Yoga+

Spring is the king of seasons — a time of sunshine and cheer, love and creativity. Mother Earth wakes up and causes sprouting; energy moves up; everything is blooming, full of color. We begin to feel more energetic and spend more time outdoors, where children are playing and the birds are singing. Spring is the season of celebration.

But it is also a time when many of us get spring colds. In addition, as flowers shed their pollen and emit sweet fragrances, many people get hay fever and allergies.

The qualities of spring are warm, moist, gentle, and unctuous. Due to the warmth, the accumulated snow and ice of winter begin to melt. Similarly, accumulated kapha (the mind-body force responsible for lubrication and sustained energy) in the body starts liquefying and running.

If you have a runny nose, asthma, congestion, or allergies; if you are feeling lazy, greedy, or attached, you probably have excess kapha. The best way to avoid these symptoms is to follow a kapha-reducing regimen. Try these seven time-tested tips and you’ll enjoy the best of spring.

Add Energizing Herbs to Your Diet
Good kapha-reducing herbs for spring include ginger, black pepper, trikatu, kutki, punarnava. Look for them online or at your local Indian or health food store.

Spring Detox
Try a weekly juice fast with fresh fruits and veggies such as carrots, beets, broccoli, parsley, apples, pomegranates, or berries, and take one teaspoon of triphala (an ayurvedic herbal compound) with a cup of hot water at night to keep the colon clean. You can also sign up for a 3- to 10-day panchakarma treatment at a well-reputed ayurveda clinic. Panchakarma, a cleansing and rejuvenation regimen, detoxifies the system, purifies the bodily tissues, and strengthens the immune system. Then, under the guidance of a qualified practitioner, follow instructions for a personalized rasayana (ayurvedic rejuvenation therapy) that will leave you feeling light and vivacious.

Stay Active
Sleeping after sunrise imbalances the kapha dosha. Instead, wake up early and go for a morning walk. Then practice invigorating sun salutations and asanas like fish, boat, bow, locust, lion, camel, headstand, and shoulderstand. Follow your hatha routine with energizing pranayama practices like bhastrika (the breath of fire), kapalabhati (the glowing skull breath), and brahmari (the bumble-bee breath.)

Adapt Your Diet
Agni (digestive fire) is low in the spring. That’s why ayurveda suggests eating less than you did in winter — when agni is high — especially if your predominant dosha is kapha.

Eat light, warming foods.
Bitter, pungent, and astringent foods are ideal for the spring. Enjoy a whole-foods diet of legumes such as yellow split peas, red lentils, garbanzos, pinto beans, soy products, and grains such as barley, buckwheat, corn, millet, or oats. For vegetables, try broccoli, radishes, spinach, okra, asparagus, artichokes, and onions, with hot spices like garlic, ginger, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and chili pepper. Salads with spring greens like dandelion and fresh-leaf lettuces will reduce kapha (although vata-dominant people should eat these sparingly). You can also eat pears, plums, apples, pomegranates, and rhubarb in moderation.

Digestive Drinks.
To keep your agni strong, drink a tea of cumin, coriander, and fennel powder in equal proportions, or make a homemade lassi: Combine 1 part yogurt with 4 parts water and 1/4 teaspoon of roasted cumin seed. Blend until creamy.

Avoid cold, heavy foods.
Sour, sweet, and salty foods like citrus fruits, ice cream, and potato chips increase the kapha dosha and should be avoided. Also reduce your use of dairy products and iced drinks — they dampen your digestive fire.

Use More Honey.
According to ayurveda, honey is heating and helps balance kapha in the spring. Use it as an alternative sweetener, or treat yourself to a cup of hot water with a teaspoon of honey.

Vasant Lad, BAMS, MASc, is a world-renowned ayurvedic physician and author. He is the founder of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His first name comes from the Sanskrit word vasanta, which means “spring”!

Yoga+ is an award-winning, independent magazine that contemplates the deeper dimensions of spiritual life--exploring the power of yoga practice and philosophy to not only transform our bodies and minds, but inspire meaningful engagement in our society, environment, and the global community.