Chicken, Cherries and HCAs

Chicken?  Sounds good.  Cherries?  Same.  HCA's?  What the?

HCAs are heterocyclic amines which are chemicals formed when muscle meat, including beef, pork, fish, or poultry, is cooked using high-temperature methods, such as pan frying or grilling directly over an open flame.

Found in particularly high concentration in chicken skin, they're linked to elevated levels of certain cancers.

So, no more grilling?

Not at all!  It turns out that eating cherries with your grilled proteins can reduce the concentration of HCA's by up to 90% (according to a study conducted at Michigan State University)!

Other techniques to reduce the presence of this toxin include rubbing the skin with vitamin E oil and/or flaxseed oil.

Sounds like a great reason to whip up a lovely jus featuring pureed cherries to serve at your next Paleo BBQ!