According to the National Cancer Institute, "HCAs form when amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) and creatine (a chemical found in muscles) react at high cooking temperatures." And of all the meats, ground beef tends to release the most HCAs. That‘s one reason why it‘s a better choice to leave your steak and burgers a little pink on the inside. It will lower your HCA exposure.

Here‘s another way to lower HCA exposure, without having to give up the grill: use herbs. A recent study found that adding certain herbs to your meat could lower HCAs by up to 40 percent!

The research team tried adding cumin, coriander seeds, galangal, fingerroot, rosemary and turmeric to beef patties. They found that all the herbs and spices blocked HCAs from forming, even when they cooked the meat at high temperatures. One of my favorite herbs -- rosemary -- lowered HCAs the most. Scientists believe that these herbs and spices contain potent antioxidants that disable many of the HCAs before the cooking begins.

So next time you fire up the grill, add some chopped rosemary to your burgers. And if you‘re eating steak, chicken, or fish, make a garlic-rosemary marinade. Just add chopped garlic, rosemary, olive oil, vinegar, and soy sauce to a Ziploc bag with your meat and marinate for 6-8 hours. This will block nearly half of the HCAs in the meat from ever forming. And if you want to lower HCAs even more, pre- cook your meat on a low setting for a few minutes in the microwave before hitting the grill. According to the NCI, this alone zaps almost 90 percent of HCAs!