What is acrylamide and why should you reduce it in your diet?

Acrylamide is a chemical that arises after a process known as the Millard reaction.

Acrylamide is a chemical substance that appears in foods rich in starch (such as potatoes, coffee or cereals) when fried, cooked, roasted or roasted at temperatures above 120ºC and at low humidity.

Acrylamide therefore arises in the moment when potatoes or bread start to turn dark or too toasted and transform its flavor.

If it is true that when the toast and french fries are well browned and crisp is when they taste best to us, that is why we know that what we have come to tell you is painful, but your health will appreciate it.

Why avoid acrylamide?

When we bake, roast or fry foods rich in carbohydrates and starch in excess, mainly coffee, potatoes or cereals, high concentrations of acrylamide are produced.

But how acrylamide can harm us? It is not known for sure to what extent acrylamide can affect our body, since the studies began only 15 years ago, but what we do know is that it is a possible carcinogen, that is, it can be related to cancers and tumors.

It is true that it is very fatalistic exposed in this way, however, the reality is that substances such as acrylamide have been accompanying us since the Homo Sapiens discovered the fire for cooking, and that the amounts of this substance that are usually ingested are really small, although it has not yet been established from what amount it can be toxic for us.

El acrylamide problem in our body comes when we stuff ourselves with potato chips, roasted coffee or burnt toast. However, if you keep a healthy, varied diet based mainly on plant foods like fruits and vegetables, your body will thank you and your health will remain in optimal condition for much longer.

Tips to reduce acrylamide

Since acrylamide is a substance that forms naturally when cooking food is impossible to eliminate 100%, but yes that we can reduce it changing some of our habits.

Eg before cooking or frying the potatoes, a good way to reduce starch that they contain is having them half an hour soak in boiling water. In addition, for avoid the creation of acrylamide, Can cook them below 120ºC, or prepare them at steam, boiled o sauteed.

Another way to reduce or avoid acrylamide is removing the most toasted or black parts of the bread or potatoes when they are too done. Too reducing the consumption of cereals and industrial pastries at breakfasts and snacks.

A recommendation that is made from the European Union is replacement of the robusta coffee variety by arabicaas the type of roasting is different and creates less acrylamide.

The Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition, Aecosan, also proposes a series of recommendations to reduce acrylamide in potatoes when cooking at home. Among these, the following stand out:

• Buy the potatoes at its right point of maturation, that are not very small and do not have green shoots
• Keep them in a dry and dark place, out of the fridge, in order to avoid germination
• Limit the reuse of frying oil y ventilate the kitchen at the end of frying to avoid exposure to acrylamide as much as possible

Hopefully these tips will help you to improve your culinary routines and that you are more aware of the substances in the food we eat and that you may not know they were there …