Safe to drink water used to steam meats?

[NapBizzy]

Hello, I now steam (and marinate for one hour prior in an acidic solution with an assortment of polyphenol containing foods, though I do make sure to consume foods rich in vitamin A/beta-carotene while consuming meats to negate the effects of the polyphenols on inhibiting iron absorption) my meats in order to minimize the amount of heterocyclic amines (HCAs), advanced glycation end products (AGEs), acrylamides, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PUHs) which are known and well documented carcinogens.

My only concern is that via steaming, I notice that some of the "juices" from the meats drip into the boiling water below the steam cage (I NEVER let the steaming water touch the meat, though). I'm concerned primarily with the loss of niacin, which is a water soluble vitamin (not really too concerned with the other B-vitamins as I obtain a bevy of them daily from other sources) and was wondering if it was safe to drink the water below the meats (the "steaming" water) to salvage some of the niacin.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks.

[Bisto81]

Completely safe to eat. Basically you're making stock.

[Jesse_l_g]

It's called broth.

[NapBizzy]

Completely safe to eat. Basically you're making stock.

It's called broth.

Thanks guys, repped.

[Domicron]

why not make a stew? it's got protein, fat (taste better with fattier cuts), vegetables. it's easy to cook, tastes better over time so leftovers are great, and is cheap.

steaming meat and drinking the juices is overly obsessive about an insignificant amount of nutrient loss.

also, sous vide cooking is better than steaming, you can do it in a beer cooler

[NapBizzy]

why not make a stew? it's got protein, fat (taste better with fattier cuts), vegetables. it's easy to cook, tastes better over time so leftovers are great, and is cheap.

steaming meat and drinking the juices is overly obsessive about an insignificant amount of nutrient loss.

also, sous vide cooking is better than steaming, you can do it in a beer cooler

Primarily because I like to cook my meat (and other foods) as quickly as possible (though I know steaming is somewhat slow for meats, especially when compared with direct heat) The more time it is exposed to heat, the more nutrient loss can occur.

I'm all for boiling certain foods, though. Antioxidant activity has been shown to increase dramatically for some foods when heated (ex. beets and carrots)