I hesitate to bring this up, as the hot dog is a bonafide American icon, associated so closely as it is to the all-American pastimes of baseball and backyard barbeques -- and to sacrilegiously make the suggestion or malign the hot dog on any level I realize puts me at risk of having my patriotism brought into question.

Still, knowing this, I have chosen to throw pickle relish caution to the wind in the name of science and better health.

According to University of Nebraska researchers (you note I point directly to the researchers as the originators of this news) some hot dogs might cause DNA mutation and increase colon cancer risks. Not all hotdogs, but they cannot tell you at this time which hotdogs are a cancer menace.

Hot dogs do not stand alone as culprits to cancer. Salted dried fish and soy sauce have been identified as potential offenders. But I am not nearly as skittish in mentioning the latter two.

The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council estimates that more than seven billion hot dogs will be eaten by Americans between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Statistics estimate the breakdown of hot dog consumption per American is 60 hot dogs a year.

Next? Brushing up on my French.

The Breast Cancer Campaign, a leading organization working to improve diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, towards breast cancer prevention, and ultimately a breast cancer cure, is hosting the BIG BBQ as one of their fundraisers for continuing research and services. BIG BBQ, with the support of the National BBQ Association, Good Food Live host Jeni Barnett, and celebrity chefs, provides BBQ recipes, tips and facts to help you become a part of the BIG BBQ campaign.

From the Breast Cancer Campaign, here are a few top barbeque facts:

• BBQ is now the summer home leisure activity in half the households owning a BBQ grill. It has evolved into a sophisticated, al-fresco alternative to the traditional dinner party.
• 14 percent of all households have two BBQ grills and eight percent have three or more BBQ grills.
• Although charcoal is still the most popular fuel, around 63 per cent, this is changing fast in favor of gas.
• BBQ is now becoming the regular alternative summer meal-cooking format.
• BBQ is no longer male dominated -- 51 percent of men now tangle with the tongs, while 49 percent of women go for the grill.
  

A few basic barbeque tips include:

• Always keep raw and cooked meats separate from each other.
• In very hot weather throw away any barbequed food left out for more than an hour.
• Never part-cook on a barbeque and finish cooking later.
  

A few of the featured mouth-watering celebrity chef barbeque recipes are:

• Aldo Zilli's BBQ mackerel with lemon oil
• Brian Turner's chicken burger with feta and sundried tomatoes
• Clodagh McKenna's baked white fish with lemon and dill
• Jekka McVicar's marinated chicken
• Lucy Wyndham-Read's old-fashioned homemade lemonade
• Peter Gordon's baba ganoush
• Lotte's Summer Pudding
  

To find out how to take part in the Breast Cancer Campaign's BIG BBQ, and host a BIG BBQ of your own with family and friends, visit What is the BIG BBQ?

During the warmer months, it's all about the barbeque. Of course, we have been known to barbeque during winter in the snow, but for the purpose and timing of this discussion, when it's summer in the northern hemisphere, almost everyone fires up the barbeque. Because research has suggested that barbequing meats can increase cancer risks associated with charred food, the Dana Farber Cancer Institute offers these tips to grilling red meats, poultry and fish safely:

• Choose lean cuts of meat. Trim excess fat and remove the skin.
• Avoid thick marinades, as they increase charring. Use thin marinades that have vinegar or lemon as one of the ingredients.
• Flip burgers once every minute.
• Place food at least six inches away from the heat source.
• Line the grill with perforated aluminum foil to prevent drippings from creating smoke.
• Cook on cedar planks. 
• Consider kabobs. They take less grilling time.
• Consider grilling your favorite vegetables instead of just meat.
  

These tips are followed with some common sense advice. If you avoid charring all the red meat, poultry and fish you barbeque, the expert nutritionists at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute state that your risk of getting cancer from grilling food is extremely low. According to the information, not eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is a bigger risk factor for cancer than eating the occasional barbequed meats. I like common sense perspective.

It's Fourth of July weekend, and this year is a long one! Traditionally, celebrations for the Fourth of July include picnics, camping, boating, hiking, backyard barbeques, free concerts in the park, a stroll by the river, a day at the beach. Basically, most activities this weekend involve being outdoors enjoying good times and the warm summer sun.

Before you, friends and family head out the door, here is a sampling of posts we have done about spending time in the sun -- skin cancer facts -- and tips on practicing sun safety.

• Skin cancer prevention kits for kids.
• Shading kids from the sun.
• Pediatricians need to educate parents about sun exposure risks.
  

• Skin cancer myths debunked by dermatologists.
• Global warming skin cancer warning.
  

And the sun, with the right exposure, is not all bad.

• Vitamin D: sunshine as cancer prevention.
  

For a complete listing of the posts regarding skin cancer and sun safety, visit The Cancer Blog's melanoma and skin cancer categories. The Fourth of July is a great time for celebration of our freedoms and all the wonderful warmth and brightness of summer days. Enjoy! every minute but be sun-wise and sun safe.

It's almost summer. Who wants to be stuck inside, in the kitchen, toiling away over the stove. The backyard barbeque is the obvious solution to enjoying the good weather and feeding the hungry troops. The National Foundation for Cancer Research, NFCR, features a new cancer prevention recipe each month, and this month it is Grilled Herbed Vegetables. Most vegetables offer cancer prevention, but when you think power-packed cancer prevention vegetables, think color. The richer the color, the more nutrients. With little preparation, grilling vegetables are easy, and a healthy addition, to the backyard barbeque dinner.

According to NFCR, all you need to do is toss and coat vegetables -- that have been cut into bite-sized chunks -- with a little olive oil, garlic, fresh basil and sea salt. Or you can add sprigs of rosemary. Place the vegetables on heavy-duty aluminum foil, seal the foil to form a packet, and place on the grill rack directly over medium-hot heat about ten minutes, turn packet over and grill another 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Some of the vegetables you might want to include are asparagus; broccoli; carrots; cherry tomatoes; corn on the cob; eggplant; mushrooms; red onion wedges; sliced yellow, red, or green sweet pepper; hot peppers; squash; and/or zucchini. 

For many centuries, herbs were used as healing remedies. Herbal medicine fell out of favor in the last century, replaced by modern medicine and the science of single compound pharmaceuticals. However, this is changing in the growing renewal of interest for the traditional wisdom we left behind. Recent scientific research has proven that, ounce-for-ounce, herbs have more antioxidant and anticancer properties when compared to berries, fruits or vegetables.

In the field of cancer research, scientists discovered antioxidants found in herbs have the ability to protect cells from chemical damage caused by free radicals that result from exposure to pesticides and other environmental toxins. Shiow Wang, a U.S. Department of Agriculture research scientist and biochemist, along with visiting scientist Wei Zheng from the Institute of Environmental Science in Zhejing, China, tested 27 culinary herbs and 12 medicinal herbs for the possibility of antioxidant properties.

Among common kitchen herbs that have antioxidant properties are dill, oregano, parsley, peppermint, rosemary, sage, savory, spearmint, sweet marjoram and thyme -- with oregano ranking the most potent in antioxidant ability.

Even if you do not have gardening space, these are herbs that can be easily grown in containers and pots on a windowsill. Following is information about each herb, growing tips and suggested uses.