For lack of time or to avoid food waste, we tend to keep the remains of a dish to warm them up. Although this habit is a good way to act against the food waste that is raging today, there are certain foods that are harmful or even dangerous to our health when they are warmed.
Indeed, for the sake of economy, speed and to fight against food waste, we heat our dishes in the microwave. But this practical and positive aspect hides digestive disorders such as food poisoning, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea but also cardiovascular problems. To preserve your health, discover the 4 food leftovers that you must avoid. Also favor another way of cooking than the oven
microwave because it neutralizes essential nutrients in food and increases, according to several studies, cholesterol, insomnia, migraines, depressions and many other diseases.
The 4 leftover food to avoid
- The vegetables
A variety of beneficial vegetables lose their nutritional value once stored and reheated, such as spinach, beets, potatoes and celery. Indeed, they have a high content of harmless nitrates but which turn into nitrites and nitrosamines and become harmful to the body.
In addition, when they are left at room temperature, these vegetables undergo a proliferation of bacteria, also causing this carcinogenic transformation. Fragile individuals such as infants and those with low gastric acidity have a risk of death when they ingest these molecules and pass through the bloodstream as hemoglobin is then converted to methemoglobin. This leads to a reduction in blood oxygenation leading to fatal asphyxia.
What to do ?
So be sure to keep your vegetables directly after cooking at a temperature below 5 ° C to prevent the proliferation of bacteria and consume them preferably cold the next day. The best thing is to ration the quantities of vegetables reasonably to avoid leftovers.
- Vegetable oils
Frying the vegetable oils promotes the release of toxic compounds. The temperature of these vegetable oils such as sunflower oil, corn, soybean or rapeseed, causes degradation of polyunsaturated fatty acids they contain. A toxin called 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) is released as a result of cooking these oils, it is particularly reactive to the body's proteins and nucleic acids. Many studies have linked the consumption of this toxin and various diseases including artherosclerosis, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, liver diseases and even cancer.
In addition, the concentration of this toxin increases with the reuse of vegetable oils.
What to do ?
First, avoid cooking in the form of frying which is particularly greasy and then, favor
olive oil which, according to the same study, has the lowest toxicity rate. Also be careful not to overheat the vegetable oils and get rid of them as soon as they start to foam or smoke.
- The chicken
Chicken contains a lot of protein, usually beneficial to the good function of the body. However, when it is warmed up, the protein composition changes dramatically and can cause digestive upset. In addition, a study conducted by the University of Massachusetts in the United States has highlighted the fact that chicken remains lose 80% of their iron content. They warmed the chicken leftovers in an oven between 55 ° C and 90 ° C to reach this conclusion.
What to do ?
If you keep chicken leftovers, be sure to leave them cold in your refrigerator. Finally, if you plan to consume them, avoid heating them up and consume them cold in a salad or sandwich to preserve their nutritional value.
- Rice
According to the Food Standard Agency, uncooked rice contains spores of harmful bacteria that can survive the first firing. Then, if the
rice is stored at room temperature, these spores are likely to multiply further resulting in digestive disorders, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. In addition, they survive heating, so avoid leaving the rice at room temperature for more than one hour after cooking.
What to do ?
In the same way as vegetables, the best option is to properly dose the amount of rice you will consume to avoid having leftover food. If not, store the rice directly after cooking and opt for freezing which prevents the proliferation of bacteria.
