Every day, warming up yesterday’s dinner has become a regular thing to save time and not waste food. We use the microwave to reheat leftovers, making it simple and convenient to have hot meals anytime we want. However, there is a hidden risk behind this easy behavior!
When reheating leftovers, it’s crucial to remember that some cooked foods, particularly those that haven’t been properly stored and reheated, might cause illness. Heating food causes it to change, and for some substances, this can be harmful to our stomachs.
So, if you enjoy eating leftovers, be careful not to reheat particular items a second time. Let’s look at why warming can be difficult and which meals we should avoid reheating to keep our stomachs content.
What Happens When You Eat Reheated Food?
When you reheat food again, it may not kill dangerous germs. Germs develop best in the middle temperature range of 4°C to 60°C. These microorganisms may cause you to become ill if the meal is not adequately cooked.
Heating food repeatedly can cause it to lose beneficial nutrients. Some vitamins and minerals dislike heat and may vanish when you warm your meal, making it less nutritious.
Sometimes, reheating food can make bad things form in it, like acrylamide and advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). These things can cause health problems like cancer and swelling.
List of Foods Which Can Turn Toxic After Reheat
-> Tea
Reheating tea does not carry the same risk as reheating meat or dairy items, which can promote the growth of hazardous bacteria. However, the flavor and quality of the tea may be compromised. Reheating tea, especially if done repeatedly, may increase its acidity, causing stomach pain in certain people, particularly those who are sensitive to acidic foods or have gastrointestinal conditions such as acid reflux or gastritis.
-> Rice
Bacillus cereus, or microscopic germs, can be found in raw rice. When we cook rice and store it at room temperature, the number of bacteria increases. If we warm up the rice again, it may not remove the dangerous substances produced by these microorganisms, which could make us sick. So, after cooking rice, place it in the fridge immediately and heat it thoroughly until it reaches 165°F (74°C).
-> Cooked Oils
Heating oils again, particularly those with a high polyunsaturated fat content, might produce undesirable results. When oils grow hot, they alter and produce free radicals. These can create inflammation and stress in your body.
-> Eggs
When you warm up eggs again, especially ones that are already boiled hard, they can start to smell bad because of some chemicals they release. Also, warming up eggs again might make them feel different and taste not so good.
-> Potatoes
When you warm up potatoes again, they can change their starch and make harmful stuff called solanine. Solanine tastes bad and can make you feel sick, like throwing up or having tummy troubles. So, it’s good to keep potatoes in the fridge and eat them within a couple of days after cooking.
-> Leafy Greens
The nitrates in spinach and other leafy greens can be converted to nitrites when heated. These nitrites may transform into nitrosamines, which can cause cancer. To be safe, do not reheat spinach or other nitrate-rich vegetables.
-> Mushrooms
Heating mushrooms again is not a good idea since they can easily become contaminated. Mushrooms have a lot of protein, and boiling them again may not eradicate the germs, which could irritate your stomach. If you have to reheat them, do it properly and consume them straight away.
-> Beetroots
Similar to green vegetables, beetroots contain nitrates. When you warm them up again, these nitrates can transform into nitrites. However, if nitrites remain, they may degrade into something less desirable known as nitrosamines, which can be toxic.
