Rumor online: Eating leftover food can cause cancer? Rinse and cook in this way, health will not be lost

Studies have confirmed that "eating overnight rice is healthier than freshly cooked white rice", but as to "Is eating overnight food healthy?" Nutritionists believe that in addition to the loss of nutritional value, eating overnight food also requires concerns about poor storage conditions and possible bacterial infection. It is recommended that overnight food should be stored separately in the refrigerator to reduce the risk of nutrient loss.

Hong Ruopu, a nutritionist at the Zhongxiao branch of Taipei Municipal United Hospital, pointed out that eating overnight rice can help lose weight and control blood sugar. The main reason is that after white rice is cooked and left overnight, the refined starch in it is converted into "resistant starch" and the calories become lower. For people who need to control blood sugar, eating overnight rice is less likely to increase blood sugar than eating ordinary white rice.

Overnight rice can help you lose weight and contains resistant starch

Simply put, "resistant starch" is starch that resists decomposition. Since resistant starch is less likely to be hydrolyzed in the human small intestine and will ferment in the colon, it has the characteristics of "partial dietary fiber". The "partial dietary fiber" in cold rice helps promote intestinal motility and is beneficial for weight control.

Foods that contain resistant starch include brown rice, buckwheat, potatoes, green bananas, overnight rice, frozen sweet potatoes, etc. However, when taking resistant starch, you still need to pay attention to controlling calories, especially not adding too much artificial sauces, and adopting cooking methods such as baking and baking to avoid excessive calories, which is still not conducive to weight loss.

It is best to refrigerate overnight dishes in the refrigerator to avoid bacterial growth and health risks.

Are leftovers likely to cause cancer? Beware of nitrites

Regarding the recent rumor that "leftover food can easily cause cancer!", nutritionist Hong Ruopu emphasized that the main cause is vegetables, especially dark green vegetables, because they contain nitrates, which will form nitrites if broken down by bacteria. However, the content should be trace and the human body can metabolize it naturally. It should not cause cancer by eating overnight vegetable lunch boxes.

As for "Is it healthy to eat leftover food?" the key factor is "storage and heating". Improper storage may cause bacteria and mold to grow, especially for office workers. If you want to use leftover food as lunch boxes, it is recommended to pack it in portions at the beginning. Do not wait until everyone is full before putting the leftover food on the plates into the lunch boxes, allowing bacteria to grow on each other.

1. Storage method: It is best to refrigerate it in a refrigerator at a temperature below 4 degrees Celsius, otherwise the growth of bacteria cannot be inhibited. In addition, it is best to store overnight dishes separately in the refrigerator, and do not put different types of leftover dishes in the same plate. At the same time, vegetables will change color after repeated heating, so it is recommended to choose vegetables that are not easy to change color.

2. Heating process: It is recommended to heat overnight dishes in a rice steamer or electric cooker. If heated in a microwave oven, make sure the inside is fully heated, and be sure to remove the plastic wrap or lunch box lid before heating to prevent the release of plasticizers at high temperatures. In addition, seafood not only tastes worse after being heated, but its freshness also decreases, so it is not recommended to eat it every other meal.

【Cooking Tips】:

Whether the vegetables are left overnight or not actually has nothing to do with whether they are carcinogenic or not. The carcinogenicity is more related to the nitrate residue in the vegetables. It is recommended to rinse them properly, add water and cook them, which can remove the nitrates. Therefore, after frying, just take out the vegetables and pour out the water, which can remove most of the nitrates in the vegetables and reduce the risk of cancer caused by nitrates, ensuring

healthy.