Warning! 7 Foods you must never reheat!

There is no denying the fact that most foods taste the best when served hot. Most of us consider it a healthy practice to reheat the food before eating. But what if we tell you that you have been getting the facts all wrong? Certain foods when reheated can do more harm than good. 

 

Dr. Swapnil Prabhakar

Bachelor of Ayurveda, Medicine and Surgery (BAMS), MD - Ayurveda

Ayurveda, Chalisgaon  •  8 years experience

Mentioned below are some of the foods that should never be reheated.

1. Mushrooms: Mushrooms can enhance the taste of any food dish. We often keep some of the preparations aside to be savored the next day, an unknown mistake that can cost you dearly. Mushrooms are a rich source of protein. On reheating, the proteins tend to deteriorate, causing stomach upset and digestive problems. Using reheated mushroom repeatedly can even result in cardiac problems.
2. Chicken: Having chicken in this list can be quite a heartbreak. Many people use the cooked chicken for 2-3 days. Again, chicken is also an excellent source of protein, reheating which can result in health complications such as digestive problems. If you want to stay healthy, avoid reheating the cooked chicken.
3. Celery and spinach: Spinach and celery are both commonly used in soups. Nobody wants to have their soup cold. Spinach and celery are rich in nitrates. So when we reheat the soup to make it more palatable, the nitrates present in the ingredients get converted to nitrites. Nitrite is carcinogenic and can be extremely toxic to the body. For the same reason, do not reheat any food dish containing turnips, beet, and carrots.
4. Eggs: Seldom will you find a person who does not like eggs. Be it breakfast, lunch or dinner, boiled, scrambled or in a curry, you can never get bored of eating eggs. Like chicken meat and mushrooms, eggs are an excellent source of proteins, reason enough to include them in your diet. However, reheating egg preparations destroy all the associated health benefits as the protein in the egg deteriorates resulting in digestive problems. The best idea would be to prepare the dish and have it immediately.
5. Rice: Almost everyone reheats the rice before eating with the belief that having cold rice can cause health problems, This is a misconception that will do you no good. Rice cooked should be eaten immediately. It is believed that uncooked rice contains bacterial spores that often causes food poisoning. When you keep the cooked rice unrefrigerated at room temperature, these spores undergo rapid multiplication. Reheating will do the spores no harm. If you want to store cooked rice, always refrigerate it.
6. Potatoes:  Storing the cooked potatoes at room temperature can act as a catalyst enhancing the growth of Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium responsible for botulism (a type of food poisoning that can result in flaccid paralysis of muscles).
7. Oil: Certain oils such as those of walnut, avocado, grape seeds, and hazelnut can become smelly with an unpleasant taste when reheated (as these oils have a low smoke point).