Here’s the deal, we all leave leftovers. After all, we often cook more than we end up eating. There’s nothing wrong about that. Leftovers are actually fantastic late-night crave-quenchers and sometimes a leisurely breakfast or lunch. Who doesn’t love leftover pizza?
The thing is, not all foods are suitable for eating, and sometimes there are some severe health risks associated with them. Here are 11 leftovers that can make you sick.
Seafood
Seafood is very perishable. Actually, it’s the leading cause of food poisoning in the world. Raw fish and seafood are super dangerous, but so are its leftovers.
Bacteria love seafood, and the microorganisms spoil the food fast. The problem with seafood leftovers is you won’t realize they’re spoiled until it’s too late, and you start with digestive discomfort.
Eggs
Eggs carry the salmonella bacteria, most of them do. The good news is that the bacteria die when we cook them. If any bacteria survive the cooking process and you leave some eggs left behind, the bacteria will reproduce fast. By the time you go back to those leftover eggs, you’ll be eating a serious health threat.
Fried Foods
The problem with fried foods is all that amount of processed oils, which are harmful already. When you reheat fried food on the microwave, there’s a big chance for those oils to reach their smoking point creating toxic substances, some related to cancer.
Don’t reheat fried foods, especially in the microwave. Better yet, stay away from fried stuff altogether.
Potatoes
Potatoes are noble foods; they’re super versatile, satisfying, and inexpensive. You could live on potatoes if you had to, they’re that nutritious. The problem with the starchy root veggie is that it often hosts harmful bacteria that can cause botulism.
That’s right, and these particular bacteria are quite resistant and can’t be killed by reheating your potatoes in the microwave. Throw out your leftover potatoes and don’t risk it.
Chicken
As with eggs, chicken contains lots of salmonella bacteria. That’s why you should never eat raw chicken. The same thing that happens to leftover eggs can happen with chicken. Your leftovers can become a salmonella colony and put you at risk. If you’re eating leftover chicken, you better heat it at super-high temperatures.
Rice
Rice is a staple food worldwide; it’s a fantastic source of energy and a super versatile grain. The problem with rice is that we’re not the only ones who love it. A microorganism called Bacillus cereus, which can cause several maladies, grows in rice. Although it can be destroyed by cooking the grain, it can repopulate in leftover rice, making it quite dangerous for humans.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms are tasty, yes, but they’re delicate beings. They start to go bad the second you rip them out of the earth. Cooking mushrooms makes them even more fragile, and by the time they become leftovers, they’re easy prey for bacteria. Microorganisms begin the fungi decomposition as soon as mushrooms cool down. When you want to make yourself an omelet with them, they’re already a time bomb.
Food from a Buffet
Food poisoning is more common than you think because food left at room temperature is home to millions of bacteria that double in number every half an hour. As long as food stays hot or cold enough, bacteria can’t thrive, but buffets keep food in the danger zone. Reheating the food only makes it worse.
Beets
The super-nutritious purple veggie is a superfood in its own right, but it has a compound called nitrates. They become dangerous nitrites when you heat them, especially when you do so time and again. Nitrites are carcinogens, so beets are not messing around. We’re not saying beets are bad for you, but they can be if you reheat them, so leave no leftovers.
Leafy Greens
Do you want to know what other food is packed with nitrates? Leafy greens and that includes kale, Brussels sprouts, Swiss chard, broccoli, and spinach. When you reheat these super-nutritious plants, you create nitrites, and the healthy veggies become harmful. No leftover broccoli for you, which is somewhat good news, right?
Breast Milk
It would help if you were careful when reheating breast milk in the microwave, not because it’s unhealthy or contaminated, but because thousands of burned babies are reported every year. Every single time you hear the same story. An inexperienced mom or dad not realizing the leftover reheated breast milk was scorching hot.
Don’t Be Afraid of Leftovers
Leftovers are okay, don’t go throwing away all your fridge contents, but be careful. Bacteria like leftovers too, so avoid the above and try not to leave food at room temperature; we’re sure you’ll be fine.
