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Can’t get enough of Thanksgiving dinner?
Leftovers are always a hit after Turkey Day, but one expert has revealed the foods that should never be reheated due to the health risks they pose.
Spinach, according to dietitian Harini Bala, contains nitrates, levels of which increase with cooking, studies have shown. At high heat — such as when reheating the leafy greens — nitrates are converted to nitrosamines, a compound linked to cancer.
“Please don’t reheat your spinach, just eat it immediately as soon as you cook them,” Bala urged in a TikTok video scoring more than 149,000 views, claiming that the compounds in the reheated vegetable is “toxic.”
Next on the chopping block is tea.
When reheated, the antioxidant properties of tea breakdown while the level of tannins, which contributes to the bitter taste, increases. Bala also claimed that any “dormant bacteria” in the tea will become “active” with reheating, posing a health risk to consumers.
The dietitian also cautioned against reheating rice — but there’s a catch.
The starch is fine to be reheated so long as it is stored in an airtight container inside the fridge within two hours of cooking it, Bala said.
Waiting longer than two hours to put it away, she warned, increases the risk of dangerous bacteria proliferating in the food.
“But if you’re cooking your rice in the morning and storing it in the fridge at night to eat the next day, there is a huge possibility of Bacillus cereus forming,” she warned.
Bacillus cereus is a type of bacteria that usually affects starchy foods and results in food poisoning, often referred to as “fried rice syndrome,” a serious illness that has resulted in death in rare instances.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, there are an estimated 63,400 cases of poisoning from Bacillus cereus every year.
Symptoms usually include stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fever.
