Reheating foods: which foods should never be reheated?

Often we reheat our stored food or leftovers before consumption. Blame it on one’s laziness or busy daily schedules, a significant number of people practice this act of reheating often. But do you know that certain foods get toxic on reheating!!! Which are these foods that should never be reheated?

Foods and reheating

Cooked foods taste good when warm. Some people like it hot. This is especially so when the weather is cold and chilly. Soups, curries,  flatbread, cooked vegetables all become palatable when they are warm.

Sometimes, the food cooked is extra. We preserve the leftover in the refrigerator. It prevents the food from getting stale. And the next day, before we consume these cold foods from the fridge, we reheat it. Heating once is okay but repeating warming the foods can do more damage than good. Here are nine foods that should never be reheated with reasons for not doing so.

Potatoes

Cooked potatoes kept at room temperature get toxic and can cause cause nausea, vomiting and food poisoning. And heating the cold dish of potatoes again tends to make them lose their nutritive value.

Eggs

Eggs are cooked for breakfast usually and have high levels of highly bioavailable protein. One should never reheat them because they would lead to stomach upset.

Chicken

This dish should never be reheated. Because it is high in protein. And applying high temperature to them again can produce substances that can negatively affect the gut. If you do want to reheat it, do so at low temperatures over a long time. Instead of heating them again, it is best to have them cold in a salad or sandwich.

Spinach

This green leafy vegetable is rich in nitrates and iron. Recooking it converts the nitrate into nitrites that are known carcinogens.

Certain oils

Oils with low smoke points such as grapeseed oil, avocado oil, walnut oil, and hazelnut get rancid on second heating. Avoid their use in frying, cooking or baking. One can use them over salads or meals to increase flavor.

Turnips

These root vegetables contain nitrates. Reheating them converts them into nitrites that are damaging. These are cooked or added to soups.

Mushrooms

These have a lot of proteins in them. Consume them on same day. Reheating causes changes in the structure of these proteins that become harmful to the body. These include digestive issues and increased risk to the heart.

Beets

Just like spinach and turnips, this tuber vegetable is rich in nitrates. On heating it again, this converts to nitrites that result in a lot of unpleasant effects on the body.

Read here: Dietary nitrates enhance physical performance. Know its mechanism of action.

Celery

Similar to the above leafy and root vegetables, celery is also loaded with nitrates. These become toxic on again heating them. These can cause methemoglobinemia. The nitrites combine with heme and prevent it from transporting oxygen to the body cells. Anoxia occurs and seizures too. In some cases, it can lead to death too.