What are the dangers of eating leftovers frequently? What are the dangers of eating leftovers for a long time?

Leftovers are a very common phenomenon in our daily life. Although the living standards of modern people have improved and every household has a refrigerator, most people think that it is safe to put leftovers and lettuce in the refrigerator and they can be eaten with confidence. In fact, these ideas are unscientific. Eating leftovers frequently is harmful to the human body. So what are the dangers of eating leftovers for a long time?

What are the dangers of eating leftovers for a long time?

1. Food poisoning: Leftovers are stored in the refrigerator for a long time and are contaminated by common pathogens such as Salmonella, halophilic bacteria, pathogenic Escherichia coli, or Staphylococcus aureus toxins. If food is eaten directly after being taken out of the refrigerator, or is not fully heated before eating, it can cause food poisoning. The patient will have symptoms of fever, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. In severe cases, dehydration, acidosis, or shock may occur.

2. Increase the risk of cancer: The nitrite content in leftovers will gradually increase with the storage date. Nitrite is a strong carcinogen. Frequent consumption of leftovers will increase the risk of digestive system tumors such as gastric cancer, esophageal cancer, and liver cancer.

3. It leads to obesity because the amount of food prepared in families every day often exceeds the actual need. People swallow it reluctantly for fear of waste, which leads to overeating. If energy intake exceeds the actual needs of the human body for a long time, it will lead to obesity over time. Obese people are very likely to suffer from diseases of affluence such as hypertension, hyperlipoproteinemia, coronary heart disease, diabetes, cholelithiasis, cancer, etc., which affect their quality of life and shorten their lifespan.

4. Malnutrition: After leftovers are repeatedly heated or brewed with boiling water, water-soluble vitamins such as vitamin C and B vitamins are almost lost, and most of the minerals are also lost. If such foods are consumed frequently, it is very easy to deteriorate physical fitness and develop malnutrition diseases.

For the elderly, young children or patients, especially those with gastrointestinal problems, eating leftovers is like adding insult to injury and is harmful rather than beneficial to the body. Loss of appetite: After a period of time, the color, aroma and taste of leftover food can no longer maintain their original levels. If it is re-cooked at high temperature, it may become a pile of soft, dull and unpalatable hodgepodge. Eating such food often will cause a loss of appetite and make people lose the joy of eating.