Running out of time? I’m so busy, I have a meeting, I am late for work again… Sounds familiar?
In these times of hurry, you will often be tempted to reheat your food in the microwave. Reheating lunch is a modern way of life, but here is the food you should never reheat. It doesn’t matter if you want to make new 2 minutes meal from the breakfast leftovers, don’t even think about reheating this food. The microwave is our right hand in the kitchen, but researches show that reheating some of your favorite food can be dangerous to your health.
Here is the food from which you should refrain giving a second go in the microwave:
Spinach – Spinach is one of top 10 leafy greens. It’s rich in iron and nitrates. When reheated, this nitrates transform into nitrites and other known carcinogens.
Beets – Just like spinach, this vegetable is excellent source of nitrates. Make sure to eat the leftovers WITHOUT reheating.
Eggs – Eggs are a very good source of inexpensive, high quality protein, but reheating them is NOT a good idea. After they have been boiled or fried, exposing at high temperatures again can make them especially toxic and wreak havoc in your digestive system.
Celery and carrots – These two vegetables are often used in soups. As a spinach and beets they have high nitrate content, which by reheating transforms into nitrites. If you didn’t eat the whole soup immediately remove the carrots and the celery and then warm the soup.
Mushrooms – You already knew about spinach and beets but news are that reheated mushrooms present the highest health risk. For this reason they should be eaten immediately after being prepared, or eaten cold the next day. When you eat reheated mushrooms, you put yourself of serous heart problems, they are NOT JUST bad for your digestive tract.
Chicken meat – Just like mushrooms chicken meat contains protein, but it can be negatively affected when reheated. Chicken meat contains much more protein than red meat. This protein changes when chicken is heated for the second time. Always remember if you are still going to reheat the chicken, do it on a low temperature for a long time. If you are in a hurry the BEST way to consume leftovers of chicken meat it is to put it in a cold salad or a cold sandwich.
Oils – Any kind of oils: grape seed oil, walnut oil, avocado oil, hazelnut oil, and flaxen seed oil all have very low smoke points and when you reheat them they become rancid.
Potatoes – Rich in nitrate, but in such case this veggie can become toxic and cause nausea or food poisoning. The warm temperatures can promote the growth of BOTULISM. Botulism can’t be killed with a quick zap in the microwave, so it’s best to refrigerate them immediately to avoid any problems with reheating.
It may be hard to believe that actually these healthy foods can cause a damage to our organism, but to be on the safe side, avoid giving these foods a second go in the oven, the stove or the worst – in your microwave.