5 types of food should not be left overnight

Many people have the habit of leaving leftover food overnight and reheating it the next day, not knowing that not all foods can be kept.

Many types of food left overnight are harmful to health.

According to MSc.BSNT Nguyen Xuan Tuan, lecturer at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hanoi National University, there are some types of food that can turn into toxic substances, harmful to health, even causing food poisoning and cancer if left overnight. Below are 5 types of food that should not be left overnight:

Seafood

Seafood is a food that contains many minerals and vitamins that are very good for health, especially calcium and zinc.

However, seafood left overnight in the refrigerator will no longer retain those nutrients. Instead, they turn into toxic substances that affect the liver and kidneys.

Because seafood contains a very high amount of protein, it attracts carrion-eating bacteria and creates pathogens that are not beneficial to health. Therefore, when processing, you should process just enough to avoid the situation of eating too much and throwing it away, which is very wasteful.

Boiled vegetables

Vegetables contain a lot of fiber, minerals, and vitamins that are extremely good for health, providing essential minerals for the body's development.

However, some scientific studies suggest that you should avoid eating boiled vegetables that have been left overnight, because they contain a lot of nitrate. When vegetables are cooked and left overnight, along with the growth and invasion of bacteria, nitrate will be converted into nitrite, which is a carcinogen.

Fried eggs, boiled eggs

Many people have the habit of eating fried eggs, soft-boiled eggs, these are dishes in which the eggs are not cooked. When cooked and left overnight in the refrigerator, it will create a favorable environment for the strong growth of bacteria that are harmful to the intestines and digestive tract. Therefore, fried eggs, boiled eggs are also dishes that should not be eaten when left overnight in the refrigerator.

Mushroom

Cooked mushrooms left overnight in the refrigerator can easily cause food poisoning. Therefore, you should avoid reusing dishes made from mushrooms if left overnight.

Soups

Leftover soup left overnight in metal pots such as aluminum, stainless steel, etc. will easily produce toxic substances that are harmful to health. In addition, soups containing spices such as fish sauce, salt, MSG, etc. cause chemical reactions that poison the body, and in the long run will destroy bone marrow, anemia, kidney failure, liver failure, and even cancer.

If you want to save the soup for the next meal, it is best not to add any other spices to the soup or you can put the soup in a ceramic or glass bowl and store it in the refrigerator.

How to safely store food in the refrigerator

To keep food in the refrigerator safe and fresh, there are many things you need to know:

- Classify food to avoid cross-contamination and minimize food spoilage and loss of nutrients. Classify food in the refrigerator and put them in separate boxes. Raw and cooked foods should be classified. Or this group of foods should be kept in two different places in the refrigerator because bacteria from raw foods can spread and contaminate cooked foods.

- Do not put boiled food directly into the refrigerator because it can cause the food to be "shocked" by heat, spoil, lose its nutritional value or even change its flavor. It is best to let the food cool down to room temperature before storing it in the refrigerator.

- Choose clean, quality food containers, preferably glass containers.

- To keep the refrigerator temperature suitable, you need to know the time to store food in the refrigerator to use it properly.

- Arrange food properly, by type. You should attach notes with the date of food storage, date of opening, expiration date, etc. This will help you easily manage and use food properly and fresh.

- Don't put too much stuff in the refrigerator.

- Clean the refrigerator regularly to prevent the growth of bacteria that can cause food poisoning.

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