If you’ve never had a good reheated leftover lunch the morning after a night out, you’re a rarity.
It’s magic.
You’re hanging, with a dry mouth that feels like it could turn to dust and as you slowly crawl into the kitchen like that freaky creature from Creep, there you see it.
Your Chinese containers from last night strewn about the counter.
Perhaps there’s something you’ve remembered to pop in the fridge?
Correct.
You’ve only gone and left your chow mein and a bit of egg fried rice in the fridge and after a few minutes of agony, waiting by the microwave… it’s done.
Oh, how leftovers can heal the world… or perhaps not.
Apparently, there’s a lot of things you can’t nom on if it’s been cooked before.
Sorry to pop your bubble on a Saturday, where you’re probably looking through your takeaway boxes right now, but it could be deadly to reheat some of these things.
Don’t reheat these foods (Getty Stock Images)
According to a diet expert, the risks of reheating your chow could lead to damage to your kidneys, getting E. coli or listeria.
Dietitian Harini Bala shared on TikTok the three foods you absolutely love but need to steer clear of popping back in the microwave or oven.
Spinach
First up is spinach.
Now, Bala explains that this is down to it containing a substance called oxalic acid, which is fine for you to eat when it’s raw, but if you reheat it, he oxalic acid ‘crystallises’ and then becomes ‘toxic’.
If you eat a lot of reheated spinach and take in the oxalic acid in high doses, it can increase your risk of kidney stones.
She added: “It also contains nitrates and this will get converted into nitrites when it is reheated and these are toxic.”
Nitrites combining with chemicals in the gut could increase the risk of bowel tumours.
You could even get listeria from not eating spinach properly, which can cause a fever, flu-symptoms, headache, or even seizures.
Tea
Next on the list is tea.
So, it’s not a food but there’s so many people who reheat their tea.
According to Bala, if you reheat it, ‘any kind of dormant bacteria can become active in it’.
Lastly… it’s the obvious one.
Rice
Rice is a big on (Getty Stock Images)
Rice.
According to the expert, cooked rice a contain Bacillus cereus when it cools down, which is a bacteria typically found in vegetables and the spores are heat resistant.
So, when you heat it up, you’re not killing the risk of being ill from the bacteria.
Bacillus cereus can make you pretty sick, and it can make you experience vomiting, diarrhoea and tummy cramps.
To mitigate these risks, Bala said you can do a few things.
She said: “It can be reheated if you’re storing it within two hours [after cooking it] in the fridge in an airtight container.
“But if you’re cooking your rice in the morning [leaving it out] and storing it in the fridge at night to eat the next day, there is a huge possibility of Bacillus cereus forming.”
Bacillus cereus illnesses is also known as the ‘fried rice syndrome’.
An instance of someone dying from Bacillus cereus, is when a man from Belgium died after reheating pasta which had been left out for days.
An autopsy later found that AJ had moderate centrilobular liver necrosis, which likely caused his organs to shut down.
The report said: “The spaghetti had been kept at room temperature for several days.
“This allowed Bacillus cereus to grow to very high concentrations and produced the high toxin concentration (14.8 μg/g) found in the pasta and which is likely responsible for the fatal outcome.”
AJ died 16 years ago but his story has been posted on TikTok and Reddit to warn others about ‘fried rice syndrome.’
This refers to food poisoning caused by eating reheated foods which haven’t been stored correctly, including rice, pasta and potatoes.
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
Topics: Health, TikTok, Food And Drink
Britt Jones
Why you should be worried if you start getting ‘phantom hangovers’
‘Phantom hangovers’ are very different to a regular hangover
As a non-drinker, I’ll often join my friends by knocking down a few cold ones (a single Diet Coke) after work.
So I don’t really know what a hangover feels like, but as I’ve gotten older, I have witnessed more and more ‘phantom hangovers’ as the years go by.
By now, we all realise that drinking too much can never be a good thing.
And there’s no shame in admitting that you’re finding it hard to stop, or that you’re a borderline alcoholic.
What classifies as alcohol misuse?
According to the NHS, ‘alcohol misuse is when you drink in a way that’s harmful, or when you’re dependent on alcohol’.
The health service advises people to not regularly drink more than 14 units a week.
One unit of alcohol is 8g or 10ml of pure alcohol, which is about half a pint of lower to normal-strength lager/beer/cider (ABV 3.6 percent), a single small shot measure (25ml) of spirits (25ml, ABV 40 percent), or a small glass (125ml, ABV 12 percent) of wine containing about 1.5 units of alcohol.
A ‘phantom hangover’ can be rough. (Getty Stock Images)
What is a phantom hangover?
A phantom hangover will only happen when you abstain from alcohol for a certain amount of time.
Alcohol rehab guide explains that feeling hungover when you’ve not even had a drink can be a sign of alcohol abuse.
Symptoms are similar to a regular hangover, but they usually start around 48 hours after quitting alcohol – and usually it’s heavy drinkers who have gone off the booze that suffer the worst.
They can last just a few days to a few months.
Notably, phantom hangovers can be psychological due to a chemical imbalance in the brain.
Possible symptoms
- Nausea
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Brain fog
- Aching muscles
Phantom hangover symptoms include headaches, fatigue and brain fog. (Getty Stock Images)
How long does it take the liver to repair from alcohol abuse?
Doctor Lance Stein, a transplant hepatologist at Piedmont Transplant, explains that alcohol is a toxin to the liver, which can cause a lot of internal damage.
He said: “When alcohol, or ethanol, reaches the liver, the cells of the liver have enzymes that help with the digestion and processing of alcohol.
“When alcohol then reaches the blood, that’s when you feel the effects of alcohol.
“As the liver is processing alcohol, it can damage the liver’s enzymes, which can lead to cell death.
“As with any damage to any cell of any organ, there is always a process of healing.”
Dr Stein explained that ‘if the damage to the liver has been long-term, it may not be reversible’, but for most people, your liver might be able to start healing as early as a few days to a few weeks.
We’ve all woken up like this before. (Getty stock photo)
At what age should you consider quitting alcohol completely?
Removing booze from your life can help prevent the development of dementia.
Dr Richard Restak, author of How to Prevent Dementia: An Expert’s Guide to Long-Term Brain Health, wrote: “Ask yourself, ‘why do I drink?’ If the answer is ‘because alcohol helps me to elevate my mood and lower my anxiety,’ you may be at some peril, and it’s probably best to stop altogether.
“I strongly suggest that if you are 65 years old or older, that you completely and permanently eliminate alcohol from your diet.”
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
Topics: Food And Drink, Health
Anish Vij
How to make sure you avoid poison that killed family when they ate leftovers for breakfast
The family died after eating food that had been in their freezer for a year
A family were killed after they ate leftovers which had been in their freezer for a year.
Back in 2020 a family of 12 in China settled down for breakfast, with three quarters of them tucking into the leftovers of Suantangzi, a type of thick noodle made with fermented corn flour, which had been kept in the freezer for a year.
Of the family of 12 who were eating together, nine decided to eat the defrosted and prepared leftovers. Within a matter of days, all of them would be dead.
Those who had eaten the food soon started to feel unwell, suffering from nausea and abdominal pain along with bouts of vomiting.
They were taken to hospital but succumbed to their symptoms and it was found that the leftover noodles they’d eaten contained a high amount of something called bongkrekic acid as doctors found it in the food and the digestive systems of the family who’d died.
All nine who ate the leftovers died. (Getty Stock Photo)
Being poisoned in this way will result in symptoms showing within 10 hours, and even relatively small quantities of the acid can be fatal to humans.
Fortunately, there are things you can do to try and avoid this fate for yourself.
Specifically, you should avoid eating foods that derive from fermented corn or coconut products, as that’s where the acid can be produced when the temperature is between 22 and 33 degrees Celsius, so if you must eat food with those ingredients, you should either make sure it’s fresh or be very careful when defrosting it.
The acid affects a person’s internal organs, targeting their liver, kidneys and brain. Other people who suffered from the poisoning saying they experienced limb pain.
Over here in the UK, it’s quite unlikely that you’ll end up getting it since many of the foods we eat don’t contain fermented corn or coconut.
Symptoms present in a matter of hours, and even a small dose can mean death. (Getty Stock Photo)
Most cases of bongkrekic acid poisoning occur in Indonesia or China where these ingredients are more prevalent in the cuisine.
Other ways to try and get away from the poison include adding some acid of your own to the mixture.
The Singapore Food Agency has suggested adding things that are acidic on the pH scale, such as lemon juice or vinegar.
They also said foods like snow fungus or black fungus, which also can contain acid, should be defrosted by putting them in the fridge instead of out in the open to stop harmful bacteria from growing.
Featured Image Credit: Youtube/Chubbyemu
Topics: Health, Food And Drink, Science
Joe Harker
Doctor issues warning over snorting ‘nose coffee’ which could cause ‘serious damage’
A snortable form of caffeine is gaining popularity.
A doctor has warned us of the dangers of using a ‘nose coffee’ alternative that has apparently been on the market for ages.
Now, if you’re not Michael Owen, the chances are that you probably rely on caffeine quite a bit to get you through the day.
Without a nice hot brew in the morning, many of us would be starting the day off on the wrong foot.
But there is no hiding away from the side effects of too much caffiene, which include insomnia, nervousness, restlessness, nausea, and an increased heart rate.
That’s why a dude called Max, a 32-year-old who lives in Greenwich, Connecticut, reckons he’s discovered a new caffeine hack with supposedly a lot less side effects.
It turns out that there’s a snortable caffeine brand available on Amazon, which sells caffeine nasal spray, vials of powder and fake rolled money to ‘help’ with consumption, according to a report by the New York Post.
Pexels
“We don’t just sell products; we strive to improve everyday life,” the company’s website – named Want A Bump? – advertises, whilst describing its product as ‘an innovative energy supplement that consists of a balanced blend of caffeine and inositol [a sugar produced by the body] designed to provide an immediate, smooth energy boost’.
Max gave the nose product a try and said: “It’s like a less intense cocaine, minus all the bad side effects. I remember feeling it immediately and being very blown away by that.”
“The biggest thing for me is that it doesn’t affect my sleep as much as drinking caffeine,” he added. “The novelty of snorting is really groovy. Thirteen-year-old me would be going nuts.
“There’s really no way to do it that doesn’t look sketchy.”
But as with most things you see on the internet, make sure you get proper medical advice before you look like Al ‘Cappuccino’ from Scarface.
Getty Stock Image
As you might have expected, doctors aren’t so keep on the idea.
“Caffeine in food or drink is slower to absorb than through the nose,” Dr. Shaline Rao, Director of Heart Failure Services at NYU Langone Hospital, Long Island, told the outlet.
“The key is keeping the amount safe’ and ‘to note the upper limit of uses, to avoid overdose, and [allow] appropriate time between doses,” she said, whilst issuing a warning about the possible side effects.
“I would worry that repeat inhalation of caffeine through the nose could result in damage to the nares,” Rao added.
On social media, one content creator suggested that it’s a good alternative if you’re trying to ‘quit cocaine’.
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
Topics: Drugs, Food And Drink, Health
Anish Vij
Heart surgeon shares the four things he ‘absolutely avoids’ in life that can cause serious health issues
The cardiac surgeon warns us to ‘be conscious about what you’re putting in your mouth’
A medical expert who is providing information about heart attacks has shared the four things he ‘absolutely avoids’ as a cardiac surgeon.
Heart and circulatory diseases cause a quarter of all deaths in the UK, according to the British Heart Foundation (BHF).
That worrying statistic means there’s ‘more than 170,000 deaths each year’ because of it.
(Getty Stock Images)
“Coronary heart disease (CHD; also known as ischaemic heart disease) is the most common type of heart disease,” the BHF explain.
“It is the most common cause of heart attack and was the single biggest killer of both and men and women worldwide in 2019.”
While assessing what preventative measures are out there, cardiac surgeon Dr. Jeremy E. London (@drjeremylondon) has opened up on the four things he avoids on a regular basis.
Smoking
Smoking increases your heart rate and blood pressure. (Getty Stock Images)
The doctor says smoking is the ‘single worst thing you can do for your entire body’.
“[It] destroys your lungs, causes lung cancer, high cardiovascular risks, heart attacks and strokes. Don’t smoke,” he said in a recent TikTok video.
Smoking happens to be the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the UK.
Drinking Alcohol
Drinking too much alcohol can increase your blood pressure. (Getty Stock Images)
Dr London says he’s cut out the booze completely and he doesn’t regret it.
“Alcohol. Hate to break it to you, toxic,” he says. “Toxic to every cell in your body.
“Your body, your rules, you decide for yourself.
“For me, personally, removing alcohol from my life has probably been one of the most transformative decisions I’ve made as an adult.
“All the cool kids are doing it. Give it a shot.”
ONS stats show that, in 2022, the number of deaths related to alcohol in England and Wales reached an all-time high at 7,423.
Consuming soft drinks
Soft drinks should be consumed in moderation. (Getty Stock Images)
Harvard health reports that people who drink more than five sugar-sweetened soft drinks a week may be more likely to have signs of early heart disease compared with people who drink just one.
Without giving much of an explanation on this one, Dr London said: “Soft drinks, liquid death. Just don’t drink them. Period. Done.”
Avoiding bread and pasta
Dr London said: “Number four, avoid breads and pastas. Avoid the refined flours and wheats. 80 percent of weight control is diet. 20 percent is exercise.
“I guarantee you, you can out eat any exercise that you do. So be conscious about what you’re putting in your mouth.”
A common cause of heart attacks is having high blood pressure, which is sadly more prominent for obese individuals.
According to the WHO, a body mass index (BMI) over 25 is considered overweight, and over 30 is obese.
Featured Image Credit: Tiktok/Drjeremylondon/Getty Stock Images
