How to store leftovers safely is the key. Can we eat leftovers overnight? Is the nutrient loss of overnight leftovers serious? If the leftovers are stored reasonably and cooked scientifically before eating, they can be eaten safely and healthily.
In fact, leftovers can be divided into two categories: one is vegetables, the other is meat and bean products.
The fried vegetables contain oil and salt. After one night, the vitamins in the vegetables are oxidized, which greatly increases the content of nitrous acid. After entering the stomach, the vegetables become nitrite, which will generate N-nitroso compounds after having certain conditions. It is one of the risk factors of inducing gastric cancer. Especially in the hot weather, if placed at room temperature, the overnight meal will be contaminated by bacteria, which will multiply in large numbers, and easily lead to gastroenteritis and food poisoning.
It is easy to produce nitrite in vegetable storage, and the loss of antioxidants, vitamin C and folic acid is very serious after storage and repeated heating, and almost lose its delicious value after reheating.
But meat and bean products do not have this problem. As long as they can be refrigerated in time, their nutrition and taste will not change much.
Therefore, in our daily life, we should "prefer meat dishes to vegetables".
At room temperature, bacteria propagate fast and produce nitrite fast.
In the refrigerator, the activity of bacteria is inhibited, and the reduction speed of nitrite will be slower. Therefore, the later the leftovers are put into the refrigerator, the less safe they will be after storage.
Therefore, the vegetables after cooking can not be stored at room temperature for a long time, and it is best to finish the meal. If there are any vegetables left after the meal, they should be put into the refrigerator immediately.