Risk of dangerous diseases from the habit of eating cold rice

The habit of eating cold rice has existed for a long time in Vietnamese families. However, this is the cause of many diseases that we cannot foresee.

Eating cold rice can easily cause weight gain.

According to nutritionists, cold rice still contains a lot of starch. If you overuse cold rice in your daily meals, starch will still be absorbed into your body along with other nutrients. Therefore, the weight loss ability of resistant starch is limited, and if you eat too much, it can even lead to weight gain.

May cause cancer

According to Health Encyclopedia, many people, to save money or for convenience, often reheat cold rice to eat, but this is actually not good for the stomach. Cold rice that has been reheated is very difficult to digest, so if eaten a lot for a long time, it can cause stomach cancer.

The main ingredient of rice is starch. When starch is heated to 60 degrees Celsius or higher, it will gradually expand and eventually turn into a paste, a process called 'gelatinization', which will significantly affect digestion. Therefore, regularly eating reheated cold rice will easily lead to indigestion, and in the long run, it can easily cause stomach cancer.

Harmful to the digestive tract

According to experts, cold rice left for more than 6 hours will create favorable conditions for bacteria to grow, producing toxins that are extremely harmful to the digestive tract. If rice is not preserved well, bacteria in the air will also gather here, causing people who eat it to suffer from a number of symptoms such as stomachache, nausea, diarrhea, dizziness, headache, etc. Especially for the elderly and children, poor digestive function can lead to many other dangerous complications.

People with weak constitutions, when having the above symptoms, can cause many other dangerous complications, and can even cause death. Therefore, it is best that we do not eat cold rice.

On December 23, 2019, the Facebook and Twitter pages of the Malaysian Ministry of Health (Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia) had to post information advising people not to reheat cold rice for use, because it can cause food poisoning.

To be safe, people should only cook enough rice for their family in each meal to ensure nutrition, deliciousness and save money. Many people have the habit of keeping food from the night before to eat for breakfast or take to work. Experts recommend that these foods must be preserved well to avoid spoilage.

 Cold rice still contains a lot of starch.

People who should not eat cold rice

People with stomach pain

For chronic gastric ulcers, patients often suffer from malnutrition due to poor digestion and absorption. Therefore, cold rice is difficult to digest, so people with a history of stomach pain should absolutely not eat it.

Postpartum women

Postpartum women need to eat a balanced, reasonable diet that provides a lot of energy to quickly recover their strength and have enough milk for breastfeeding. Therefore, women during this period should not eat cold foods, especially cold rice, because it has little nutrition and affects the digestive system.

Elderly, children

People with weak health such as the elderly and children when having the above symptoms can cause many other dangerous complications, and can even cause death. Therefore, it is best that we do not eat cold rice.

How to store and eat cold rice safely

 Cold rice can be stored in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days.

Below are some important notes to help minimize the risk of food poisoning from eating cold rice:

Should be refrigerated

First, chill the rice for an hour by dividing it into small, airtight containers. Hot rice should be allowed to cool before being refrigerated.

Absolutely do not put hot rice in the refrigerator for storage. Instead, cool the rice quickly by using a fan or soaking the rice cooker in cold water, then put it in a tightly covered box and store it in the refrigerator.

Cold rice after each meal should not be left at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

After this time, bacterial spores can grow and multiply rapidly. If stored in the refrigerator, ensure that the maximum temperature is 5 degrees Celsius to prevent spores from forming. Cold rice can be stored in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days.

If you do not know how to properly preserve cold rice, it can easily cause potential dangers to your family's health from this seemingly harmless food. Not only in the family, but also on the street, there are many shops selling fried rice with beef, pickled cucumber, and mixed fried rice. In particular, the use of cold rice of unknown origin is many times more worrying.