A man who ate leftovers was admitted to the ICU with organ failure! About leftovers, don't be stupid
everybody knows
Whether it's cooking at home
Or order a takeaway
It's hard to make sure it's finished
Leftovers are always inevitable
What to do with leftover meals?
Many people do not want to waste
So it's common to eat leftovers
But some people get poisoned after eating leftovers
even in the ICU
So is it really so scary to eat leftovers?
Will it cause liver and kidney failure?
What problems will it cause?
What to do with leftovers?
before answering these questions
Let's first analyze the case mentioned above
Why does eating leftovers lead to organ failure?
There are bacteria in the leftovers. After putting it in the refrigerator, the low temperature will inhibit the reproduction of bacteria, but it does not mean that the bacteria can completely prevent the reproduction of bacteria.
When the number of bacteria reaches a certain number, whether it is the product of decomposing food or the toxin produced by bacterial metabolism, after accumulating to a certain extent, it will emit odor and reduce the quality and taste of food.
If the toxin accumulates to a certain level, it will cause health damage and it cannot be eaten. If you eat it and you get sick, it's food poisoning.
In the case mentioned above, the patient himself had liver disease. After eating spoiled food containing toxins, the burden on the liver was aggravated.
In fact, before this, food poisoning caused by eating leftovers also occurred from time to time. In fact, the causes of food poisoning vary, and here are a few common causes.
What are the causes of food poisoning from leftovers?
bacterial food poisoning
Salmonella typhimurium. It can be found in everyday protein-rich foods. Therefore, we can see that the shelf life of various cakes and milk is relatively short, and it is not recommended to eat after the shelf life. It is also found in common leftover fish and meat.
Vibrio parahaemolyticus. It is a halophilic bacterium commonly found in seawater, so food poisoning in seafood is often associated with it.
Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococcus aureus produces Staphylococcus aureus toxin, and the main cause of food poisoning is not the bacteria itself, but the toxins it produces.
To sum up, Salmonella typhimurium and Vibrio parahaemolyticus are viable bacteria, and Staphylococcus aureus is toxin pathogenic.
nitrite poisoning
Nitrite is more common in pickles, which can cause hypoxia in poisoned people, because nitrite will combine with iron in hemoglobin, resulting in a decrease in the ability of hemoglobin to carry oxygen, thereby causing disease.
A typical manifestation of the patient is cyanosis of the lips, that is, the lips that should be red are black, which is a typical manifestation of blood hypoxia. Because the most sensitive part of the human body to hypoxia is the brain cells, it is more dangerous to take a large dose of food containing nitrite at one time.
But pickles, as an appetizer in the hot summer, are paired with white rice porridge or with pumpkin porridge. They are loved by everyone and are also one of the traditional delicacies.
Note that there is a dose problem here. Even if it is not leftover pickles, there is a risk of nitrite poisoning if you eat too much. Especially eating a lot of pickled vegetables on an empty stomach increases the risk of poisoning. There is no problem with eating a little to increase your appetite at ordinary times.
Other poisoning situations
Other food poisonings include moldy peanuts, corn, rice (aflatoxin), sprouted potatoes (solanine), moldy sugarcane, etc.
Can you eat leftovers?
Leftovers are edible, but not recommended.
It is not difficult to buy a small electronic scale now. When you cook, you can be more careful and plan the amount of vegetables according to the number of people, so as to reduce the generation of leftovers.
If you really want to eat leftovers, try not to reheat the leftovers for one meal, after all, repeated heating will reduce the taste of the ingredients, and the nutritional value will also decrease, especially the vitamins are destroyed.
The following two must be noted:
- Heat through. Sufficient heating is very important, especially for some meat dishes, which are rich in nutrients and bacteria multiply quickly. If the heating is not sufficient, there is a risk of food poisoning. It must be boiled and maintained for a period of time.
Bacteria can be killed by boiling, but the toxins produced by bacteria are not necessarily destroyed immediately, they are often better than the bacteria themselves, so be sure to boil and maintain for a period of time. How long is this period of time? 5 minutes is recommended, but if the leftovers have been left for a long time, it is recommended to extend to 15 minutes.
- Timely. Do not store food for too long. Too long, and even at low temperatures, bacteria will multiply slowly and toxins will slowly form.
In addition, scientifically storing leftovers can also greatly reduce the risk of food poisoning.
How to scientifically store leftovers?
Packing. If the leftovers cannot be eaten at one time, divide them into several portions and separate them with plastic bags. And reduce cross-contamination of different leftovers.
Freezing is preferred. Under the condition of 4 ℃, the growth rate of bacteria is significantly faster than -20 ℃, so if the amount of fish and meat food is large, first consider freezing preservation.
Mark. You can put a small label on the fresh-keeping bag to write the time of freezing or fresh-keeping as a reminder. Leftovers that are too long are best thrown away.
In summary
Eating leftovers and entering the ICU is an exception
But the risk of food poisoning must not be ignored
And repeated heating can destroy nutrients
If you really want to eat leftovers, don't eat leftovers for too long.
And make sure to boil for a while before eating
Expert for this article: Dr. Tao Ning, Associate Professor, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences