Many white-collar workers like to bring overnight meals back to work. The health issues of "bringing meals" cannot be ignored.

Can overnight vegetables cause cancer? How to "bring meals" to be healthier

Nowadays, everything is so expensive that many white-collar beauties will bring their own lunch. Refrigerators and microwave ovens have also become "standard" appliances in offices. However, a Weibo post that "white-collar workers bringing meals with them will increase the risk of gastric cancer" was widely circulated recently, and many people expressed concerns about the safety of "bringing meals" with them. Experts say that there is currently no conclusive evidence that eating overnight will increase the risk of cancer, but the health issues of "bringing meals" cannot be ignored.

Solving doubts

Question 1: Will eating overnight meals often cause cancer?

It is a must-do for many white-collar women to prepare the meals on the first day and bring them to the office the next day to have them hot for lunch. Many women believe that the meals they cook are clean and hygienic, they can control their own nutrition, and they save money than eating lunch out. However, if you don't pay attention to "bringing meals", it will also affect your health.

Professor Zou Yuhua from the School of Public Health of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University told reporters that from an epidemiological perspective, the current literature and scientific research lack epidemiological investigations in this area, and there is no conclusive evidence. Eating overnight meals for "rice-bringers" will increase the risk of cancer. The occurrence of cancer is the result of the long-term and synergistic action of multiple factors, which are related to living habits, diet types, environmental factors, genetic factors, mental factors, etc. A single risk factor is not enough to induce cancer.

However, Professor Zou Yuhua specifically pointed out: "Although there is no direct connection between 'overnight meals' and cancer, this eating pattern can easily lead to an increase in the intake of toxic and harmful substances. From a nutritional perspective "Eating overnight may indeed increase the spoilage of food and the production of nitrites, which will undoubtedly increase the risk of tumors."

Question 2: Will using a microwave oven frequently affect your health?

White-collar workers usually use microwave ovens to heat their meals. Will using microwave ovens for a long time affect health? Professor Zou Yuhua said, "Microwave ovens are designed based on the principle that microwaves can penetrate food and heat it. If microwaves leak, it will also be harmful to the human body. However, there are clear national safety standards for the use of microwave ovens. Now there are no regulations on the amount of microwave leakage. Domestic and foreign restrictions are no more than 5 milliwatts per square centimeter. According to domestic testing in recent years, the radiation amount of domestic microwave ovens is generally less than 1 milliwatt and 0.5 milliwatts. The leakage of microwave ovens is not large and decays quickly in the air. , do not stay in front of the microwave oven during use, but should keep a certain distance, so that you can basically avoid being harmed by microwave radiation."

In addition, Professor Zou specifically reminded: "To save trouble, people often put food in plastic bags directly into the microwave oven to heat it. The high temperature of the microwave oven will cause the plastic bags to produce toxic substances, and these substances will enter the food and It will affect your health. Therefore, be sure to choose suitable containers, such as porcelain, glass products, and microwave-friendly plastic boxes or paper bags.”

Recommendation

People with rice should use nightshades and potatoes instead of leafy vegetables

It is of course the healthiest to have freshly fried and freshly cooked lunch. However, when white-collar workers are restricted by their work and have to choose to "bring meals", they can still reduce the adverse effects of overnight meals on the body through scientific and reasonable "bringing meal" habits.

Professor Zou Yuhua suggested: "Rice is the most suitable staple food, sweet potatoes are the first choice for vegetarian dishes, chicken and beef are the first choice for meat dishes, and seafood and vegetables are not suitable." Professor Zou explained that heated rice can basically maintain its original taste and nutrients. Steamed buns and steamed buns can easily dry out and are not suitable for microwave heating. Noodles can easily become mushy if left for a long time. Therefore, rice is the most suitable choice for those who bring rice.

Try to choose meat dishes with less fat, such as beef, chicken, etc. Fish and seafood are prone to produce protein degradation products after being left overnight, which can damage liver and kidney functions, and are not suitable as food with rice. In terms of vegetarian dishes, leafy vegetables are excluded from the lunch boxes of "people who bring rice" because they are prone to produce nitrite. However, vegetarian vegetables must always be eaten, so eggplant vegetables such as tomatoes and eggplants, stem vegetables such as lotus roots and carrots, and potatoes, yams and other tubers contain less nitrite, so they become "food-bringers". "The healthy choice.

Don’t stir or lift the lid of the prepared meals at will.

In addition to the type of food, how to store the food that will be brought to the office is also the key to health, because bringing overnight meals is more likely to cause Food poisoning problem. Professor Zou Yuhua pointed out that before storing food, the soup should be purified, and the food should be fully cooled before being stored in a 4°C refrigerator. Don't stir food easily with used chopsticks, and don't open the lid frequently, otherwise bacteria will easily be introduced into the food. Try to choose ceramic glass utensils for food, because food is prone to chemical reactions if it is stored in iron or aluminum utensils for a long time.

At the same time, it is best to cook meals fresh in the morning and keep leftovers within 5 to 6 hours. Leftover rice can easily cause food poisoning, but most leftover rice looks normal and makes people careless, so it should be heated thoroughly before consumption.

Reminder

A reasonable diet is the best way to prevent cancer for white-collar workers

"Eating high-salt, smoked products, and salted foods for a long time, eating quickly and lovingly Hot food and irregular diet are related to the induction of gastric cancer, rectal cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, etc. Professor Zou Yuhua pointed out, "Nowadays, people's dietary structure is unreasonable, and animal food and fat intake are too high. The intake of cereals is too low and too refined, which is not good for health. ”

Professor Zou Yuhua pointed out that fresh vegetables and fruits can increase the intake of vitamins A and C, as well as meat. , fish, eggs, milk and various soy products are helpful to increase the protein content of the diet, while starchy foods should be relatively reduced in the diet. Eat less or no smoked, pickled, fried and pickled foods, advocate a low-salt diet, and eat less salt and salted foods. In addition, you should eat on time, avoid overeating, and avoid eating foods that are too hard, too thick, and too hot.