If you are fasting for 15-16 hours a day during Ramadan, the last thing you would want is to fall sick. But despite taking all precautions, sometimes it is our simple habits we need to change or avoid so that we do not fall sick.
Consider this: When you wake up for pre-dawn meals or Suhoor, you usually reheat the food that you might have prepared during the evening or a day before. But do you know there are certain foods which upon reheating can pose a great health risk.
The tendency to finish the leftovers of the day during Suhoor may actually be the real culprit if you have not been keeping well.
Shugufta Zubair, from the food safety department of Dubai Municipality, told the Gulf News that some foods may need more precautions during preparations than other foods.
According to the Dubai Municipality health advisory, one should keep raw meat/poultry and ready-to-eat foods in separate bags so that the juices of the raw food do not contaminate other foods.
Zubair added that after the food is kept in fridge for three-four hours, it should be only heated once.
She suggested that the food should be heated above 63 degrees Celsius as the bacteria becomes active between 0-60 degrees Celsius.
Here are five foods that may make you sick if not heated properly or when reheated.
Spinach
Since spinach is loaded with iron in the form of nitrates, on reheating the healthy nitrates may convert to toxic nitrates, which could be dangerous for your health.
Chicken
If you are reheating chicken, it may lead to indigestion since it contains a lot of protein.
Mushrooms
Doctors advise to eat mushrooms on the same day they are cooked. Mushrooms are rich in complex-proteins and should ideally be not reheated.
Potatoes
Bacteria may easily thrive in unrefrigerated cooked potatoes. If such potatoes are heated, the bacteria grows in such an environment and can lead to food poisoning.
Eggs
Experts advise that eggs should be heated at really high temperatures since bacteria have a tendency to grow in eggs. It is also suggested not to leave cooked eggs or dishes containing eggs unrefrigerated for more than two hours.
(source: Gulf News)
