Experts have warned Brits with sensitive guts not to heat Christmas leftovers this festive season, due to potentially serious health risks.
Heating foods that are already cooked not only increases the risk of unpleasant food poisoning, but can also trigger debilitating digestive symptoms, especially in those prone to bloating, dietitians warned.
“We can expect symptoms such as bloating, gas and even pain,” said Josie Porter, a British dietician, who urged caution on TikTok.
She explained that many of our leftover festive foods are high in carbohydrates, such as potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, parsnips and stuffing.
When cooled and reheated, the chemical structure of carbohydrates changes, making them “resistant” to digestion, that is, they stagnate in the intestine, where they ferment and release painful and unpleasant-smelling gases.
“If we consume resistant starch in large quantities, it can cause some intestinal symptoms because it ferments in our large intestine,” Porter explained.
Dietitian Carrie Ruxton describes the impact of resistant starch on people’s gut as ‘unpredictable’.
“Some people, for example those with irritable bowel syndrome, find that resistant starch causes painful bloating and gas which worsens their symptoms,” he told MailOnline.
If you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or suffer from bloating in general, you may want to avoid reheating some leftovers to avoid an upset stomach. stock image
“Christmas is probably not a convenient time to know if you are one of these people, so perhaps avoid resistant starch during the holiday season.”
It is estimated that around one in five people in the UK suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which can cause a range of unpleasant digestive symptoms such as constipation, diarrhea and pain.
Diet gurus often refer to resistant starch in positive terms, as it can help with weight loss.
This is because delaying digestion prevents extreme spikes and drops in blood sugar that are associated with feelings of hunger and frequent snacking.
What’s more, the slower food passes through the digestive system, the more its chemicals can feed and benefit a host of healthy gut bacteria that naturally live in the lower parts of our digestive system.
There’s another reason why experts warn against heating leftovers, or at least being very careful if you do.
Experts say Christmas can be one of the riskiest times for food poisoning, mainly due to improper storage and reheating of leftovers.
Britain’s food safety regulator, the Food Standards Agency (FSA), says Brits should eat properly chilled leftovers – those that are placed in the refrigerator within two hours of cooking.
And if you must heat your food, the FSA says it should be piping hot at all times.
Doing so prevents the sweet spot for bacterial growth that could cause food poisoning.
Most bacteria cannot grow in cold temperatures and die once foods exceed 63°C (145.4°F).
If food is only partially reheated, above 8°C (46°F) but below the threshold of 63°C (145.4°F), it can cause any potentially dangerous bacteria present in the food to grow rapidly in the food. number in a short period.
This increases the chances of food poisoning, which includes infections such as salmonella and campylobacter.
Food poisoning is a common ailment in Britain and it is estimated that there are almost 2.5 million cases a year in the UK.
The vast majority of them are mild, but for some people, such as the elderly, they can be much more serious, with around 200 deaths a year.