Experts have sensibly warned Brits not to reheat their Christmas leftovers this festive season due to potentially serious health risks.
Not only does heating food that has already been cooked increase the risk of nasty food poisoning, it can also cause debilitating digestive symptoms — especially in people prone to bloating, dietitians warn.
“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 the festive dishes we have as leftovers are high in carbohydrates, such as potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, parsnips and stuffing.
When cooled and reheated, the chemical structure of the carbohydrates changes, making them ‘resistant’ to digestion – meaning they stagnate in the intestines, where they ferment and release painful and unpleasant-smelling gas.
“If we consume resistant starch in large quantities, it can cause intestinal distress as it ferments in our colon,” explains Porter.
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 flatulence, which worsens their symptoms,’ she 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 stomach upset. Stock image
‘Christmas is probably not a good time to find out if you are one of these people, so you may want to avoid resistant starch over the festive period.’
It is estimated that around one in five people in Britain suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which can cause a range of unpleasant digestive symptoms such as constipation, diarrhea and pain.
Resistant starch is often mentioned in positive terms by diet gurus because it can help with weight loss.
This is because the slowed digestion prevents extreme peaks and valleys in blood sugar levels that are associated with feelings of hunger and frequent snacking.
Furthermore, the slower the food passes through the digestive system, the more its chemicals can nourish 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 reheating leftovers — or at least be very careful if you do.
Experts say Christmas can be one of the riskiest times for food poisoning, especially due to improper storage and reheating of leftovers.
This is what the British food safety regulator, The Food Standards Agency (FSA), says. Brits should consume well-chilled leftovers – those left in the fridge within two hours of cooking.
And if you need to reheat your meal, the FSA says it should be steaming hot throughout.
Doing this will avoid the sweet spot for bacteria growth that could cause food poisoning.
Most bacteria cannot grow at low temperatures and are killed when food exceeds 63°C (145.4°F).
If food is only partially heated, above 8°C (46°F) but below the 63°C (145.4°F) threshold, this can cause potentially dangerous bacteria present on the food to briefly rapidly increasing in number over time.
This increases the risk of food poisoning, including infections such as salmonella and campylobacter.
Food poisoning is a common condition in Britain, with an estimated almost 2.5 million cases per year in Britain.
The vast majority of this is mild, but for some people, such as the elderly, it can be much more serious, with an estimated 200 fatalities each year.